Breeding for drought, leaf spot and oil
Principal Investigator
Mark D. Burow
Peanut and Guar Breeding and Genetics, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Lubbock, TX, USA
Dept. of Plant and Soil Science., Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
Co-PIs
Charles E. Simpson
Peanut Breeding and Genetics, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Stephenville, TX, USA
Richard Oteng-Frimpong
Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana
rotengfrimpong@sari.csir.org.gh
Issa Faye,
Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles/ Centre National de Recherches Agronomiques, Bambey, Senegal
Breeding and enhancement of tolerance to water deficit, resistance to leaf spot and improved oil composition in peanut
Area of Inquiry: Varietal Development
Country focus: Senegal, Ghana
Project length: 4 years
Budget: $150,000
Water deficit stress and leaf spots are two of the major contributing factors to the yield deficit of peanuts in Africa. This project enhances genetic diversity of peanuts to reduce the impacts of these stresses through use of wild species, genetic populations generated in the USA and West Africa, and selected ICRISAT breeding lines. Genes for tolerance to water deficit, resistance to leaf spots, and enhanced oil composition will be transferred to breeding programs in Ghana and Senegal and used to develop improved varieties. DNA markers will be identified for tolerance to water deficit stress and resistance to leafspots. DNA markers will be shared with national programs and training provided for use in selecting for these traits and for the high oleic acid content. Multi-location trials will be conducted with the goal of identifying release candidates for new varieties.