A new high yielding and disease resistant peanut variety was released in January 2024 by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Marianna, Florida.  The new variety is named FloRun^TM ‘725’.  It combines a high level of resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and very good tolerance to leaf spot and white mold.  Additionally, it has demonstrated excellent pod yield and grades.  It also carries the high oleic trait which improves oil quality and product shelf life, and therefore consumer experience.  Unique among current peanut varieties is its very high level of resistance to TSWV which comes from a new source of resistant germplasm.  This germplasm has been under development at the NFREC for about 25 years.

Developed strictly by conventional breeding methods, FloRun^TM ‘725’ and the variety Arnie are the only two commercially available peanut varieties with TSWV resistance from this unique germplasm source.  Over several years of testing, both FloRun^TM ‘725’ and Arnie have demonstrated higher levels of TSWV resistance than other commercially available peanut varieties in the southeastern USA.  Additionally, FloRun^TM ‘725’ has shown very good tolerance to two other major peanut diseases, late leaf spot and white mold.  In Florida tests, it was similar to Georgia-12Y in reaction to these two diseases.  Georgia-12Y has the best combination of resistance to late leaf spot and white mold currently on the market.  FloRun^TM ‘725’ has a medium to small runner seed size, a medium sized plant, and is in the medium maturity category.  In 2024, about 30 acres of breeder seed was produced and with that seed, foundation seed of FloRun^TM ‘725’ will be produced in 2025.  Early availability of seed for growers will occur in 2026.

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