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Genetics and genomics will have the potential to enhance sustainable peanut production. The major contribution of these technologies for peanut will likely be improved disease resistance, oil quality, and enhanced productivity. Those attributes may be achieved more effectively through genomic biotechnology to utilize the genetic resources preserved in germplasm collections for maximizing the genetic potential in breeding. Superior cultivars will maximize desirable genetic traits and provide growers with cultivars that are locally adapted and highly productive. Genomics involves the study of the complete genetic makeup, through mapping, sequencing, and functional studies to identify genes that regulate, control or modify trait expression. With the development in sequencing technologies, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has opened the gateway to sequence the genomes in a fast, reliable, and cost-effective manner. The international peanut genome sequencing project was discussed in 2010 and launched in 2012 after much deliberation and strategic planning. The exciting news is that the Peanut Genome Consortium, representing a coalition of international scientists and stakeholders engaged in the International Peanut Genome Initiative, announced the public release of the first chromosomal-scale draft sequences of two peanut species (Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaënsis) on April 2, 2014 (http://www.peanutbioscience.com/images/4-2-14_News_Release_Notice.pdf). In this chapter, we update the information on the molecular markers, genetic linkage maps, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of traits mapped to date. Information of the preview of genome sequences, which would be available in peanut populations for high resolution genetic and trait mapping such as multiparent advanced generation intercross and nested association mapping, is also discussed. Furthermore, an innovative method to identify a causal mutant single nucleotide polymorphism or major allele for QTLs through N

Peanut/groundnut is a protein‐ and calorie‐rich subsistence and cash crop in Africa serving as an excellent source of human nutrition as well as for soil enrichment due to its symbiotic nitrogen fixing capacity. Much of the crop is grown by small‐holder farmers, frequently women. In the absence of severe disease pressure, haulms serve as livestock feed, thereby increasing the utility of the crop. Peanut yields are lower in Africa than in any other region of the world, and pod production is negatively impacted by many pests and diseases for which chemical control is not readily available. Apart from low yields, seed quality often declines under water deficit during maturation in part due to the incidence of aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin contamination of peanut is a global threat to human health that is largely controlled in developed countries by irrigation and post‐harvest sorting. Small‐holder farmers in developing and feed‐the‐future (FTF) countries lack water resources to reduce pre‐harvest aflatoxin contamination (PAC) through irrigation and encounter significant crop loss with post‐harvest sorting. Pre‐harvest aflatoxin contamination contributes to the potential for contamination to proliferate during post‐harvest storage under suboptimal conditions. While peanut is a highly nutritious addition to the diet, high levels of carcinogenic aflatoxin can have serious health consequences.