SHANTHI PRIYA, MMEGHALA DEVI, GOWRA2019-05-032019-05-032018http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810101810D5716The present investigation was conducted at dryland farm of S.V. Agricultural college, Tirupati, during kharif 2017 to study the variability and genetic parameters, character association and path analysis in thirty groundnut genotypes under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences for all the characters studied under both fertilizer managements indicating the presence of ample amount of variability among the genotypes. Mean performance of genotypes revealed that TCGS-1157, ICG-10384, ICG-11322, ICG-7153, TCGS-1330, Dharani under organic fertilizer management and ICG-7153, K-9, ICG-11322, TCGS-1330, K-7 bold and Dharani under inorganic fertilizer management were found promising for yield, water use efficiency and quality traits. Higher estimates for GCV and PCV were observed for number of immature pods per plant, kernel yield per plant, pod yield per plant and total free amino acids under both fertilizer managements whereas number of pegs per plant, number of mature pods per plant and number of pods per plant showed high GCV and PCV in only inorganic fertilizer management. The characters total free amino acids and carbohydrate content exhibited high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean under both fertilizer managements whereas SLA at 60 DAS and xvii hundred kernel weight showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean in organic fertilizer management and plant height, number of pegs per plant, number of mature pods per plant, number of pods per plant and kernel yield per plant in inorganic fertilizer management indicating the preponderance of additive gene action and the selection for these traits will be effective. Using D2 analysis thirty genotypes of groundnut were grouped into seven and five clusters under organic and inorganic fertilizer managements. The characters oil content in organic and plant height in inorganic fertilizer management contributed more towards genetic divergence. The crosses TCGS-1157 X K-7 bold, TCGS-1157 X K-1789, TCGS-1330 X K-7 bold and Dharani X K-7 bold under organic fertilizer management and K-9 X ICG-11651, Dharani X ICG-11651, K-9 X K-7 bold, Dharani X K-7 bold and TCGS-1330 X ICG-11651 under inorganic fertilizer management can be utilized for development of transgressive segregants for yield, water use efficiency and quality traits. Character association analysis revealed that the characters viz., number of primary branches, number of pegs per plant, number of mature pods per plant, number of pods per plant, harvest index, kernel yield per plant, SCMR at 40 DAS and SCMR at 60 DAS showed significant positive correlation with pod yield per plant under both fertilizer managements. Path analysis revealed that kernel yield per plant under organic fertilizer management and kernel yield per plant and number of pods per plant in inorganic fertilizer managements exhibited high positive direct effect on pod yield per plant. Other traits also showed high indirect effects through these traits indicating the importance of these traits during selection process in groundnut.en-USnullThesis