Assessment of drought tolerant and high yielding groundnut varieties in Ariyalur district, India

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil seed crop mainly grown under rainfed situation. Due to erratic rainfall and frequent drought during the crop growth period, groundnut yields are generally low and unstable under rainfed conditions. Drought during critical crop growth stages is crucial for yield in groundnut varieties. But tolerant genotypes may give better yield due to maintenance of physiological responses that were triggered during drought.