Field Assessment of Morphometric and Agronomic Characteristics of Fifteen Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Varieties Under Agroecological Conditions of INERA Gimbi station, Democratic Republic of Congo

Aim: To evaluate morphometric and agronomic traits of fifteen groundnut varieties from germplasm of the National Pulses Program of Institut National pour l’Etude et la Recherche Agronomiques. Study Design: This study was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with fifteen treatments repeated three times. Place and duration of the study: The trial was conducted at Gimbi research station from March 9 to June 13, 2022.  Methodology: This study was conducted using fifteen varieties (treatments) replicated three times. Data collected concerned the percentage of seedlings that emerged, morphometric and agronomic parameters.    Results: Seeds emerged varied from 80.6 to 93.5%. Collar diameter varied from 8.7 to 10.1mm, and stem height from 40.5 to 55.1cm. Groundnut varieties flowered on 30 to 35 DAS, and pod maturity is reached on 90 to 98 DAS. Number of pods per plant varied from 10.2 to 16.6, and number of seeds per pod from 2.0 to 2.3. The weight of fresh pods per plot varied from 1,002.3 to 1,043.2g, and the weight of dry pods per plot from 742.3 to 858.7g. The 100-seed weight varied from 49.4 to 53.4g. Dry pods yield varied from 1,546.5 to 1,816.1kg/ha, and seeds yield from 1,376.8 to 1,642.4kg/ha. The principal component analysis figure explains reality with 55.32% information. The first axis explained explains 33.54% of the information, and the second axis explained explains 21.78% of the information. Ascending hierarchical classification grouped groundnut varieties into five classes. Conclusion: This study shows high variability in the behaviour of groundnut varieties used. Collar diameter and plant height development are continuous from the second to the eighth WAS, then practically fade from the tenth WAS. Groundnut varieties flowered, and pods reached maturity at the same time. Yield is positively correlated with the weight of dry pods and the weight of seeds per plot. Hierarchical classification revealed five distinct classes of groundnut varieties.