Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Genetics and Breeding Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #379495
Research Project: Development of High-Yielding, High-Oleic Peanut Cultivars or Germplasm with Tolerance to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Location: Crop Genetics and Breeding Research

Title: Resistance to fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding was identified in nascent allotetraploids cross-compatible to cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

Author
item LEVINSON, C - University Of Georgia
item MARASIGAN, K - University Of Georgia
item CHU, YE - University Of Georgia
item STALKER, T - North Carolina State University
item Holbrook, Carl - Corley
item Ni, Xinzhi
item Williams, William
item OZIAS-AKINS, PEGGY - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Peanut Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2020
Publication Date: 11/1/2020
Citation: Levinson, C.M., Marasigan, K.M., Chu, Y., Stalker, T.H., Holbrook Jr, C.C., Ni, X., Williams, W.P., Ozias-Akins, P. 2020. Resistance to fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding was identified in nascent allotetraploids cross-compatible to cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea). Peanut Science. 47:123-134. https://doi.org/10.3146/PS20-13.1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3146/PS20-13.1

Interpretive Summary: Fall armyworm (FAW) is a major defoliating pest in the Americas and has recently become an economically devastating, invasive pest in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Asia. Genetic sources with strong FAW resistance are limited in cultivated peanut due to its narrow genetic base. On the other hand, wild peanut relatives have diverse resistances against a wide range of peanut pests and diseases. This study identified FAW resistance in newly created allotetraploids (crosses of cultivated peanut with wild relatives). Resistant allotetraploid lines identified in this study can be used in breeding programs in the United States and shared with breeding programs in East and West Africa to introgress FAW resistance into elite varieties. The long-term goal of this study is to aid in creating FAW resistant peanut cultivars that can protect yields in the United States and increase yields in regions with limited access to pesticides in Africa.

Technical Abstract: Fall armyworm (FAW) is an economically devastating, invasive pest in Sub-Saharan Africa. This pest feeds on more tan 80 plant species, including peanut, and threatens the food security of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who rely on these crops. An integrated pest management strategy including resistant crop cultivars is needed to control FAW, since FAW populations have been reported to develop insecticide resistance. Genetic sources of host resistance to FAW are limited in cultivated peanut; however, strong resistance to FAW was reported previously in peanut wild relatives. In the in vitro study, we tested diploid peanut relatives including A. ipensis KG37006 (Ipa), A. duranensis 30060 (Dur), A. correntina 9530 (Cor9530) and 9548 (Cor9548); allotetraploids including IpaCor95304x, IpaDur4x; F2 hybrids [A. hypogaea 13-1014 x IpaCor95304x]; and cultivated peanut lines A. hypogaea ’13-1014’ and ‘Georgia Green’ for FAW resistance to identify valuable materials in our breeding program. FAW development was measured by survival, larval weight, larval stage duration, pupation, pupal stage duration, moth emergence, and moth sex. All leaflets from the allotetraploids showed promise as donors for FAW resistance, which was derived from A. ipaensis.