International Research Team Releases Peanut Genome Sequence

The group of multinational crop geneticists at the International Peanut Genome Initiative (IPGI) has successfully sequenced the peanut genome. The researchers sequenced the parental genomes: Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis, of the cultivated peanut. The sequences give researchers access to 96 percent of all peanut genes in their genomic context, providing the molecular map needed for faster breeding of drought- and disease-resistant, lower-input and higher-yielding varieties of peanuts.

The effort to sequence the peanut genome has been underway for several years. Little was known about the legume's complex genetic structure, but it has been successfully bred for intensive cultivation for thousands of years.

Rajeev Varshney, member of the IPGI Board said "Improving peanut varieties to be more drought-, insect- and disease-resistant can help farmers in developed nations produce more peanuts with fewer pesticides and other chemicals and help farmers in developing nations feed their families and build more secure livelihoods."

For more details about this research, read the news release available at http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/first-peanut-genome-sequenced/. For more information about IPGI and the institutions involved with the project, visit http://www.peanutbioscience.com/.