PHENOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TWENTY PEANUT (Arachis hypogaea L.) ACCESSIONS GROWN IN ÑUBLE PROVINCE, CHILE

Abstract

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the most important oil crops in the world for its high content of lipids and proteins. In Chile there are no improved peanut cultivars, so it is necessary to evaluate genotypes for the development of commercial varieties adapted to local climatic conditions. The objective of this research was to characterize 20 accessions of peanut, determinate its earliness and adaptation to climatic conditions of Ñuble Province. A number of 17 accessions identified as IGBB and three accessions identified as JVM were used, all of them furnished by the National Agricultural habit and fruit with two seeds. The JVM accessions showed erect growth habit and fruit with three seeds. The accessions of the ICBG group had a long vegetative period. In contrast JVM accessions showed a short vegetative period, which would indicate a better adaptation to the climatic conditions of Ñuble Province. The peanut accessions identified as ICGB correspond to the subspecies hypogaea var. hypogaea (Runner and Virginia types), while JVM accessions correspond to the subspecies fastigiata var. fastigiata (Valencia type).