Abstract
Leaves are the main site of photosynthesis in plants. Leaf size and shape have been shown to be related to disease resistance. Therefore, understanding the inheritance of traits related to them is important. Conflicting results have been reported on the inheritance of leaflet size in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Some indicate qualitative inheritance and others quantitative determination. This study was undertaken to examine the genetic factors which control leaflet size in peanut. F2 populations from a modified diallel (excluding self-crosses) with three parents, A. monticola and two A. hypogaea genotypes (Argentine and T2442), were used in this experiment. In contrast with previous studies, the measurement technique used took into account the within-plant variability which occurs for this trait. Results suggest that: a) leaflet size may be quasi-quantitatively inherited; i.e., its inheritance may present distinguishable genotypes within continuous variation; b) the inheritance of leaflet size may involve two types of alleles of which one would be responsible for large leaflet size, while the other would be responsible for small leaflet size; and c) the use of progressive measurement scales and the analysis of ungrouped data are advisable on genetic studies of some morphological traits in peanut.
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Keywords: Groundnut, qualitative inheritance, quasiquantitative inheritance
How to Cite:
Essomba, N. & Coffelt, T. & Branch, W. & Van Scoyoc, S., (1993) “Inheritance of Leaflet Size in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)1¹”, Peanut Science 20(2), p.90-93. doi: https://doi.org/10.3146/i0095-3679-20-2-6