Overview

This project’s long term goal is to identify diverse germplasm with beneficial traits from Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. fastigiata var. fastigiata (Valencia) and markers associated with agronomic and seed quality traits, resistance to pod rot, and tolerance to drought that breeders can use in enhancing the genetic potential of Valencia peanuts.

The specific goals of this project are: 1. To evaluate the Valencia peanut core collection for agronomic/seed quality traits, pod rot resistance, and drought tolerance, 2. To study the genetic structure of the Valencia peanut core collection using SSRs in a high-throughput assay, 3. To study variation in transcript abundance among drought tolerant and susceptible lines using oligonucleotide microarrays, 4. To make an initial attempt at identifying allelic variation (markers) associated with beneficial traits for use in breeding programs.