ABSTRACT
Legumes are important sources of dietary proteins and fats in developing countries of the semiarid tropics where peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the important food legume crops. It is a rich source of protein (23 percent) and edible oil (43 percent; Norden, 1980) and is considered one of the principal economic crops of the world. The genus Arachis belongs to the subfamily Papilionaceae of the family Fabaceae. It is native to South America and comprises diploid (2n = 20), tetraploid (2n = 40) and octaploid (2n = 80) species.
