{"id":28825,"date":"2025-12-09T07:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T07:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/?p=28825"},"modified":"2025-12-09T07:52:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T07:52:00","slug":"scientists-find-genetic-off-switch-to-protect-peanut-harvests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/scientists-find-genetic-off-switch-to-protect-peanut-harvests","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Find Genetic &#8216;Off Switch&#8217; to Protect Peanut Harvests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unexpected rain can cause groundnuts (peanuts) to sprout before harvest, causing massive crop losses for farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientists have studied a natural trait called &#8220;fresh seed dormancy,&#8221; which acts like a biological pause button to prevent early sprouting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers identified a perfect dormancy window of 10-21 days that protects the harvest from rain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The team identified 9 specific genes that control this protective dormancy trait.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For groundnut farmers, a sudden downpour just before harvest can be a disaster. Unpredictable rains can cause the mature nuts to sprout right in the ground, a problem that can wipe out anywhere from 10% to 50% of an entire crop. This is a significant threat to farmers&#8217; livelihoods, especially since Spanish groundnut varieties, which account for most of the world&#8217;s supply, are highly vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But now, researchers have found a natural solution hidden in the plant&#8217;s own genetics. A new study from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has identified the key to breeding groundnut varieties with &#8220;fresh seed dormancy&#8221;\u2014a built-in delay that stops the seeds from sprouting too early, even if they get wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientists examined 184 different types of groundnuts from around the world. They found a wide range of natural variation: some sprouted within a week, while others could stay dormant for over a month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By focusing on varieties with a &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; of 10-21 days of dormancy, they were able to protect the harvest without delaying the next planting season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real breakthrough came when the team pinpointed nine specific genes that control this valuable trait. This discovery provides plant breeders with a precise genetic roadmap to develop new, climate-resilient groundnut varieties that can withstand unexpected weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;As climate uncertainties continue to challenge farming systems, genomic insights into Fresh Seed Dormancy represent a transformative opportunity,&#8221; said Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT. He urged breeders everywhere to use these findings to support millions of smallholder farmers worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0981942825010678\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0981942825010678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plant Physiology and Biochemistry<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points For groundnut farmers, a sudden downpour just before harvest can be a disaster. Unpredictable rains can cause the mature nuts to sprout right&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techgolly.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}