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ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #357725
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Peanut for Production in the Southwest United States Region

Location: Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit

Title: Release of 'Contender' Peanut

Author
item Chamberlin, Kelly
item Bennett, Rebecca
item DAMICONE, JOHN - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2018
Publication Date: 4/11/2019
Citation: Chamberlin, K.D., Bennett, R.S., Damicone, J.P. 2019. Release of 'Contender' Peanut. Journal of Plant Registrations. 13(2):139-142. https://doi.org/10.3198/jpr2018.09.0060crc.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3198/jpr2018.09.0060crc

Interpretive Summary: Contender is a new Virginia-type peanut cultivar developed for production in the Southwestern U.S. Contender has proven to possess pod and seed characteristics lacking in the Virginia-type peanut cultivar VENUS, making it more marketable as well as profitable. Field trial data averaged over years and locations placed Contender at or near the top ranking in yield and predicted crop value among Virginia entries tested. Contender has a larger % ELK and seed size than VENUS as well as a larger pod. The purpose for releasing Contender is to provide peanut producers and shellers with a high oleic virginia cultivar developed specifically for the Southwestern U.S. with acceptable yield, grade, and increased pod and seed size when compared to the cultivar VENUS. The release and production of Contender will allow producers in the Southwestern U.S. to regain much of the Virginia peanut export market that had been lost due to a reduction in pod and seed size of available high oleic Virginia-type cultivars. Due to its improved market quality, Contender will increase producer profit by $3-5M per year.

Technical Abstract: 'Contender' is a large-seeded high oleic Virginia-type peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea) that has enhanced pod size distribution and seed size when compared to the Virginia-type cultivar VENUS. Released jointly by the USDA ARS and Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station in 2018, Contender was developed for optimal performance in the Southwestern U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas, but performs well in trials conducted in other peanut growing regions of the U.S. Contender (ARSOK V85-377) is the result of a cross between the cultivar Brantley, a high oleic Virginia peanut released by North Carolina State University in 2005, and cultivar Red River Runner, a high oleic runner peanut released jointly by USDA ARS, Texas A&M University, and Oklahoma State University in 2011. Tests conducted in three locations across Oklahoma in 2016-2017 indicate that Contender is among the top yielding cultivars tested and possesses the desired pod and seed characteristics required by the industry for domestic and export markets. Contender averaged 6446 Kgha-1, a TMSK (grade) of 69% and an average ELK of 55%, giving it the highest estimated value for the producer among the entries tested. Contender's average super jumbo count/kilogram and average pod brightness (Hunter L) score were reported at 318Kg-1 (9 per ounce) and 50, respectively, indicating that this potential cultivar has large, bright pods which are necessary components of any market-worthy Virginia cultivar. When entered in the national Uniform Peanut Performance Test (UPPT), Contender performed well in all locations, averaging 5646 Kgha-1, 75.6% fancy pods, 58% ELK, a SMK of 90 to 104 and a TSMK of 71.7%. The purpose for releasing Contender is to provide peanut producers in the Southwestern U.S. with a high oleic Virginia peanut developed specifically for that region with enhanced pod size distribution and larger seed size when compared to VENUS.