New Peanut for Old Pests

A new peanut variety developed by scientists may help farmers in their battle against two key peanut problems.  Although annual U.S. production of peanut is well above 2 billion pounds, the crop is plagued by pests like the root-knot nematode and diseases like tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV).  While certain peanut varieties exhibit resistance to either the microscopic worms or the TSWV, ‘Tifguard’ is the first variety that has resistance to both.

Tifguard is the product of research by USDA and UGA researchers.  It was developed by hybridizing a TSWV-resistant cultivar with a nematode-resistant cultivar.  Field tests for resistance to peanut root-knot nematode were conducted at two Georgia farms in Tift County that were heavily infested.  In testing for TSWV-resistance, Tifguard plants were grown in plots at one of the Tift County farms that also displayed severe TSWV problems.  Not only did Tifguard exhibit higher resistance to TSWV, it also produced higher yields than standard check cultivars when grown in fields with little or no nematode pressure.  And because of its high level of resistance to both TSWV and root knot nematode, Tifguard had significantly higher yields than all other varieties when grown in two locations with high pressure from both pathogens.  It was released in 2007 and is currently in seed production.  Seed for farmers should be available by the 2009 planting season.  (USDA ARS News Service, 5/15/08).