Evaluation of New High Oleic Virginia-Type Peanut Cultivars for Disease Tolerance, Yield, and Quality

Abstract

ABSTRACT As new cultivars are developed and released by peanut breeding programs, their levels of tolerance to common diseases and the overall profitability of production needs to be determined. Virginia-type peanut cultivars were evaluated for disease resistance/tolerance, yield, and quality when grown under different fungicide programs and in locations varying in disease pressure. Cultivars included a disease susceptible (CHAMPS) and tolerant (Bailey) cultivar and two new high-oleic cultivars, Sullivan and Wynne. Fungicide programs consisted of a leaf spot program, a leaf spot plus Cylindrocladium black rot (CBR) program, a leaf spot plus Sclerotinia blight program, or an untreated check. Cultivars and fungicide programs were arranged in a randomized split-plot design with fungicide treatments in 16-row main plots and cultivars in 4-row subplots. Disease incidence and severity varied among growing seasons and the five fields where experiments were conducted. Overall, Sullivan had good leaf spot tolerance and both Sullivan and Bailey had Sclerotinia and CBR tolerance. All cultivars yielded well in the absence of disease pressure, but Sullivan was consistently the highest yielding cultivar. Grade characteristics varied among cultivars, but while fungicide treatments impacted yield, they had little effect on grade. Net value and profitability of different fungicide programs varied by experiment, but overall Sullivan had the highest net value regardless of fungicide program. Due to slightly higher disease tolerance compared to Bailey, good agronomic characteristics, high yield and quality under a variety of growing environments, and the presence of the high-oleic trait, Sullivan is an excellent cultivar for Virginia-type peanut production in the Virginia-Carolina region.