Genetic Similarity from Collections of Seed for Two Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Cultivars in Ghana

Maintenance of genetic purity of crop cultivars is critical to meet the needs of farmers, processors, and consumers. In Ghana where the informal seed sector is popular (e. g., farmer-saved seed), purity of improved cultivars in the farming community can be compromised. The objective of the study was to assess the genetic purity of farmer-saved seed of two peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars (Shitaochi and Yenyawoso) using molecular marker techniques. Twenty samples of Shitaochi and eight samples of Yenyawoso were collected from farmers across five regions of the country and were compared with seed provided by the research institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Genetic similarity ranged from 43% to 100% when comparing seed collections from farmers to those from research institutes. Only five of the 20 seed samples of Shitaochi (25%) and two of the 8 samples of Yenyawoso (25%) collected from farmers were found to be completely similar to the reference samples provided by CSIR. These results demonstrate the lack of purity among described cultivars in the informal seed sector in Ghana. While diversity between samples of Shitaochi have been reported and would be expected in the informal seed system, the pace at which Yenyawoso has lost genetic purity in a relatively short period of time indicates that a more effective formal seed system is needed to maintain cultivar purity.