Broadening the gene base of peanut breeding using incompatible wild species

The cultivated peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is a significant edible oilseed crop. Although substantial progress has been made in breeding new peanut varieties through conventional methods, the narrow gene base of the cultivated peanut—stemming from six evolutionary bottlenecks—poses growing challenges for developing breakthrough varieties via intraspecific hybridization alone. Consequently, extensive efforts have been directed towards the utilization of incompatible wild Arachis species. In this study, we present the first genetic diversity assessment of 30 progenies derived from intersectional crosses between the high-oleic peanut cultivar Huayu 665 and two wild species, A. paraguariensis and A. appresipilla , alongside 32 cultivated materials and 29 wild accessions, using transposon element markers. The hybrids demonstrated greater genetic diversity than the cultivars, expanding the gene base for peanut breeding. Hybrid progenies with enhanced insect pest resistance and elevated levels of both oleic acid and oil/protein content were tentatively obtained. This work lays the groundwork for the future development of high-yielding, high-quality peanut varieties through the utilization of crop wild relatives.