Biochemical screening of ten peanut cultivars for tolerance to Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. (Ascomycota), the causal agent of Botrytis blight disease, is one of the main yield reducing reasons for peanut cultivation worldwide. Due to the amiable growth conditions for this fungus, the pervasiveness of the disease is alarming in India. In the present investigation, through in vitro inclusion of purified fungal isolates to build up disease incidence, ten commonly grown cultivars viz. GG20, GG7, J11, M13, Somnath, Gangapuri, BAU13, RJ382, RJ510, and RJ578 of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) were screened for their morphological and biochemical parameters. To get all inclusive response, the optimum growth conditions were provided throughout the experiment. The selected growth parameters for this study were length of root and shoot, shoot moisture, shoot inhibition, fresh and dry weight and leaf area that were used to screen out tolerant and susceptible cultivars. It was found that among the ten selected cultivars of A. hypogaea, cultivar RJ510 exhibited the best opposing response while RJ382 was the most affected cultivar against the pathogen attack. A dynamic correlation was attained regarding certain growth and biochemical factors towards the resistant abilities of cultivars in response to fungal invasion. The results showed a definite order of tolerance, i.e. RJ510 RJ578 GG20 Gangapuri Somnath J11 BAU13 M13 GG7 RJ382, among the infected cultivars of Peanut. Hence, the study reveals RJ510 as the best suited cultivar to be grown in Botrytis cinerea affected regions of India and elsewhere.