Sensory Quality Traits of the Runner-Type Peanut Cultivar Georgia Green and its Value as a Parent Compared with Florunnner1

Abstract

Abstract Georgia Green has become the dominant runner market-type peanut cultivar in the United States because of its high yield and superior disease resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus. However, the roasted peanut flavor quality of Georgia Green has not been formally reported, and questions regarding its flavor quality have been expressed by the peanut industry. The objective of this study was to compare the roasted peanut flavor qualities of Georgia Green to those of the long-time industry standard Florunner. This study also provided an opportunity to further expand investigations into the parent selection effects on progeny roasted peanut flavor quality. A total of 192 samples of cultivars Florunner, Georgia Green, and Georgia Greens parents, Southern Runner and Sunbelt Runner, were collected from 1986 to 2000 from the Southeast, Southwest, and Virginia-Carolina peanut production regions. A descriptive sensory panel evaluated flavor attributes of a roasted sound mature kernel (SMK) sample from each plot. The sensory attributes of the four genotypes were compared directly, and the data were included in a Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) model of breeding value of 112 peanut cultivars and breeding lines. Georgia Green was not significantly different from the industry standard cultivar Florunner in the sensory attributes roasted peanut [4.5 vs. 4.1 flavor intensity units (fiu), ns], bitter (3.2 vs. 3.3 fiu, ns), and astringent (3.3 vs. 3.4 fiu, ns). It was significantly sweeter than Florunner (3.3 vs 3.0 fiu, P < 0.05). The BLUPs of breeding value for roasted peanut and sweet attributes of Georgia Green were among the highest of any peanut lines included in the analysis. Based on this finding, widespread use of Georgia Green as a parent should contribute to flavor improvement in peanut breeding programs.