Analysis of Selection Indices and Genetic Divergence in Groundnut

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the principal economic oilseed crops of the world. It is commercially cultivated in more than 100 countries located in between 40ºN and 40ºS latitudes. Groundnut is considered as the world’s fourth largest source of edible oil and third most important source of vegetable protein. It is also a major oilseed legume crop in India and meets about 30% of the edible oil requirements in the country. The botanical name for groundnut, Arachis hypogaea L. is derived from two Greek words, Arachis means a legume and hypogaea means below ground, referring to the formation of pods in the soil. The groundnut is generally distributed in the tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate zones.