RA 00183.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Status of the Groundnut
Network Programs in Africa
R. Schilling 1
Since 1950, two IRHO teams have carried out collaborative work on groundnut production
problems common to Senegal and Burkina Faso. From 1984 onwards, IRHO actively cooperated
with the ICRISAT Center at Hyderabad, India, and after 1987 with the ICRISAT Sahelian
Center at Niamey, Niger, on groundnut research. In 1987, the "Groundnut Network" was set
up which brought together research institutions from 14 African countries. Several joint projects
are under way and program coordination has been undertaken.
Agronomy
Trials on groundnut-cereal rotation, carried out over several decades, have helped to monitor
soil development and yields based on cropping practices and fertilizer application. In these
trials, a foliar diagnostic technique was used to monitor mineral nutrition of the plant, to detect
deficiencies, and to measure the effect of fertilizers over a vast network of multilocational
experiments.
Breeding
The main breeding programs concentrate on improving plant tolerance for drought and
Aspergillus flavus, leaf diseases (rust and leaf spot), and quality of table groundnuts. Adapted
and productive varieties were selected and multiplied on a large scale, especially in Senegal.
Crop Protection
Preventative measures, varietal improvement (integrated physiology/breeding/pathology approach),
and chemical control are used in studies on crop protection. Special attention is
focussed on leaf diseases, aflatoxin, myriapod, and nematode control.
1. Agronome, Division Oleagineux Annuels, CIRAD-IRHO, II Square Petrarque, 75116, Paris, France.
Citation: ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics). 1991. Summary Proceedings of
the Second ICRISAT Regional Groundnut Meeting for West Africa, 11-14 Sep 1990, ICRISAT Sahelian Center,
Niamey, Niger. Patancheru, A.P. 502 324, India: ICRISAT.
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