Multiple Resistant and Nutritionally Dense Germplasm Identified from Mini Core Collection in Peanut.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is extensively grown by resource-poor farmers in the semiarid tropics where many abiotic and biotic stresses limit the crop's productivity and seed quality. Peanut cultivars with enhanced host-plant resistance, adaptation to abiotic stress, input-use efficiency, and yield potential will maximize yield gains and minimize inputs to sustain production. The peanut mini core collection was evaluated for agronomic traits in multienvironment trials at Patancheru, India. The published information on 184 mini core accessions revealed 28 accessions resistant to abiotic stress, 30 resistant to biotic stress, and 18 that were agronomically desirable but susceptible to stresses, while 16 were seed nutrient dense. The mini core is part of the composite collection, which was previously genotyped using SSRs. The agronomic evaluation, stress response, and nutritional information together with genotyping data were used to identify genetically diverse germplasm with agronomically beneficial traits: ICG 12625 (resistance to drought, low temperature, late leaf spot [LLS], Aspergillus flavus Link, bacterial wilt; high oil and good oil quality) and ICG 442 (resistance to drought, salinity, P deficiency); ICG 12625 and ICG 2381 (resistance to rust, A. flavus; good oil quality); ICG 12697 (resistance to LLS, rust, A. flavus) and ICG 6022 (resistance to early leaf spot [ELS], LLS); ICG 14710 (high oil, Fe, Zn) and ICG 7963 (high protein, Fe, Zn); ICG 11426 (resistance to ELS, LLS, rust) and ICG 5221 (high Fe and Zn and good oil quality). Accessions with adaptation to rainy and/or post-rainy environments were ICG# 434, 5745, 8285, 10036, 11088, 11651, 12625, 15042, and 15419. These accessions are ideal genetic resources that may be used to develop agronomically superior and nutritionally enhanced peanut cultivars with multiple resistances to abiotic and biotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]