Agricultural News
USDA Ag Research Service's Kelly Chamberlin Unveils New High Oleic Peanut Variety "VENUS"
Sun, 29 Mar 2015 07:08:40 CDT
Oklahoma and Texas peanut growers can look forward to a new peanut variety in the near future. At the Oklahoma Peanut Expo held Thursday, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) peanut breeder Dr. Kelly Chamberlin made the announcement. Chamberlin said "VENUS" becomes the first High Oleic Virginia-type peanut developed specifically for the southwest, which is a significant milestone for the region's peanut industry. She said the industry is now demanding High Oleic peanuts in almost everything that they produce, because consumers are demanding High Oleic peanuts because of the longer shelf life and nutritional benefits.
Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Chamberlin at the Peanut Expo. Click or tap on the LISTENBAR below to listen to the full interview.
The variety called "VENUS" offers farmers disease resistance and higher yield potential. The variety's parentage goes back to Jupiter, which was developed and released by Oklahoma State University in 2000. Chamberlin said Jupiter was not High Oleic, so they crossed the High Oleic trait, along with adding disease resistance to Sclerotinia blight and pod rot. She said this new variety has been tested and developed over the last ten years. She said VENUS yields similar to Jupiter, plus growers will get a premium for their peanuts, as a High Oleic variety.
Approximately 45 percent of the peanut acres in Oklahoma and Texas was grown in Virginia varieties. With strong demand for High Oleic Virginia varieties, Chamberlin said this will be a great asset for farmers. She said peanuts grown in the southwest are among the best in the nation for flavor and quality, so she believes farmers can look forward to planting this new variety and will profit from it.
At this point about 4,000 pounds of the VENUS variety have been produced. Chamberlin said that will go into foundation production this year. Production will be expanded with certified seed production in 2016, so it will likely be at least two years before farmers will able to plant VENUS in the region.
In the interview, Chamberlin also discusses OLe' - a new Spanish peanut variety. She said OLe' is going into certified seed production this year. Additionally, the candy industry is looking at the variety and wanting to check the flavor profile and other characteristics. She said so far all results have come back positive, so this looks to be another great opportunity for peanut growers in the near future.
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