By:
Tom Nordlie (352) 392-1773 x 277Source(s):
Dan Gorbet dgorbet@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (850) 482-9904
Tom Stadsklev seed@digitalexp.com, (850) 594-4721
Rex Wilson rwilson@gpc.admworld.com, (229) 567-3311
MARIANNA, Fla. — To help Southeastern peanut producers battle devastating tomato spotted wilt virus, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has released a new high-yield peanut with better disease resistance than previous varieties.
“The virus has been the most significant peanut disease in the U.S. Southeast for several years,” said Dan Gorbet, professor of agronomy and head of UF’s peanut breeding program in Marianna. “Currently, there are no chemical controls for it, so resistant peanut varieties and good management techniques are the only weapons we have.”
He said the new peanut, named C-99R, has greater tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) resistance than its competition, including Georgia Green, the most widely grown peanut in the region. C-99R also resists late leaf spot and stem rot/white mold, which require costly fungicide treatments, and has the highest yield potential of any peanut suitable for the Southeast.
“Peanut yield varies from year to year and location to location, but on average C-99R produces more pounds per acre than other varieties,” said Gorbet, based at UF’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna.
However, Gorbet doesn’t expect C99-R to completely replace Georgia Green, which accounts for more than 80 percent of Southeastern peanut production. He said the UF variety is designed to offer growers an alternative to standard peanuts, so farmers should make sure C-99R will meet their buyers’ needs before planting it.
Like most peanuts grown in the Southeast, C-99R is a “runner market-type,” used for peanut butter, candy and snacks, Gorbet said. But C99-R is a late maturing variety, harvested in late September and early October. Many Southeastern peanut farmers prefer to harvest in early September so they can plant winter forage by October 1 and graze cattle during fall and winter.
“If a farmer grows other crops harvested in early September, C-99R can help spread out the harvest schedule and make it more manageable,” he said.
The seed, or edible part, of the C-99R is larger than average for a runner peanut, Gorbet said. While shellers and roasted peanut producers favor large seeds, some manufacturers consider them impractical for automated processing.
“C-99R isn’t for everybody, but it should work well for producers who can use it,” he said. “High yield and disease resistance make C-99R a low-cost, low-risk variety, and with peanut price supports expected to be reduced soon, those are important considerations.”
The UF variety was released on a limited basis in 1999 and has gained popularity quickly, said Tom Stadsklev, manager of Florida Foundation Seed Producers in Greenwood, which produces seed for farmers using UF crop varieties.
He said C-99R seed was made available to the general public in April, 2001, with the peanut produced on 50,000 to 100,000 acres in the Southeast. Seed supply should be ample in 2002, and Stadsklev expects increased use of the variety.
“I can tell you from experience that it’s a great-tasting peanut,” he said. “The producers I’ve spoken to who tried it have been pleased. There’s certainly a place for it in the market.”
C-99R is licensed to Golden Peanut Company, said Rex Wilson, national seed manager for the company in Ashburn,GA. Golden Peanut is both a seed producer and commercial peanut sheller.
“To give C-99R the widest possible acceptance, we’re making it available to other seed producers and shellers,” Wilson said. “But farmers should make sure they’re buying certified or registered seed. Quality is critical in this business.”
He said C-99R could be the start of a new era in Southeastern peanut production.
“Dan Gorbet is using C-99R as a parent variety for further breeding,” Wilson said. “He’s working to incorporate its resistance to TSWV and other diseases into a peanut with improved high-oleic oil chemistry, which offers human health benefits and longer shelf life. That could have a huge impact.”
Total U.S. peanut production for 2001 is forecast at 3.87 billion pounds, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report issued October 12. Georgia leads the nation with 1.43 billion pounds, followed by Texas with 858 million pounds. Florida ranks fifth with 252 million pounds. Ninety percent of U.S. peanuts are used in food products.
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