April 2, 2014
First peanut genome sequenced
By Online Athens
Scott Jackson, Ph.D., was recruited in 2011 as a GRA Eminent Scholar and is the director of the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies. In addition to his work at the University of Georgia, he serves as the chair of the International Peanut Genome Initiative (IPGI). Jackson was a lead researcher on the team of scientists that first mapped the soybean genome. Now, he’s unraveling the genetic mysteries of another legume especially important to Georgia: the peanut. The peanut, the official of crop of Georgia, accounts for seven percent of the state’s agricultural production market. Globally, farmers produce 40 million metric tons of peanuts annually.
The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive and more resilient peanut varieties. Researchers will now have better tools to accelerate development of new peanut varieties with improved yields and better nutrition.
