Genus Arachis Research Articles

Evolutionary Fate of the Opine Synthesis Genes in the Arachis L. Genomes.

Naturally transgenic plants are plants that have undergone Agrobacterium-mediated transformation under natural conditions without human involvement. Among Arachis hypogaea L., A. duranensis Krapov. & W.C. Greg, A. ipaensis Krapov. & W.C. Greg, A. monticola Krapov. & Rigoni, and A. stenosperma Krapov. & W.C. Greg are known to contain sequences derived from the T-DNA of "Agrobacterium". In the present study, using molecular genetics and bioinformatic methods, we characterized natural transgenes in 18 new species from six sections of the genus Arachis. We found that small fragments of genes for enzymes of the agropine synthesis pathway were preserved only in some of the studied samples and were lost in the majority of the species during evolution. At the same time, genes, similar to cucumopine synthases (cus-like), remained intact in almost all of the investigated species. In cultivated peanuts, they are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. We demonstrated the intraspecific variability of the structure and expression of the cus-like gene in cultivated peanuts. The described diversity of gene sequences horizontally transferred from Agrobacterium to plants helps to shed light on the phylogeny of species of the genus Arachis and track possible hybridization events. Data on the ability of certain species to hybridize are useful for planning breeding schemes aimed at transferring valuable traits from wild species into cultivated peanuts.

The Stilbene Synthase Family in Arachis: A Genome-Wide Study and Functional Characterization in Response to Stress.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and its wild relatives are among the few species that naturally synthesize resveratrol, a well-known stilbenoid phytoalexin that plays a crucial role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. Resveratrol has received considerable attention due to its health benefits, such as preventing and treating various human diseases and disorders. Chalcone (CHS) and Stilbene (STS) Synthases are plant-specific type III Polyketide Synthases (PKSs) that share the same substrates and are key branch enzymes in the biosynthesis of flavonoids and stilbenoids, respectively. Although resveratrol accumulation in response to external stimulus has been described in peanut, there are no comprehensive studies of the CHS and STS gene families in the genus Arachis. In the present study, we identified and characterized 6 CHS and 46 STS genes in the tetraploid peanut and an average of 4 CHS and 22 STS genes in three diploid wild species (Arachis duranensis, Arachis ipaënsis and Arachis stenosperma). The CHS and STS gene and protein structures, chromosomal distributions, phylogenetic relationships, conserved amino acid domains, and cis-acting elements in the promoter regions were described for all Arachis species studied. Based on gene expression patterns of wild A. stenosperma STS genes in response to different biotic and abiotic stresses, we selected the candidate AsSTS4 gene, which is strongly induced by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, for further functional investigation. The AsSTS4 overexpression in peanut hairy roots significantly reduced (47%) root-knot nematode infection, confirming that stilbene synthesis activation in transgenic plants can increase resistance to pathogens. These findings contribute to understanding the role of resveratrol in stress responses in Arachis species and provide the basis for genetic engineering for improved production of valuable secondary metabolites in plants.

Natural GMOs inside the genus Arachis L.

Cultivated peanut is an allotetraploid species that received the A and B genomes from Arachis duranensis and A. ipaensis. Homologs of the agrobacterial cucumopine synthase gene were previously found in both genomes as a result of horizontal transfer [1]. These sequences are found both in ancestral species and in cultivated peanuts. In addition to them, natural GMOs are A. monticola and A. stenosperma. How widespread natural GMOs are within the genus Arachis is currently unknown. The aim of our study was to search for natural GMOs within the genus Arachis and to analyze the polymorphism of natural transgenes out the studied species.
 METHODS: Gene sequencing for various Arachis species was determined using the bwa [2], GATK [3] and samtools [4] packages based on NGS data aggregated in the SRA NCBI database.
 RESULTS: We have found homologues of the cucumopine synthase gene in the genomes of A. appressipila, A. batizocoi, A. cardenasii, A. correntina, A. diogoi, A. duranensis, A. glandulifera, A. helodes, A. hoehnei, A. ipaensis, A. macedoi, A. magna, A. monticola, A. paraguariensis, A. pintoi, A. pusilla, A. rigonii, A. stenophylla, A. stenosperma, A. trinitensis, A. valida, A. villosa, and also characterized the intraspecific variability of the gene in cultivated peanuts. In 16 of the 22 species studied, the gene is full-length. The report will consider the possibility of using the cucumopine synthase gene in peanut phylogenetic studies.
 CONCLUSION: The list of species of natural GMOs within the genus Arachis today includes 23 species.

