Selection of lines with high yield and oleic acid content in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Oil quality in vegetable oils is determined by the fatty acid composition. Oleic and linoleic acids, which are unsaturated fatty acids in groundnut oil, constitute approximately 80% of the total fatty acid content. Among these fatty acids, especially oleic acid determines the quality in groundnut industry, increases the oxidation resistance of the oil and contributes to its long shelf life. The number of groundnut varieties with high oleic content is quite insufficient, and there is a need for new genetic resources with high yield and high oleic acid content. In this thesis, the 304 F6 lines, obtained from hybridization of high yielding cultivar NC-7 and a high oleic acid genotype HOG, was characterized in terms of agronomic traits, and oil and fatty acid characterization was performed on the lines which have desired traits. The parent lines HOG and NC-7 were evaluated as controls. The variation of lines in terms of yield characteristics varied between 16.5 and 235.5 g. The highest average yield was observed in the NH-2-22-4-31. It was determined that 187 lines had higher yields than the NC-7 variety. Considering the averages, the longest capsule was obtained in the NH-2-31-1-34 with 5.0 cm. While the average capsule length in the F6 collection was determined as 3.9 cm, the capsule length was measured as 3.1 cm in the HOG genotype and 4 cm in the NC-7. The highest grain length of 2.5 cm was observed in the lines NH-2-22-5-32, NH-2-31-1-34, NH-2-22-7-12 and NH-2-31-1-7. After the field trial, considering the criteria of capsule yield, capsule and grain length, 26 lines were selected and characterized in terms of oil content and fatty acid traits. Considering the oil ratio, the average value of the collection was calculated as 47.99%. The highest oil rate was obtained in the NH-2-31-3-52 line with 50.77%. The average oleic acid value was measured as 78.58%, and over 80% oleic acid value was found in the NH-2-22-5-23 and NH-2-31-1-6 lines. It is expected that the selected elite lines will be used yield trails and registered as cultivars.