Variations of Oil Content and Fatty Acid Composition in Groundnut Germplasm

Groundnut germplasms of 172 varieties collected at Crop Experiment Station were used to analyze their oil content and fatty acid composition to obtain basic information for breeding of high oil quality varieties. The results on oil and fatty acid content were classified as based on their genetic backgrounds of origin. flowering date. plant type and 100 kernel weight. Mean oil content of the 172 varieties was 51.3%. The highest oil content was 57% in RPIS 152108 being the Spanish plant type and 41g/100 kernels. Major fatty acids contained in the oil were oleic and linoleic acids showing 81.4% in mean of 172 varieties. Of the both fatty acids, oleic acid was 42.6% and linoleic acid 38.5% in mean value. The highest oleic acid variety was 61R-PYT-224 being 54.1%. and the highest linoleic acid variety was RPIS 152136 being 49%. Minor fatty acids in the oil were composed with palmitic, stearic. arachidic. eicosenoic and behenic acids being 18.7% in total mean content of the five fatty acids. Those minor fatty acids also showed considerable variations in content by origin. plant type. flowering date and seed size of the varieties. The oil content correlated with stearic acid positively and with oleic acid negatively. of the fatty acids. oleic acid was highly correlated with linoleic acid negatively being r=-0.839＊＊. However. those two fatty acids were correlated with the other minorfatty acids negatively. Current Korean six cultivars were analyzed on their glyceride content. The highest triglyceride variety was Namdaetangkong being 95%. and the lowest triglyceride variety was Jinpuongtangkong being 85. 2% in triglyceride content.