06/23/2014
The Peanut Foundation
Pledges for the $2 million for the Peanut Genomic Initiative are coming in on schedule with $1,350,000 paid this year. Howard Valentine, Executive Director, reported that the sequencing of both the tetraploid (commercial peanut) and the two diploids (wild parents) are complete. Several teams of researchers are now working on phenotyping of populations to find varieties that are resistant to diseases or quality traits that researchers are looking for. Progress was reported that teams had discovered a group of genes that impact early and late leafspot and another group impacting drought tolerance. Teams in the U.S. China, India and Brazil are all working together on this effort.
The Genomics Initiative Team has announced that a world-wide meeting will be held November 11-13, 2014 in Savannah, GA. The Board also announced that Dr. Steve Brown, interim head of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, will start working with the Peanut Foundation to assist Valentine next January.