Breeding A New Disease-resistant, High-yield Peanut Variety, Guihua 202

  Objective  A new disease-resistant, high-yield peanut variety was bred to meet the urgent demand of the industry in Guangxi province.

  Method  After years of directional selection from F₁ to F₉ using the F₄ of Yueyou 45×Guihua 17 as female parent and Guangdong Shanyou 188 as male parent for the crossing, Guihua 202 was obtained and submitted to the Joint Test on New Peanut Varieties in Guangxi from 2014 to 2017.

  Result  At the 2014 to 2015 field trials, Guihua 202 displayed an average pod yield of 4 039.07 kg·hm⁻², which was 6.69% higher than that of the reference Guihua 21, showing an initial indication of yield improvement. In the subsequent 2016 to 2017 trials, it delivered the average pod and peanut yield of 4 281.30 kg·hm⁻² and 2 746.73 kg·hm⁻², respectively, representing a significant increase on pod yield of 208.875 kg·hm⁻² or 5.13% and a not significant decrease on peanut yield of 120.225 kg·hm⁻² or − 4.19% over Guihua 21. Guihua 202 peanuts had an average of 50.64% on crude fat that included 45.1% of oleic acid and 33.6% of linoleic acid with an oleic/linoleic acid ratio of 1.34, and that of 27% on protein. The new variety grew vigorously with a compact plant type characterized by 45.9 cm main stem height, 52 cm branch length, 7.9 branches, 15.4 pods per plant, 590 pods per kg, 207.2 g on 100-pod weight, 77.7 g on 100-seed weight, and 64% on kernel rate. This disease-resistant and high-yield new peanut variety has passed the national non-major crop variety registration in September 2020.

  Conclusion  Guihua 202 exhibited desirable qualities and was considered appropriate for cultivation in Guangxi. However, it required ample water supply and fertilization to fully deliver its high yield potential.