Taxonomía del género Arachis (Leguminosae)

Taxonomía del género Arachis (Leguminosae)

The genus Arachis: an excellent resource for studies on differential gene expression for stress tolerance.

Peanut Arachis hypogaea is a segmental allotetraploid in the section Arachis of the genus Arachis along with the Section Rhizomataceae. Section Arachis has several diploid species along with Arachis hypogaea and A. monticola. The section Rhizomataceae comprises polyploid species. Several species in the genus are highly tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses and provide excellent sets of genotypes for studies on differential gene expression. Though there were several studies in this direction, more studies are needed to identify more and more gene combinations. Next generation RNA-seq based differential gene expression study is a powerful tool to identify the genes and regulatory pathways involved in stress tolerance. Transcriptomic and proteomic study of peanut plants under biotic stresses reveals a number of differentially expressed genes such as R genes (NBS-LRR, LRR-RLK, protein kinases, MAP kinases), pathogenesis related proteins (PR1, PR2, PR5, PR10) and defense related genes (defensin, F-box, glutathione S-transferase) that are the most consistently expressed genes throughout the studies reported so far. In most of the studies on biotic stress induction, the differentially expressed genes involved in the process with enriched pathways showed plant-pathogen interactions, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, defense and signal transduction. Differential gene expression studies in response to abiotic stresses, reported the most commonly expressed genes are transcription factors (MYB, WRKY, NAC, bZIP, bHLH, AP2/ERF), LEA proteins, chitinase, aquaporins, F-box, cytochrome p450 and ROS scavenging enzymes. These differentially expressed genes are in enriched pathways of transcription regulation, starch and sucrose metabolism, signal transduction and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. These identified differentially expressed genes provide a better understanding of the resistance/tolerance mechanism, and the genes for manipulating biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in peanut and other crop plants. There are a number of differentially expressed genes during biotic and abiotic stresses were successfully characterized in peanut or model plants (tobacco or Arabidopsis) by genetic manipulation to develop stress tolerance plants, which have been detailed out in this review and more concerted studies are needed to identify more and more gene/gene combinations.

Arachis species: High‐quality forage crops—nutritional properties and breeding strategies to expand their utilization and feeding value

AbstractPlants of the genus Arachis originated from South America and are cultivated worldwide. The genus Arachis contains 83 species and nine intrageneric taxonomic sections. The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) belongs to the Arachis section, the forage peanut (Arachis pintoi Krapov. & W. C. Greg.) belongs to the Caulorrhizae section, and the perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) belongs to the Rhizomatosae section. These three peanut species have been developed for use as fodder crops. This review summarizes the forage value of Arachis species. Forage and perennial peanuts can be intercropped with forage species to feed livestock. The cultivated peanut vines and peanut by‐products, such as peanut skins and peanut meal, are also high‐quality fodder used to feed sheep, cattle, and poultry. A major limiting factor in terms of adopting forage and perennial peanuts as forage crops is their limited resistance to frosts, resulting from their low winter hardiness. Therefore, the feeding value of cultivated peanuts is higher compared to forage and perennial peanuts. This review suggests that Arachis is a suitable forage crop, focusing on their nutritional properties and breeding to increase their performance under cultivation and feeding value.

Evolution of NLR genes in genus Arachis reveals asymmetric expansion of NLRome in wild and domesticated tetraploid species

