Evaluation of New High Oleic Virginia-Type Peanut Cultivars for Disease Tolerance, Yield, and Quality

Abstract

As new cultivars are developed and released by peanut breeding programs, their levels of tolerance to common diseases and the overall profitability of production needs to be determined. Virginia-type peanut cultivars were evaluated for disease resistance/tolerance, yield, and quality when grown under different fungicide programs and in locations varying in disease pressure. Cultivars included a disease susceptible (CHAMPS) and tolerant (Bailey) cultivar and two new high-oleic cultivars, Sullivan and Wynne. Fungicide programs consisted of a leaf spot program, a leaf spot plus Cylindrocladium black rot (CBR) program, a leaf spot plus Sclerotinia blight program, or an untreated check. Cultivars and fungicide programs were arranged in a randomized split-plot design with fungicide treatments in 16-row main plots and cultivars in 4-row subplots. Disease incidence and severity varied among growing seasons and the five fields where experiments were conducted. Overall, Sullivan had good leaf spot tolerance and both Sullivan and Bailey had Sclerotinia and CBR tolerance. All cultivars yielded well in the absence of disease pressure, but Sullivan was consistently the highest yielding cultivar. Grade characteristics varied among cultivars, but while fungicide treatments impacted yield, they had little effect on grade. Net value and profitability of different fungicide programs varied by experiment, but overall Sullivan had the highest net value regardless of fungicide program. Due to slightly higher disease tolerance compared to Bailey, good agronomic characteristics, high yield and quality under a variety of growing environments, and the presence of the high-oleic trait, Sullivan is an excellent cultivar for Virginia-type peanut production in the Virginia-Carolina region.

High and normal oleic runner‐type peanut cultivar by year effects on seed germination and vigor response to temperature

“…Though the benefits of HO peanut have been extensively reviewed, there has been minimal agronomic data collected (Chamberlin et al., 2021; Mehl, 2017). With both the HO trait and growers planting earlier in the season being combined, the effects on germination have not been studied extensively.…”

‘Walton’, a new virginia‐type peanut suitable for Virginia and northern U.S. growing regions

“…The new virginia-type cultivars developed for the VC region reach harvest maturity (R8) (Boote, 1982) in approximately 1,800˚C d compared with old cultivars requiring 2,500˚C d (Caliskan et al, 2008;Jordan et al, 2018). Nonetheless, the thermal time to R8 and the duration of maximum yield, i.e., the duration of R8 until the over-mature pod phase (R9) when yield starts to decline, is cultivar dependent (Jordan et al, 2018 (Mehl, 2017). Under heavy disease pressure and imminent rainstorms at the end of the season, some growers prefer to dig early, regardless of whether the crop has reached R8.…”

“…Curtis] Deighton)] and white mold [WM; caused by Sclerotium rolsfii (Sacc.)] pressure and inadequate seed filling, i.e., a smaller proportion of sound mature kernels (SMK) (Mehl, 2017). Under heavy disease pressure and imminent rainstorms at the end of the season, some growers prefer to dig early, regardless of whether the crop has reached R8.…”