Comparison of Three Transgenic Peanut Lines with Improved Sclerotinia Blight (Sclerotinia minor Jagger) Resistance with Their Parents for Agronomic and Physiological Characteristics.

Peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) is an important crop in the Virginia-Carolina (VC) region, but cool and wet falls may result in significant yield reductions due to Sclerotinia blight, caused by Sclerotinia minor Jagger, a major disease in the region. Transgenic lines expressing a barley oxalate oxidase were previously shown to confer improved resistance to the disease.  In this research we compared three blight resistant transgenic lines for oxalate oxidase, N70, P39, and W73 with their nontransgenic parents, NC 7, Perry, and Wilson, and high yielding check cultivars Bailey and CHAMPS. The objective was to ensure that the agronomic and physiological characteristics of the transformed lines were not negatively impacted by the transformation with oxalate oxidase before making recommendations for production. In 2009 and 2010, experimental plots were grown in two distinct fields for soil type and available water capacity for a total of four environments. The transgenic lines were statistically comparable with their parents, Bailey, and CHAMPS for maturity, pod yield, gross value, and pod brightness.  P39 consistently showed less extra-large kernel (ELK) and Jumbo pod content than Perry and the other genotypes. N70 and NC 7, on the other hand, had the highest ELK and Jumbo pod content. Overall, the transgenic lines appeared to have similar yield potential and returns with their parents, Bailey, and CHAMPS when grown in the VC region.