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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Market Quality and Handling Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #115304
Title: GENOTYPIC VARIATION IN ROASTED PEANUT FLAVOR QUALITY ACROSS 60 YEARS OF BREEDING

Author
item ISLEIB, THOMAS - NC STATE UNIVERSITY
item Pattee, Harold
item GORBET, DANIEL - NC STATE UNIVERSITY
item GIESBRECHT, FRANCIS - NC STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Peanut Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2000
Publication Date: 12/12/2000
Citation: ISLEIB, T.G., PATTEE, H.E., GORBET, D.W., GIESBRECHT, F.G. GENOTYPIC VARIATION IN ROASTED PEANUT FLAVOR QUALITY ACROSS 60 YEARS OF BREEDING. PEANUT SCIENCE. 2000. V. 27. P. 92-98.

Interpretive Summary: Peanut flavor is a primary factor in peanut quality, but in developing new peanut breedling lines and cultivars, the breeder's primary focus is upon heritable characteristics with direct, measurable effects such as yield. Flavor quality characteristics are heritable but do not have directly measurable economic value, so they are often overlooked. We found that the use of certain lines as parents resulted in decreased flavor quality. We identified specific lines which when used as parents will result in improved rather than decreased flavor quality. This information is especially important when disease resistance or other production factors associated with decreased flavor are of such extreme importance.

Technical Abstract: In developing new peanut breeding lines and cultivars, the breeder's primary focus is upon heritable characteristics with direct, measurable effects. Flavor quality characteristics are heritable but do not have directly measurable economic value, so they are often overlooked. Failure to evaluate flavor quality may lead to serious defects in new breeding lines. Flavor quality data on lines developed since 1930 were examined to identify trends in flavor quality of the breeding populations in the virginia, runner, and fastigiate market-types. Virginia-type cultivars have trended toward poorer roasted peanut flavor. Use of commercially successful cultivars Florigiant and NC 7 in their ancestry appears to have reduced the flavor quality of new breeding lines. Runner-type cultivars increased slightly in sweetness over time, but there has been an increase in the variance of roasted peanut intensity in the breeding population since 1980. .Introgression of disease-resistant germplasm into the breeding populations appears to have had a detrimental effect on the flavor of lines in the runner and virginia market-types. Use of Florunner, a multiline cultivar with a superior flavor profile, as a parent of current breeding lines has contributed to generally superior flavor in the runner market-type. The limited sample of fastigiate lines and cultivars showed consistent improvement in the intensities of roasted peanut and bitter attributes. They showed improvement in the sweet attribute as well.