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."

[news.uga.edu]