Murdoch University Team Identifies Genes in Peanut with Potential for Improvement

Murdoch University's Food Futures Institute has new findings with great potential for peanut crop improvement. The team identified the AhANT gene, associated with peanut seed and pod weight, on chromosome B06. They also found the gene BSK1, which is associated with peanut-branching habits, and the AhWRI1 gene, encoding an ethylene-responsive transcription factor.

Murdoch University Food Futures Institute's Centre for Crop & Food Innovation, led by Director Professor Rajeev Varshney FRS, performed genome-wide association studies for 20 component traits and created a genome-wide variation map, suggesting that peanuts might have been introduced into southern and northern China separately, forming two cultivation centers.

Varshney said, "We found groundbreaking genomic variations in a collection of 390 peanut germplasm - the seeds, plants, or plant parts useful in crop breeding." He added that the results also unveiled multiple selective signals relevant to crop improvement and several candidate genes related to key desirable agronomic traits such as high yields, disease resistance, and end-product quality.

For more details, read the news article on the Murdoch University website.