Disease Evaluations of Peanut Varieities in the Rupununi Region of Guyana.

Peanut is an important cash crop for farmers in the rural interior of Guyana in the Rupununi Region.  Peanuts are sold to the Georgetown market for roasted whole peanuts and also to the local regional peanut butter cottage industries.  These cottage industries are responsible for producing peanut butter and cassava bread snacks that are distributed to over 3,500 students daily via a government-run school snack-feeding program.  Maintaining sustainable peanut production in this region is vital to the continuance of the school snack-feeding program.  Disease management of peanut in this area is a problem; therefore new varieties of peanut with disease resistance and yield potential are desirable.  In 2011, 13 peanut genotypes were evaluated.  Several genotypes were identified to have good disease resistance with yields comparable to the locally grown variety.  Additionally, these genotypes had more desirable growth habits for potential mechanization of harvesting, which would greatly reduce the cost of harvesting.