In 1995, the peanut industry in Georgia was under siege. Tomato
spotted wilt virus, a plant-crippling disease, had cut yields
over much of the state.

That same year, the University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences released a weapon to help
farmers combat the disease. Georgia Green, a TSWV-resistant
variety, became available to farmers on a small scale.

Now, only five years later, more than 90 percent of the peanut
acreage in the Southeast is planted in Georgia Green.

Strong Resistance, High
Yields

Between the mid-’70s and mid-’90s, Florunner was the dominant
peanut variety grown in Georgia. But Florunner was very
susceptible to spotted wilt, which by the early ’80s had become
an economic problem.

The industry also needed higher yields, said Bill Branch, the
UGA
peanut breeder who developed Georgia Green at the Coastal Plain
Experiment Station in Tifton.

“Georgia Green combines high yields and high grade with strong
TSWV resistance,” Branch said. “Georgia Green results in greater
dollar value return per acre for growers.”

Over the past three years, Georgia Green has averaged the
highest
yield, grade and dollar return of all runner-type varieties in
side-by-side comparisons.

It tastes good, too. If you like peanut butter, chances are you
like Georgia Green. Of the state’s $400 million peanut crop,
about 75 percent goes into peanut butter. Nearly all of the rest
hits the stores as snacks or in candies. In 1999, Georgia grew
37
percent of the nation’s peanuts.

Despite three years of drought and increased TSWV pressure,
state
growers have averaged about 2,600 pounds per acre with Georgia
Green. During a similar drought in 1980, growers reached only
1,935 pounds per acre with Florunner, with no TSWV pressure.

Georgia Green, along with other management tools developed by
CAES scientists, saved state growers $28 million in 1999
alone.

Branch said Georgia Green, because of its multiple-gene
resistance, will continue to be a viable variety for growers for
many more years.

“Georgia Green has consistently performed well from field to
field and year to year over many different management systems
and
environments,” Branch said. “We can now manage TSWV with Georgia
Green.”

The variety has helped save the Southeastern peanut industry
during recent years of drought and spotted wilt, said Emory
Murphy of the Georgia Peanut Commission.

“We would have been in a mess if we didn’t have Georgia Green in
our industry,” Murphy said. “That’s about the best way I can put
it. If we hadn’t had Georgia Green, our alternatives would have
been dismal. It came along at a very important time in making
the
difference in our growers, not only staying competitive, but
even
growing peanuts.”

Since its release, Georgia Green has been grown in some of the
most extreme weather to hit Georgia, Murphy said. “It has held
up
extremely well,” he said. “It hasn’t had the chance to be
assessed on a full-scale commercial basis under what we would
consider normal conditions. We are very glad we’ve had Georgia
Green available to the farmers.”

The CAES will spotlight Georgia Green at the 2000 Sunbelt
Agricultural Expo Oct. 17-19 in Moultrie, Ga.