Attendees had the opportunity to learn about research at Midville on a variety of topics, including the wild peanut lab, peanut breeding, pod blasting and the maturity board. University of Georgia peanut breeder Nino Brown spoke with attendees about the research being conducted at Midville and its importance to peanut production.
The wild peanut lab gave attendees an opportunity to learn about the role of wild peanut species in peanut research. Wild peanuts can provide researchers with genetic traits that may be useful in developing new peanut varieties and improving characteristics of cultivated peanuts.
The peanut breeding program focuses on developing new varieties that meet the needs of growers and the peanut industry. Brown discussed how researchers evaluate traits such as yield, grade, disease resistance and agronomic characteristics. New varieties are tested at multiple research locations across Georgia, including Midville, to evaluate how they perform in different growing environments.
Pod blasting allows researchers to examine peanut pods and kernels to better understand their development. By removing the outer layer of the pod, researchers can observe the kernels and use that information when evaluating peanut maturity.
The maturity board is used to help determine the maturity of peanuts by organizing and evaluating pods based on their development. Brown explained how examining maturity can help growers and researchers determine when peanuts are ready to be dug and better understand the maturity of the crop.