Bj. Ndunguru et al., ASSESSMENT OF GROUNDNUT CULTIVARS FOR END-OF-SEASON DROUGHT TOLERANCEIN A SAHELIAN ENVIRONMENT, Journal of Agricultural Science, 125, 1995, pp. 79-85
A 2-year study (1990 and 1991) was conducted at the ICRISAT (Internati
onal Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) Sahelian Cent
re, near Niamey, Niger, to select groundnut cultivars tolerant to drou
ght and to examine selection techniques. Thirty-six cultivars known to
vary in yield potential were grown under rainfed and irrigated condit
ions. Crop growth rate (C) and partitioning co-efficient (p) were esti
mated from phenological and final harvest data. The correlation betwee
n years was greater for partitioning than for pod yield (implying a hi
gher heritability for p than for yield). Tolerance as determined by a
drought susceptibility index for pod yield (S-Y), crop growth rate (S-
C) and partitioning (S-p) to reproductive sinks showed thirteen cultiv
ars as drought tolerant for either C or p or for both. The Sahelian cu
ltivars 796, 55-437 and TS 32-1 were the most consistent for drought t
olerance. Partitioning was the most important yield component affectin
g yield variation among cultivars.