GENETIC ANALYSIS OF AFLATOXIN AND AGRONOMIC TRAITS IN GROUNDNUT (ARACHIS HYPOGAEA L.)

CHAPTER ONE

1     Introduction

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an annual legume which is also known as peanut. It is the 13^th most important food crop of the world. Today, groundnut is the world’s 4th most important source of edible oil and the 3^rd most important source of vegetable protein in the world. Groundnut is cultivated in more than 100 countries in 6 continents and covers an area of 26.4 million hectares worldwide with a total production of 41.3 million metric tons, and an average productivity of 1.4 metric tons per hectare (FAO, 2014). Major groundnut producers in the world are: China, India, Nigeria, USA, Indonesia and Sudan. Developing countries account for 96% of the global groundnut area and 92% of the global production (FAO, 2014). Groundnut kernels are consumed directly as raw, roasted or boiled kernels or oil extracted from the kernel is used as culinary oil. Groundnut seeds contain high quality oil (50%), easily digestible protein (25%) and carbohydrates (20%). It is also used as animal feed and industrial raw material. These multiple uses of groundnut make it an excellent cash crop for domestic markets as well as for foreign trade in several developing and developed countries (Pandey et al., 2012).