A new location, structure changes to reduce variability and plans for web-based data delivery are a few of the transitional changes for this long-time variety-testing program.
⋅ BY AMANDA HUBER ⋅
Dating back to 1968, the Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation program is still going strong in an effort to provide a premier peanut variety testing program specifically for the Virginia-Carolina region and producers. New at the helm of the program, Jacob Forehand, Virginia Extension peanut specialist, is bringing new ideas and a fresh approach to variety selection.
“This was my first year as director of the PVQE, and the program has gone through quite a transition. For one thing, we were able to add a location in Southeastern North Carolina to better represent peanut production throughout the region.”
Forehand says at each location, they were able to evaluate the varieties at two digging dates, which allowed them to evaluate maturity as compared to commercial varieties and also helped in determining that differences in yield were based on variety and not when the peanuts were dug. “Additionally, the structure of the test was changed to reduce variability within the test and provide more meaningful results,” he says. “While this has been a year in transition, I hope to keep improving the program so that the most valuable information possible can be obtained.
“In the future, I plan to add more data points of interest including early season vigor, disease response and canopy height and architecture,” he says.
Currently, PVQE results are published by Virginia Cooperative Extension in book form, but Forehand says a website is being created and will be used in the future to post PVQE data. Users will be able to select the data that is most relevant to their farms to find exactly the information they need.
Getting ‘The Green Light’ From All Segments
Even with changes and enhancements, the core purpose of the PVQE remains as determining yield, grade and quality of commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines at various locations in the V-C region, developing a database for Virginia-type peanut to allow research-based selection of the best genotypes by growers, industry and the breeding programs, and identifying the best peanut varieties that can be developed into cultivars.
“This program evaluates potential variety releases from peanut breeders developing Virginia-type peanuts and compares them to the commercial varieties that are currently grown across the majority of acres in the V-C,” Forehand says. “It provides insight into how a variety will perform in a commercial setting, as field studies are conducted in growers’ fields and on research stations grown with local commercial practices.”
Dell Cotton, Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Association manager says, “The PVQE has for years been a valuable, multi-state testing program for our V-C growers and for the V-C peanut industry. We all know how critical variety development is, and the numerous years of testing not only in multiple field settings in the three states along with the testing of attributes such as blanchability and flavor just enhances the program’s benefits that much more.
“Before a variety is released, it has the green light of growers, shellers, manufacturers, and, of course, researchers,” Cotton says. “We are pleased to see Jacob come on board with new ideas to build on the successes of those who served in that capacity before him.”
Synonymous With Success Of Virginia Peanuts
For a variety to be released and grown commercially in the V-C region, that variety must have been evaluated and voted on by the PVQE Advisory Committee, Forehand says. “Evaluating varieties before they are released ensures that the variety will be accepted for production by both the farmers that grow the crop and the manufacturers that make this crop into products to be sold to consumers.
“While collecting data such as yield and grade factors to determine crop loan value, data is also collected to address other concerns for new varieties,” he says. “For example, blanching data is taken for each variety to determine which products each variety may be best suited for. While this data point does not directly affect the value of the variety to the grower, it can influence what shellers and manufacturers are able to do with a particular variety, which may influence how much demand will be present. Additionally, the chemical composition of the peanuts is evaluated to determine if a variety will be able to sustain a longer shelf life, which is important to both the peanut industry and consumers.
The program currently includes one location in Virginia, three locations in North Carolina and one testing site in South Carolina.
“Collaboration is key,” says Ashley Collins, chief executive officer of the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association. “The synergy between everyone involved in the process makes PVQE invaluable for growers.
“Integrating breeding, real-time growing practices, replicated data collection, statistical analysis of grade data through processing and a collective decision-making process when determining varieties to release is why PVQE is synonymous with the success of Virginia-type peanuts,” Collins says.
Besides providing information regarding how new varieties perform in real-world settings, the PVQE program also makes comparisons between commercially available Virginia-type varieties. This provides valuable information when determining which variety would likely perform best in your area.
For peanut farmers making their planting plans, Forehand says, “When determining which variety to plant, it is important to consider a variety that performs well across many different environments for both crop yield and grade components. Additionally, other varietal considerations include disease resistance and crop growth habit.” PG
