Economic and Academic Importance of Peanut

Abstract

Peanut is an important oil, food and feed crop of the world. The kernels are rich in fats and protein, and 100 g of kernels provide 567 kcal of energy and 8.5 g of dietary fiber. Peanuts are source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and health improving bioactive compounds such as resveratrol, tocopherol, arginine etc. and hence are touted as functional food. Consumption of peanuts can reduce risk of inflammation, diabetes, cancer, alzheimer's and gallstone disease. Peanut is cultivated in over 100 countries, with over 95% of cultivated area in Asia and Africa. Aflatoxin and allergens are major health deterrents in peanut and more research efforts are needed to develop aflatoxin and allergen free peanuts. There is a great demand for peanut and peanut-based products in the international market, especially for confectionary types. Breeding new cultivars that meet the needs of the producers, consumers and industry is an important research area with implications along the value chain. Conventional breeding approaches and phenotyping tools were widely used to breed several varieties and in the last decade, genomic tools are integrated for making selections. The advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools and the availability of the draft genome sequence of the diploid progenitors of peanut A. duranensis and A. ipaensis is expected to play a key role in sequencing the genome of cultivated peanut. Transgenic peanuts with resistance to herbicide, fungus, virus, and insects; tolerance to drought and salinity and improved grain quality are under testing at different containment levels. The availability of sophisticated tools for both genotyping and phenotyping will lead to an increase in our understanding of key genes involved and their metabolic regulatory pathways.

Groundnut Entered Post-genome Sequencing Era: Opportunities and Challenges in Translating Genomic Information from Genome to Field

“…The high oil content feature is a very important trait in Asian countries, such as India, where groundnut is used for oil extraction. The early leaf spot (ELS), late leaf spot (LLS), and rust diseases are the universal problem, while nematode and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) are more prevalent in the Americas; bacterial wilt in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Uganda; groundnut rosette disease (GRD) and peanut clump virus disease (PCVD) in Africa; and peanut bud necrosis disease (PBND) and peanut stem necrosis disease (PSND) in India (see Variath and Janila 2017). Due to globalization and ease of doing busi-ness, the industry and consumer-preferred traits, such as aflatoxin contamination, allergens and nutrition, deserve now more attention in the current breeding strategies to enhance research efforts in the coming years.…”

“…Globally, the Asian and African regions together harvest 91% of produce from 95% growing area of groundnut. The last three to four decades could achieve 1.7% yield increase per annum, reaching to the maximum productivity (1823 kg/ha) during the year 2013 (Variath and Janila 2017). Development of improved varieties with high pod yield and resistance/tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses has played a key role in increasing the productivity of groundnut over the decades.…”

Effects of Seven Diversified Crop Rotations on Selected Soil Health Indicators and Wheat Productivity

“…Specifically, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) has been included due to its importance in the Chinese economy, of which its high yield and widely used in various industries [26]. Peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) is an important oil, food and feed crop of the world [27]. Spring maize (Zea mays L.) showed the potential to use groundwater in balance and sustainably in the NCP [28,29].…”

Physicochemical properties of new peanut (Arachis hypogaeaL.) varieties

“…It is also an important oilseed crop for the production of vegetable oils (Arioglu, 2014). About 2/3 of the world's total peanut production is used to produce oil and the remaining 1/3 is used in food products (Variath and Janila, 2017). In Egypt, there is a great shortage in edible oils so that almost 90% of the consumption needs are currently imported (Zaher et al, 2017).…”