EMPOWERING
THE GLOBAL PEANUT COMMUNITY
P eanuts are a nutritional and economic lifeline for over a billion people world- wide, particularly in regions of Africa, Asia, and South America. This global commodity generates billions of dollars annually, supporting diverse livelihoods from multinational corporations to small family farms. Peanuts are an excellent source of plant- based protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals, all of which promote healthy development, especially for children and pregnant women. While peanuts are a nutritional and economic powerhouse, they face growing threats from pests, diseases, and climate change. For a smallholder farmer, losing an entire peanut harvest to disease is cata- strophic, often leading to severe financial hardship and food insecurity for their family and community. With increasing threats to the peanut enterprise, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater. HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Josh Clevenger, PhD , and his lab are directly addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing peanut growers. By identifying genetic markers for traits like disease resistance and higher yields, their work is helping to develop new peanut varieties that are better equipped to withstand changing environmental condi- tions and pests. But they’re not stopping there; they’re revolutionizing the global peanut industry and ensur- ing breeders across all levels of operation have equal access to the genomic tools essential for success. The agricultural field is witnessing a genomic renaissance, with growing amounts of genomic information available to help scientists and breeders understand the inner workings of commodity crops. In 2012, the International Peanut Genome Initiative was formed to produce a genome of cultivated peanuts and create genomic tools to accelerate the develop- ment of improved peanut cultivars. Dr. Clevenger was involved in several research projects under the Peanut Genome Initiative.
OUR work is not just about science; it is about improving people’s lives. —josh clevenger, PHD
The first draft of the peanut genome was released in 2014, providing a valuable resource for peanut scientists. In 2019, a more comprehensive and accu- rate sequencing of the cultivated peanut genome was achieved, providing deeper insights into the crop’s ge- netic makeup. These reference genomes gave scientists the tools they needed to start looking at genetic con- tributors to important traits like greater yield, disease resistance, improved nutrition, improved processing traits, and better flavor. To find these genetic contributors, scientists must dig into the genomes of peanuts with and without valu- able traits, which requires advanced analysis methods. The Clevenger lab developed a suite of computational tools called KHUFU ® that helps them quickly and
HUDSONALPHA INSTITUTE FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY
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