Arachis hypogaea is an allotetraploid crop widely grown in the world. Wild relatives of genus Arachis are the rich source of genetic diversity and high levels of resistance to combat pathogens and climate change. The accurate identification and characterization of plant resistance gene, nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat receptor (NLRs) substantially contribute to the repertoire of resistances and improve production. In the current study, we have studied the evolution of NLR genes in genus Arachis and performed their comparative genomics among four diploids (A. duranensis, A. ipaensis, A. cardenasii, A. stenosperma) and two tetraploid (wild: A. monticola and domesticated: A. hypogaea) species. In total 521, 354, 284, 794, 654, 290 NLR genes were identified from A. cardenasii, A. stenosperma and A. duranensis, A. hypogaea, A. monticola and A. ipaensis respectively. Phylogenetic analysis and classification of NLRs revealed that they belong to 7 subgroups and specific subgroups have expanded in each genome leading towards divergent evolution. Gene gain and loss, duplication assay reveals that wild and domesticated tetraploids species have shown asymmetric expansion of NLRome in both sub-genome (AA and BB). A-subgenome of A. monticola exhibited significant contraction of NLRome while B-subgenome shows expansion and vice versa in case of A. hypogaea probably due to distinct natural and artificial selection pressure. In addition, diploid species A. cardenasii revealed the largest repertoire of NLR genes due to higher frequency of gene duplication and selection pressure. A. cardenasii and A. monticola can be regarded as putative resistance resources for peanut breeding program for introgression of novel resistance genes. Findings of this study also emphasize the application neo-diploids and polyploids due to higher quantitative expression of NLR genes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that studied the effect of domestication and polyploidy on the evolution of NLR genes in genus Arachis to identify genomic resources for improving resistance of polyploid crop with global importance on economy and food security.

Molecular characterizations of genes in chloroplast genomes of the genus Arachis L. (Fabaceae) based on the codon usage divergence.

Studies on the molecular characteristics of chloroplast genome are generally important for clarifying the evolutionary processes of plant species. The base composition, the effective number of codons, the relative synonymous codon usage, the codon bias index, and their correlation coefficients of a total of 41 genes in 21 chloroplast genomes of the genus Arachis were investigated to further perform the correspondence and clustering analyses, revealing significantly higher variations in genomes of wild species than those of the cultivated taxa. The codon usage patterns of all 41 genes in the genus Arachis were AT-rich, suggesting that the natural selection was the main factor affecting the evolutionary history of these genomes. Five genes (i.e., ndhC, petD, atpF, rpl14, and rps11) and five genes (i.e., atpE, psbD, psaB, ycf2, and rps12) showed higher and lower base usage divergences, respectively. This study provided novel insights into our understanding of the molecular evolution of chloroplast genomes in the genus Arachis.

Genetic relationships of Arachis (Fabaceae) accessions based on microsatellite markers

The genus Arachis is endemic to South America and contains 83 described species assembled into nine taxonomical sections. The section Arachis is of particular interest because it includes the cultivated peanut (A. hypogaea) and its closely related wild species. In this study, we used 26 microsatellite markers to analyze the genetic variability and relationships of some recently collected germplasm accessions of species in the Arachis section, with emphasis on the B genome species. The knowledge of the genetic relationships among species and accessions is necessary for a more efficient management of germplasm collections and use of wild species for crop improvement. This is especially important for the B genome species, as only one accession of A. ipaënsis, the B genome donor to the allotetraploid A. hypogaea (AABB), is available in germplasm collections worldwide. The results shed more light on the genetic relationships between accessions of A. ipaënsis, A. gregoryi, A. magna, A. valida and A. williamsii, what expands the number of accessions for incorporation of useful genes from the species associated with the peanut B genome. The analyses also showed a generally high level of intraspecific genetic variability, but usually grouped the accessions according to their genome types and species. However, accessions of some species did not group as expected, and these results suggest the need of further taxonomic revision of a few taxa, especially some accessions of A. gregoryi, A. magna and A. kuhlmannii and the circumscriptions of sections Erectoides and Procumbentes.

Dynamic Evolution of NLR Genes in Dalbergioids.

Dalbergioid is a large group within the family Fabaceae that consists of diverse plant species distributed in distinct biogeographic realms. Here, we have performed a comprehensive study to understand the evolution of the nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeats (NLRs) gene family in Dalbergioids. The evolution of gene families in this group is affected by a common whole genome duplication that occurred approximately 58 million years ago, followed by diploidization that often leads to contraction. Our study suggests that since diploidization, the NLRome of all groups of Dalbergioids is expanding in a clade-specific manner with fewer exceptions. Phylogenetic analysis and classification of NLRs revealed that they belong to seven subgroups. Specific subgroups have expanded in a species-specific manner, leading to divergent evolution. Among the Dalbergia clade, the expansion of NLRome in six species of the genus Dalbergia was observed, with the exception of Dalbergia odorifera, where a recent contraction of NLRome occurred. Similarly, members of the Pterocarpus clade genus Arachis revealed a large-scale expansion in the diploid species. In addition, the asymmetric expansion of NLRome was observed in wild and domesticated tetraploids after recent duplications in the genus Arachis. Our analysis strongly suggests that whole genome duplication followed by tandem duplication after divergence from a common ancestor of Dalbergioids is the major cause of NLRome expansion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first ever study to provide insight toward the evolution of NLR genes in this important tribe. In addition, accurate identification and characterization of NLR genes is a substantial contribution to the repertoire of resistances among members of the Dalbergioids species.

