Research Insights
New wild species-derived pest and disease resistances for the Southeast of the USA – 2025
Cultivated peanut has an exceptionally narrow genetic base. This imposes limitations on the improvements that can be made by breeding with peanuts of pure pedigree, in particular with regard to pest and disease resistance. Here we propose to continue the work of incorporation of new pest and disease resistances from wild species into agronomically elite peanut lines from the Southeast of the USA. The work is based on advanced progeny from complex crosses between elite lines and wild species. We propose to use the advanced genetic tools that have been developed in the wake of the peanut genome project. The tracking of wild chromosome segments greatly aids in overcoming linkage drag and provides the foundation of knowledge needed for the development of dedicated, small-scale, parallel marker assays to aid selection in breeding programs. Targets of the proposed work are new, very strong sources of resistance to late leaf spot, early leaf spot, rust, and root-knot nematode.
Funder: Mars, Incorporated
Amount: $1,187,502
PI: David Bertioli, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences