Use of Wild Arachis Species/Introgression of Genes into A. hypogaea L.

Abstract The use of wild Arachis L. in cultivar improvement programs has been considered an option for more than 50 yr. Both A. Krapovickas and W.C. Gregory, independently, made interspecific hybridizations in the 1940s. However, only three cultivars have been released as a result of interspecific hybridizations, and only one of those has a clearly identifiable genetic component from the wild species. Several breeding lines have been reported and several germplasm releases are documented from Texas, North Carolina, and ICRISAT. At least four potential options exist for transferring genes from wild Arachis to the cultigen: a) The hexaploid pathway consists of crossing a diploid wild species directly with A. hypogaea, doubling the chromosome number to the hexaploid level, then backcrossing for several generations to restore the tetraploid condition. Several options are possible in this pathway involving various crossing schemes prior to crossing a diploid hybrid with A. hypogaea. North Carolina and ICRISAT ...