Prospects for the use of natural transgenic cultivated peanut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i> L.) in breeding

Common peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), or peanut, is an annual herbaceous plant from the legume family (Fabaceae). Russia is one of the largest buyers of peanuts, and at the same time, in the south of the country, a number of zones meet the requirements for the cultivation of this crop. However, at present there are no commercial peanut crops in Russia, and selection work is almost not carried out. It is necessary to identify a new source material for breeding and breeding new high-yielding varieties. In the genomes of species of the genus Arachis, homologues of agrobacterial opine synthase genes, cucumopine synthase (cus) and deoxyfructosylglutamine synthase (mas2`), have been identified. The expression of these genes can affect the economically valuable traits of the plant, since the synthesis of various opines affects the composition of the microbiome in the rhizosphere. We have analyzed the expression of the cus gene in various organs of 9 peanut lines from the VIR collection, which have different geographical origin, belong to different cultivar types, and differ in morphological characters. As a result of the analysis, the organ-specific expression was shown; samples were identified that were contrasting in terms of the level of cus gene expression, including those with a high level of expression in the roots (kk-168, 416, 751). For the first time, data were obtained on the work of the cus gene at different stages of plant development on accessions k-168 and k-1157. An increase in the level of expression in the roots during flowering was revealed; during seed germination, the expression is lower. Further analysis and search for a correlation between the expression level of the cus gene and the manifestation of economically valuable traits in peanuts can provide new material for creating promising varieties.
 The studies were carried out using the equipment of the resource center of the Science Park of Saint Petersburg State University Development of molecular and cellular technologies.
 This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 21-14-00050.

Use of wild and exotic germplasm for resistance in peanut

AbstractPeanut (Arachis hypogaeaL.) is an important crop grown around the world but lacks genetic resistance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. However, these traits can be found in the wild and exotic germplasm to which peanut is genetically related. The genusArachiscontains 83 described species, some of which are home to a reservoir of useful traits and that have served as a source of resistance with their movement into the cultivated peanut. There are several excellent examples of using exotic and wild germplasm to successfully to incorporate biotic resistance traits into cultivated peanut. It is also possible that some of the genetic resources could someday be used to further enhance peanut in unforeseen ways. In this article we present some examples of successful introgression and how these success stories have been achieved.

Comparative repeatome analysis reveals new evidence on genome evolution in wild diploid Arachis (Fabaceae) species.

Opposing changes in the abundance of satellite DNA and long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements are the main contributors to the variation in genome size and heterochromatin amount in Arachis diploids. The South American genus Arachis (Fabaceae) comprises 83 species organized in nine taxonomic sections. Among them, section Arachis is characterized by species with a wide genome and karyotype diversity. Such diversity is determined mainly by the amount and composition of repetitive DNA. Here we performed computational analysis on low coverage genome sequencing to infer the dynamics of changes in major repeat families that led to the differentiation of genomes in diploid species (x = 10) of genus Arachis, focusing on section Arachis. Estimated repeat content ranged from 62.50 to 71.68% of the genomes. Species with different genome composition tended to have different landscapes of repeated sequences. Athila family retrotransposons were the most abundant and variable lineage among Arachis repeatomes, with peaks of transpositional activity inferred at different times in the evolution of the species. Satellite DNAs (satDNAs) were less abundant, but differentially represented among species. High rates of evolution of an AT-rich superfamily of satDNAs led to the differential accumulation of heterochromatin in Arachis genomes. The relationship between genome size variation and the repetitive content is complex. However, largest genomes presented a higher accumulation of LTR elements and lower contents of satDNAs. In contrast, species with lowest genome sizes tended to accumulate satDNAs in detriment of LTR elements. Phylogenetic analysis based on repetitive DNA supported the genome arrangement of section Arachis. Altogether, our results provide the most comprehensive picture on the repeatome dynamics that led to the genome differentiation of Arachis species.

Illegitimate Recombination between Duplicated Genes Generated from Recursive Polyploidizations Accelerated the Divergence of the Genus Arachis.

