Professor UGA Dept of Plant Pathology Tifton, GA, USA
Peanuts have long been a crucial food source in many countries and are a significant part of the diet of many cultures due to their nutritional benefits and versatility of uses. Peanut smut, caused by Thecaphora frezzii, is an emerging threat to global peanut production. Found in 100% of Argentinian peanut growing regions, smut infestation can result in substantial yield reductions. Although peanut smut has not been reported outside of South America, T. frezzii has already made an impact on international trade and global peanut supply. A coordinated response by breeders and pathologists, involving the deployment of resistant cultivars, diagnostic tools, and pathogen monitoring, is necessary to arrest pathogen spread and crop losses across the globe. Towards that end, research has been conducted to find sources of smut resistance, incorporate resistance into cultivated peanut, map the region of the peanut genome governing resistance, and characterize the pathogen genome.
