Project Number: 6645-43440-011-02
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 01, 2009
End Date: Sep 30, 2014

Objective:
Develop virginia- and runner-type peanut cultivars with enhanced sensory quality and improved shelf-life.

Approach:
Sensory quality of roasted seeds from breeding lines from the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service's peanut breeding program will be evaluated by a sensory panel, and composition of seed components related to flavor and shelf-life will be determined. Substantial natural variation for sensory quality exists within the cultivated peanut species (Arachis hypogaea L.). Genetic control of the intensity of roasted peanut, sweet, and bitter sensory attributes within specific crosses has not been elucidated, but in a quantitative genetic sense, they appear to exhibit substantial non-additive variation, suggesting that occurrence of better tasting variants may be somewhat unpredictable. Data indicates that the genetic component of variation in sensory quality amounts to 10% to 25% of the total, depending on the specific sensory attribute.