Since attending the American Peanut Research and Education Society meeting last July, and then writing the National Peanut Board’s Research Review: The Future of Peanut Breeding, which can be found on Peanut Grower’s website, I have been more attuned to what goes in to creating the seed you plant each spring.
This month’s 2019 Variety Guide is a continuation of that focus on peanut seed. I’m proud to say this guide has more information and data than ever. There is data from all three regions and all four market types.
While most of the information is provided by our university peanut breeders, we also have new information from private peanut seed companies. This month, on page 12, we find out about the International Peanut Group (IPG), a company that develops and releases new peanut varieties, as well as conducting other related research.
IPG partners with Algrano Peanuts, a grower-owned sheller in West Texas and New Mexico, but they have also formed a recent partnership with Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association to develop varieties specifically for Mississippi’s unique climate.
Next month, Peanut Grower will have an article on AgResearch Consultants Inc., another privately held peanut seed variety development and peanut consulting business. Dr. Kim Moore, a very familiar name in peanut breeding, is president and research director for ACI, which is located in south Georgia and is commonly referred to as ACI Seeds.
You will see data entries for some of the ACI varieties in the 2019 Variety Guide and we will include additional data in next month’s issue. It is something you will not want to miss.
The peanut industry remains a little different from other row crops in that we have both public and private seed companies. Hopefully, our industry will remain viable enough for that to continue.
