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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #433823
Research Project: Increased Utilization of Peanuts, Peanut Processing Biproducts and Improvement of Peanut Quality Traits

Location: Food Science and Market Quality and Handling Research Unit

Title: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) flavor response to drought stress

Author
item Dean, Lisa
item HENDRIX, KEITH - Former ARS Employee
item BUCIOR, ERIKA - North Carolina State University
item Dang, Phat
item Lamb, Marshall

Submitted to: American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The occurrences of drought during the growing season have been of ongoing concern for peanut growers as lack of sufficient rainfall results in decreased crop yields and increased production cost when irrigation is necessary. Another cause of concern is the certainty of water available for irrigation in times of drought. Research is ongoing to determine the suitability of certain peanut cultivars to produce acceptable yields in areas where water availability may be an issue. As part of one such study, the maintenance and acceptability of characteristic peanut flavors was evaluated. Thirteen peanut cultivars were planted in late May of the 2023 and early May of the 2024 growing seasons at the USDA ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory in Dawson, GA. The varieties, Ga06G, Tifrunner, Line-8, AU18-35, AT3085RO, AU-NPL 17, AP-3, 587, PI502120, PI493329, AU 16-28, Ga Green, and C76-16 were arranged in a split plot design with rainfed (no irrigation) and full irrigation treatments with four replications. The peanuts were harvested 148 days after planting, cured, shelled and sized. Medium and jumbo seeds were dry roasted to produce pastes with Hunter L values of 50. Pastes were evaluated by a trained descriptive panel. The intensities of the characteristic peanut flavor notes were scored using the Spectrum® method. The roast peanutty attribute scores in the 2023 crop were not significantly different between the cultivars regardless of treatment with several exceptions. The 2024 crop showed more variation with higher values in the irrigated mediums and with the cultivars, PI502120 and AU-NPL 17 having higher scores for the rainfed mediums. Other flavor attributes, sweet aromatics, dark roast flavor, sweet flavor and bitterness also showed more variation in the 2024 crop. Although yields are reduced with lower water inputs, some degree of drought stress may prove advantageous in increasing certain flavor attributes.