Use of wild and exotic germplasm for resistance in peanut

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop grown around the world but lacks genetic resistance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. However, these traits can be found in the wild and exotic germplasm to which peanut is genetically related. The genus Arachis contains 83 described species, some of which are home to a reservoir of useful traits and that have served as a source of resistance with their movement into the cultivated peanut. There are several excellent examples of using exotic and wild germplasm to successfully to incorporate biotic resistance traits into cultivated peanut. It is also possible that some of the genetic resources could someday be used to further enhance peanut in unforeseen ways. In this article we present some examples of successful introgression and how these success stories have been achieved.