Inheritance of limited-transpiration trait in peanut: an update

Peanut (Arachis Hypogeae L.) is commonly grown on sandy soil and in environments with intermittent rainfall, both of which can lead to soil water-deficit. Limited transpiration (LT) under elevated vapor pressure deficit (VPD) can result in water conservation, allowing sustained physiological activity later in the season during reproductive development. The objective of this study was to expand the number of progeny lines phenotyped for expression of the LT trait from the mating of Tifrunner (LT trait not expressed) × NC 3033 (LT trait expressed) to allow a preliminary examination of inheritance. Half of the 24 phenotyped lines expressed LT with their VPD threshold ranging from 2.16 to 3.38 kPa. Six of the 12 genotypes expressing LT had a threshold at 2.65 kPa or less, which is the range likely to be relevant in most peanut environments. These results, indicating epistatic inheritance, are supportive of LT expression in progeny lines at a reasonable frequency for relevant use in cultivar development for water-deficit conditions.