![\"\"](\"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/20140516redvale1.jpg\" "\\"20140516redvale1\\"")
<\/a>May 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n A new peanut variety released by the Australian Peanut Genetic Improvement Program\u00a0last year – but only officially launched today – is offering growers a new high oleic, ultra-early option for dryland and irrigated operations.<\/p>\n Redvale, named after DAFF’s Redvale farm in Kingaroy, has very early maturity (110-120 days) to help growers avoid the end-of-season droughts which are so common in the South Burnett growing area.<\/p>\n It also has a high kernel yield, averaging 12 per cent higher than the current variety Tingoora.<\/p>\n Growers will also be happy because there are larger kernels, which will increase returns.<\/p>\n The “soft” launch for Redvale occurred at a Peanut Industry update for growers hosted by the Peanut Company of Australia today at the DAFF Research Station in Kingaroy.<\/p>\n Commercial quantities of Redvale seed are available.<\/p>\n As well as learning more about Redvale, growers also heard about other new varieties under development, but were warned that this was a very slow process which could take up to 12 years to bring to commercial release.<\/p>\n A variety that PCA peanut breeder Dr Graeme Wright is very keen about is D281-p40-236A (Kairi) which was originally bred by DPI plant breeder Alan Cruickshank but has been further developed in recent years.<\/p>\n “It looks to have very high and stable yields and enhanced foliar disease resistance, especially for net blotch,” Dr Wright said.<\/p>\n The growers also listened to talks by PhD candidates who are working on peanut projects at the research station.<\/p>\n Dan O’Connor is working on genetic screening of peanut varieties to identify the molecular markers for blanchability and net blotch resistance – highly valued traits in Australian peanuts.<\/p>\n Kylie Wenham is investigating a mystery soil-borne disease, neocosmosphora, which caused a 40 per cent crop loss at Ban Ban Springs and a greater than 50 per cent loss at Emerald in 2008. This disease has only caused issues in Australia although it has also been detected in soils in China and Thailand.<\/p>\n “All commercial peanut varieties are susceptible,” she said.<\/p>\n It is believed the outbreaks were linked to high soil moisture levels.<\/p>\n Growers then conducted field inspections of ultra-early and full-season breeding lines, new introductions from the United States and some of Dan O’Connor’s research for net blotch screening.<\/p>\n\n
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