IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) e-ISSN: 2319-2380, p-ISSN: 2319-2372. Volume 11, Issue 7 Ver. II (July 2018), PP 37-42 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/2380-1107023742 www.iosrjournals.org 37 | Page Genetic Diversity and Root Characters of Yield and Yield Components of Some Selected Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea L.) Genotypes under Irrigated Condition, Gezira State, Sudan. Alkhader Ali Mokhaer Mohamad 1 , Ahmed Hassan Abu Assar 2 and Siddig E. Idris 3 Oil Crops Research Centre, Agricultural Research Corporation, Wad Medani, Sudan 1 , Director of Oil Crops Research Centre, Agricultural Research Corporation, Wad Medani, Sudan 2 , Faculty of Agricultural sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Gezira State, Sudan 3 Corresponding Author: Alkhader Ali Mokhaer Mohamad Abstract: Fifty groundnut genotypes and three checks were evaluated in augmented design with five blocks at the Gezira Research Station Farm. It is located at latitude 14ᴼ, 24 ՜ N, longitude 33ᴼ, 29 ՜ E and 407 m above sea level. Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Sudan during 2016 to study variability in root characters and genetic diversity under selection pressure. There is a lack of information on root traits for groundnut genotypes and the relationship between rooting traits and groundnut yield under terminal drought. From the result found variability between shoot dry weight, root dry weight, root shoot ratio, shoot length, root length and root volume. Genetic divergences in 50% flowering, plant height, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of double seeded pods per plant, number of single seeded pods per plant, pods yield per plant, kernels weight per plant, hundred seed weight, shelling percentage, hay weight, total plant weight, harvest index and pods yield per hectare divided the genotypes according to similarity. Keywords: Groundnut, Drought, root traits, Variability, Cluster , Kiriz, , Gezira, Sudan. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 16-07-2018 Date of acceptance: 30-07-2018 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Groundnut or peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) belongs to the family Leguminosae. It is a highly self- pollinated crop and appears to be originated in Brazil. It is one of the most wide –spread and important food legumes in the world. The total annual world production is about 25 million tons of unshelled nuts, 70% of which is contributed by India, China and U.S.A. (Haj Hussein, 2004). Peanut is an important source of plant oil and protein worldwide. The oil content in peanut seeds ranges from 45–60% and protein ranges from 22–35% in different varieties (Nalini and Rajeev, 2014). Groundnut is an allotetrapoloid (2n=4x=40), which originated through the hybridization of two diploid species with distinct genomes (A. duranensis the AA genomes donor and A. ipaensis the BB donor) giving rise to a sterile hybrid. A spontaneous duplication of the chromosomes restored fertility which formed the tetraploid species A. monticola and gave rise to the cultivated peanut but left the plant reproductively isolated from its wild relations (Anthony, 2014). The groundnut production is concentrated in Asia and Africa (56% and 40% of the global area and 68% and 25% of the global production, respectively). India, China, and the United States have been the leading producers for over 25 years and grow about 70% of the world crop. Other important producers are Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Argentina (Abu Assar et al., 2016). The Sudan average national area in 2014/15 of groundnut was 1.3 million hectare. The rain-fed cropped area of groundnut was 93% compared to 7% for the irrigated sector, while, in 2015/16 the average national area was 2.2 million hectare. The average national production of groundnut in 2014/15 was 0.96 million metric tons and 1.9 million metric tons in 2015/16. The rain fed sector production is 1.1 million metric tons which constitutes about 77 % of the total groundnut production in the Sudan (FAO STAT 2015). The average yield of groundnut in Sudan was 0.77 ton/hectare in 2014/15. The average yield in the irrigated sector was 1.8 ton/hectare which is more than two times the yield of the rain-fed sector while, and in season 2015/16 was 0.86 ton/hectare (FAO STAT 2015). Groundnut breeding program in the Sudan has been focused on development of high yielding, early maturing, and spreading bunch types adapted to the irrigated Vertisols, development of early maturing, drought tolerant cultivars for the rain-fed sandy soils of western Sudan, selection of large-seeded Virginia types for