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is the leading oil and food crop among the legume family. Extensive duplicate gene pairs generated from recursive polyploidizations with high sequence similarity could result from gene conversion, caused by illegitimate DNA recombination. Here, through synteny-based comparisons of two diploid and three tetraploid peanut genomes, we identified the duplicated genes generated from legume common tetraploidy (LCT) and peanut recent allo-tetraploidy (PRT) within genomes. In each peanut genome (or subgenomes), we inferred that 6.8–13.1% of LCT-related and 11.3–16.5% of PRT-related duplicates were affected by gene conversion, in which the LCT-related duplicates were the most affected by partial gene conversion, whereas the PRT-related duplicates were the most affected by whole gene conversion. Notably, we observed the conversion between duplicates as the long-lasting contribution of polyploidizations accelerated the divergence of different Arachis genomes. Moreover, we found that the converted duplicates are unevenly distributed across the chromosomes and are more often near the ends of the chromosomes in each genome. We also confirmed that well-preserved homoeologous chromosome regions may facilitate duplicates’ conversion. In addition, we found that these biological functions contain a higher number of preferentially converted genes, such as catalytic activity-related genes. We identified specific domains that are involved in converted genes, implying that conversions are associated with important traits of peanut growth and development.

Spontaneous generation of diversity in Arachis neopolyploids (Arachis ipaënsis × Arachis duranensis)4x replays the early stages of peanut evolution.

Polyploidy is considered a driving force in plant evolution and domestication. Although in the genus Arachis, several diploid species were traditionally cultivated for their seeds, only the allotetraploid peanut Arachis hypogaea became the successful, widely spread legume crop. This suggests that polyploidy has given selective advantage for domestication of peanut. Here, we study induced allotetraploid (neopolyploid) lineages obtained from crosses between the peanut’s progenitor species, Arachis ipaënsis and Arachis duranensis, at earlier and later generations. We observed plant morphology, seed dimensions, and genome structure using cytogenetics (FISH and GISH) and SNP genotyping. The neopolyploid lineages show more variable fertility and seed morphology than their progenitors and cultivated peanut. They also showed sexual and somatic genome instability, evidenced by changes of number of detectable 45S rDNA sites, and extensive homoeologous recombination indicated by mosaic patterns of chromosomes and changes in dosage of SNP alleles derived from the diploid species. Genome instability was not randomly distributed across the genome: the more syntenic chromosomes, the higher homoeologous recombination. Instability levels are higher than observed on peanut lines, therefore it is likely that more unstable lines tend to perish. We conclude that early stages of the origin and domestication of the allotetraploid peanut involved two genetic bottlenecks: the first, common to most allotetraploids, is composed of the rare hybridization and polyploidization events, followed by sexual reproductive isolation from its wild diploid relatives. Here, we suggest a second bottleneck: the survival of the only very few lineages that had stronger mechanisms for limiting genomic instability.

Peanut as a Smart Food and their Nutrients Aspects in Planet: A Review

Peanut is a legume crop that belongs to the family of Fabaceae, genus Arachis, and botanically named as Arachis hypogaea L. Peanuts are considered as a vital source of nutrients plays an important role in growth and energy gain of living organisms. They are rich in calories and contain many nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins that are essential for optimum health. All these biomolecules are essential for pumping vital nutrients into the human body for sustaining normal health. This paper presents an overview of the peanut composition in terms of the constituent biomolecules and their biological functions, also discusses about the relationship between consumption of peanuts and their effect on human metabolism and physiology. It highlights the usefulness of considering peanuts as an essential component in human diet considering its nutritional values.

Presence of resveratrol in wild Arachis species adds new value to this overlooked genetic resource

Genus Arachis comprises 82 species distributed into nine taxonomic sections. Most Arachis species are wild and those from Arachis section have been evaluated for many traits, since they can be used in peanut breeding. Most of the remaining species have been neglected and understudied. Recently, resveratrol content and expression of a resveratrol synthase gene were analyzed in wild Arachis species. Our aim was to expand the knowledge about resveratrol in Arachis, analyzing species from five sections and evaluating the expression of a resveratrol synthase (RS) gene responsive to ultraviolet light (UV) along the time. In a first experiment, the resveratrol content after UV induction was analyzed on detached leaves of 12 species from five sections. Variation was observed among species and accessions of the same species. The highest contents were found in A. lignosa (843.9 μg/g) and A. triseminata (745.4 μg/g). In a second experiment, RS expression and resveratrol content in four species and one synthetic amphidiploid were analyzed at 0, 7, 15 and 24 h pos induction (hpi) with UV. In most genotypes, the highest RS expression level was at 0 hpi, whereas the highest resveratrol content was at 15 hpi. Our results suggested that resveratrol is ubiquitously present in the genus Arachis with different capacities of synthesis among species and accessions in response to ultraviolet treatment. Presence of resveratrol in wild Arachis species adds new value to these genetic resources.

