Annual Report – Fiscal Year 2019: Peanut Innovation Lab

The lab's primary objective is to enhance the genetic potential of peanut production in Africa and the US through the development of improved peanut varieties. The lab's research activities are conducted in collaboration with national programs, research institutions, and international partners. The lab's research program is structured around several key areas, including varietal development, breeding management, and high-throughput phenotyping. The varietal development project involves the development of new peanut varieties with improved traits such as resistance to diseases, tolerance to water deficit, and improved oil composition. The breeding management project focuses on the development and implementation of a breeding management system to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of breeding programs. The high-throughput phenotyping project involves the use of advanced technologies to rapidly evaluate the performance of peanut varieties under different environmental conditions. The lab's research activities are conducted in several countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda. The lab's partners include national programs, research institutions, and international organizations such as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The lab's research is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the University of Georgia. One of the key accomplishments of the lab's research program is the development of a new peanut variety with improved resistance to the groundnut rosette virus (GRV). The lab's researchers used advanced genomics and breeding techniques to develop a variety with improved resistance to GRV, which is a major constraint to peanut production in Africa. The lab's researchers also developed a new breeding management system that has been adopted by national programs in several countries. The lab's research program also includes a value-added gains project, which focuses on improving the value of peanut production through the development of new products and markets. The project involves the development of new peanut-based products such as peanut flour and peanut oil, as well as the establishment of new markets for these products. The project also involves the development of a risk index tool to help farmers and traders manage risk in the peanut value chain. In addition to its research activities, the lab also conducts capacity development activities to build the skills and knowledge of researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders in the peanut value chain. The lab's capacity development activities include training programs, workshops, and conferences, as well as the provision of technical assistance and support to national programs and research institutions. The lab's research program has several geographic and temporal focuses. The lab's research activities are conducted in several countries in Africa, including Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda. The lab's research program is focused on the period from 2018 to 2023, with the goal of improving peanut production and productivity in Africa and the US. The lab's research program is also focused on the development of new technologies and approaches to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of breeding programs and the value-added gains project. The lab's research program has several key recommendations for future research and development activities. The lab recommends continued investment in the development of new peanut varieties with improved traits such as resistance to diseases, tolerance to water deficit, and improved oil composition. The lab also recommends continued investment in the development of new technologies and approaches to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of breeding programs and the value-added gains project.