Variability for seed germination and seedling vigour in aging groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seeds after storage under ambient conditions

Seed germination and seedling vigour in aging seeds of 32 groundnut genotypes was studied under ambient storage conditions to assess the extent of variability for these traits under storage. The association, if any of these traits with seed soil content and seed mass was also examined. Both,seed germination and seedling vigour declined with aging of the groundnut seeds in all test genotypes. However, the rate of decrease varied among the genotypes suggesting significant genotypic difference and possibility of their improvement through breeding. Aging also has strong negative effect on both, root and shoot growth of the seedlings, but profound effect was observed on root growth. Seed germination and seedling vigour are not associated with seed oil content, but seedling vigour is positively correlated with seed mass. The results indicate the possibility of developing new groundnut genotypes that retained good levels of seed germination and seedling vigour even in storage for 12 months under ambientconditions. Further, it is also possible to combine enhanced high seed oil content with high seed germination and seedling vigour. As seed germination and seedling vigour are associated with pod yield, it may be desirable to evaluate the advanced breeding lines for these traits besides other yield and yield parameters.