The Role of the Expansin Gene in the Process of Novel Subterranean Seed Development in Arachis duranensis

Background: Plants in the genus Arachis produce flowers aerially that develop into gynophores that grow into the ground, where they develop into fruits. Although some aerial gynophores develop into pods aboveground, embryo or seed abortion occurs in these individuals. During pod development, the shell wall initially comprises the majority of the fruit volume, but then the seeds expand up to the total pod volume. Expansins are plant cell wall-loosening proteins involved in cell enlargement and a variety of other developmental processes in which cell-wall modification occurs.Methods: In this study, we analyzed the expansin genes during seed development using RNA-seq data by bioinformatic approaches.Results: We identified five expansin genes exhibited up-regulated expression, while four genes were down-regulated expression using Arachis duranensis RAN-seq data. Multiple transcription factors regulate AdEXPs throughout seed development. Genes co-expressed with AdEXPs are involved in metabolic processes throughout pod development into seed development, reframing the current understanding of the novel subterranean peanut fruits.

Pasto Certo® version 2.0 - An application about Brazilian tropical forage cultivars for mobile and desktop devices

A brief outline of the second version of Pasto Certo®, released by Embrapa and partners in February 2019, is presented. It is an improved and updated version of Pasto Certo® 1.0, an application that describes Brazilian commercial tropical forage cultivars. The application helps the user to identify and differentiate cultivars, provides recommendations and information on use restrictions of each cultivar, and compares different cultivars in terms of a number of characteristics. In comparison with the first version (published in 2017), new features of Pasto Certo® 2.0 are: (1) 7 cultivars of forage legumes (genera Arachis, Cajanus and Stylosanthes) were added to the original 16 grass cultivars (Urochloa spp. and Megathyrsus maximus); (2) the user can choose between Portuguese, Spanish and English languages; (3) information on commercial seed sources in Brazil is included; (4) a guide to selecting the most suitable cultivar for specific conditions is provided; and (5) the application is available for different platforms (Android, iOS and WEB - www.pastocerto.com).

Biological peculiarities and cultivation of groundnut (a review)

Peanut is one of the most important crops in the Fabaceae Lindl. (Leguminosae L.) family. South America is considered to be the homeland of peanut, but now this crop is cultivated in America, Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia. The modern phylogenetic system of the genus Arachis L. includes 79 wild species and one cultivated species of common peanut (A. hypogaea L.). Diploid species contain 2n = 20 chromosomes of the A, B or D genome, tetraploids have A and B genomes. The А and В genomes are sequenced. Special biological features of all peanut varieties are the presence of chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers and the development of pods only underground (geocarpy). Along with high requirements for improving the quality of oil and food products, much attention is paid to their safety: resistance to aflatoxin contamination and mitigation of allergenicity. Peanut cultivars vary in plant habit, shape and color of pods and seeds. Their growing season in Africa, Latin America and Asia is from 160 to 200 days, so early-ripening forms need to be selected for the south of the Russian Federation. Breeders from the Pustovoit Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK) have developed peanut cultivars with a yield of 2.0–3.3 t/ha and growing season duration of 115–120 days, adaptable to the environments of Krasnodar Territory. At present, there is no large-scale peanut production in Russia, nor any breeding efforts are underway. As for the world, along with conventional breeding practices (individual selection, intra- and interspecies crosses, etc.), peanut is widely involved in genomic studies. A number of cultivars highly resistant to pests, diseases and drought have been released. Over 15,000 peanut accessions are preserved in the world’s gene banks, including 1823 accessions in the collection of the Vavilov Institute (VIR). Utilization of the worldwide genetic resources of peanut and use of modern research technologies will contribute to the revival of peanut cultivation in Russia.