RA 00015.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

een undertaken, particularly in those areas
where improved cultivars have not been released.
Import of exotic cultivars from major germplasm
centers abroad has been necessarily slow,
due to the strict plant quarantine measures to
prevent the spread of new seed-borne pathogens
into India. At present, imported seeds are planted
in a screenhouse at the Rajendranagar
quarantine station and inspected regularly for
disease symptoms. After approximately 6 weeks,
young healthy plants are released to us for
transplanting in the postquarantine area at
ICRISAT Center. Fortnightly quarantine inspections
are carried out until the plants mature,
and their produce is then released to us. Even so,
during the year approximately 750 cultivars have
been released to us and a further 90 accessions
are in the postentry quarantine block. A further
900 exotic cultivars are awaiting primary
quarantine clearance. Among the important
material now released are two cultivars with rust
resistance (a further 14 rust-resistant lines are in
the postentry quarantine area), two breeding
lines with resistance to Aspergillus flavus, material
resistant to leafspots, and an accession with
extreme earliness. We have managed to have this
breeding material released by asking for priority
processing in relation to normal germplasm
resources. Several wild Arachis species, including
those with disease resistance, have also been
received and established.
During rainy season 1976 some 2 000 cultivars
from Indian research centers and 331 exotic lines
were planted and evaluated. Due to the erratic
rainy season and abundance of fungal and viral
diseases, the collection was evaluated for additional
sources of resistance to rust and
leafspot-but without success. A dry period
during August and September allowed us to
score for drought tolerance. Thrips counts were
also taken on all cultivars; 21 lines with little
damage caused by this pest (and virus vector)
were identified for further study. In the 1976-
1977 postrainy season 178 new exotic cultivars
were planted in addition to the 331 harvested
from the rainy season crop. The yield from this
crop was higher than had been obtained previously
and the collection was also screened for
reaction to bud necrosis virus.
Groundnut germplasm was supplied to research
workers in India and several other nations
(Table 44).
Breeding
The main breeding programs are aimed at the
incorporation of disease resistance into highyielding
commercially accepted cultivars. As we
were totally dependent on the importation of
disease-resistant parents, we had to await
quarantine clearance of such material before we
could proceed with our main breeding objectives.
In the interim a team of operators was trained in
emasculation and pollination techniques, using
germplasm from local sources. Plants were raised
initially in pots kept in the open; despite plant
protection measures, bud necrosis virus seriously
affected the rate of successful pollinations. A new
set of parents was raised in the new screenhouse
Table 44. Groundnut germplasm lines supplied to research agencies in India and other nations during
1976-1577.
Institution Location Entries
Agricultural Research Institute
Department of Primary Industries
Agricultural Research Centre
Agricultural Research Station
University of West Indies
Karimnagar, A.P. India
Brisbane, Australia
Semongok, Malaysia
Maha Illuppallama, Sri Lanka
St. Augustine, Trinidad
2
36
36
46
25
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