Happy holidays, and welcome to our end-of-the-year newsletter! We are excited to be back sharing updates about our groundbreaking research and new social media platforms.

In this issue

Community Update | Student Spotlight | Endophytes | The Simpson Section | Peanut Brittle Recipe | Contact

Student Researcher Spotlight

Hey guys! My name is Claire, and this month I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Political Science from Tarleton State University. I’ve had the privilege of working with the AgriLife Peanut Team for three years and have enjoyed my time working with endophytes. I am grateful for the opportunity to work on something outside of my degree and have the chance to expand my horizons. In May I take my MCAT for medical school to begin my next chapter in life.

Endophytes: The New Peanut Partners

Nature is full of fascinating mutualistic relationships, such as the one between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and legumes. Dr. Jeff Brady and his research team are studying another remarkable example: the partnership between peanuts and beneficial soil microbes known as endophytes. As part of the ‘Diesel Nut’ project, the team is identifying endophytes that help peanuts tolerate drought and resist diseases. Early greenhouse trials have shown encouraging results, with some bacterial strains delaying drought stress in young peanut plants. While the initial trials used potting soil, the next phase will use sandy loam topsoil to determine if these early benefits hold up in a more realistic growing environment.

Claire Toalson, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Brady’s lab, leads the endophyte screening portion of the project. The protocol begins by introducing endophytes using one of two methods: seed soak or soil drench. The seed soak method involves soaking peanut seeds in an endophyte solution before planting, whereas the soil drench method applies the solution directly to the soil after planting. Once treated, seeds are planted in 6-inch plastic pots and grown for four weeks in a germinator. After this period, water is withheld for two weeks to simulate drought stress. The plants are monitored daily for signs of leaf wilting, a key indicator of drought stress.

Like any research project, this study has faced a few challenges. Fungal growth has occasionally occurred during seed germination, prompting the addition of fungicide to the protocol as a preventative measure. However, researchers are still investigating whether the fungicide impacts the effectiveness of the endophytes. Another key consideration is the endophyte delivery method, as initial results have revealed trade-offs. The seed soak method produces a greater number of plants overall, while the soil drench method results in fewer but more robust plants. Depending on the project’s specific goals—whether to maximize plant numbers or enhance individual plant vigor—one method may prove more advantageous than the other.

As the research progresses, the team looks forward to refining these methods, overcoming challenges, and ultimately identifying the most effective endophytes for summer field trials.

The Simpson Section

Dr. Simpson began his work as a peanut breeder in 1967 and has spent 57 years improving peanut crops through his study of wild peanut species. Over the course of his career, he went on 28 expeditions to South America, where peanuts naturally grow, to collect samples for research and conservation. These samples helped him understand how different peanut species could be used to develop improved cultivars. One of these successes is COAN, the first peanut variety resistant to root-knot nematodes. He also laid the groundwork for developing high-oil peanuts, which contain 62% oil compared to the usual 48%, opening doors to projects like the ‘Diesel Nut’ and the high-oil peanut market.

Dr. Simpson’s contributions went beyond breeding peanuts. He worked with his colleague Dr. David Williams to translate Bonplandia, a monograph of 69 wild peanut species, increasing its accessibility to other peanut researchers and enthusiasts. His legacy lives on not only in the improved peanut varieties but also in the researchers inspired by his lifetime of dedication and innovation.

Lynann Simpson’s Famous Peanut Brittle

In the spirit of the holiday season, we are sharing the famous peanut brittle recipe revered by all who have tried it. Passed down from Mr. and Mrs. Langley in 1939, this beloved recipe has been perfected over the years by Dr. Simpson and his wife, Lynann. However, their first attempt at making the peanut brittle did not turn out as expected – they made the mistake of spreading the hot brittle, which removed all the air pockets and left it stuck to the pan and nearly inedible! Their tip for success? Never try to spread the brittle, let it settle naturally!

Directions:

Measure the butter, soda and salt into a small dish and set aside. Lightly butter two cookie sheets and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, boil sugar, Karo and water until it spins a fine thread. Add peanuts; cook and stir continuously on medium temperature until the mixture turns brownish gold, about 11-12 minutes. Peanuts will pop and smell done. Remove from heat at once and add butter, salt, and baking soda all together. Stir only until the baking soda dissolves and pour out quickly on the two prepared cookie sheets. Do not smooth! After the brittle has hardened, break up and store in an air-tight container.

Contact Us

We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to us with any questions about our research, newsletter, or donation opportunities.

Dr. John Cason

Associate Professor

John.cason@agnet.tamu.edu

254-974-9419

Taylor Duty

Student Worker

Taylor.duty@agnet.tamu.edu

Jansen Merrill

Director of Development

Jmerrill@txamfoundation.com

979-431-4148

The post Texas A&M AgriLife Research Peanut Program Newsletter appeared first on Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Stephenville.

Our newsletter includes updates on initiatives and successes of the Charles Simpson Endowed Peanut Program at Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Our goal is to keep you informed about exciting projects and strive to continue Dr. Simpson’s vision at the forefront in peanut research and development.

In this issue

Diesel Nut update | 2022 season kickoff | Dealing with drought | Advanced technology: Raman spectroscopy | Robots in research | 2021 burglary update | Thank you | Contact

Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Stephenville is dedicated to preserving and developing peanuts for Texas growers

The peanut program at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Stephenville presently focuses on: maintaining and using the wild species collection that Dr. Simpson collected over his career as well as expanding our cultivar development program. Stephenville’s peanut program has 13 research plots across Texas developing varieties with improved yield and grade, drought tolerance, disease resistance, organic production, and nutritional characteristics.

Have you ever heard of a Diesel Nut? We have!

The Stephenville peanut research team is excited to announce a new project that will have far reaching impacts on peanut production and furthers the story of Dr Rudolph and his diesel engine. At the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, Dr Rudolph introduced his revolutionary diesel engine that ran on peanut oil instead of petroleum. He became an advocate for using vegetable oils as a potential fuel source, stating in 1911, “The use of plant oil as fuel may seem insignificant today. But such products can in time become just as important as kerosene and these coal-tar-products of today.” Peanuts can produce up to 350 gallons of oil per acre, compared to soybean’s 50. Couple this with the fact that peanuts require less fertilizer than other crops and you have the potential to develop an entirely new market. Chevron is looking to do just this by targeting marginal lands not currently in peanut production and producing a high oil peanut with a minimal carbon footprint. Chevron and the Stephenville peanut research team believe the Diesel Nut project has the potential to transform Texas Agriculture and beyond. The five-year project will look at economics, environmental impacts, and production of a low input, low-cost peanut through variety development and management practices. Activities are already underway in economics, cropping systems, and breeding. Check out the official AgriLife Research project announcement here!

Ready or not, the 2022 season is here!

This year the Stephenville peanuts program oversees field locations in Gaines, Terry, Yoakum, Collingsworth, Wilbarger, Comanche, Erath, Dewitt, and Frio Counties.  To kick things off, the team planted the first plots in the same field Dr Cason oversaw when he was first hired as an assistant professor in 2019. Tears of nostalgia threatened to freeze in the 37°F weather.  Planting was completed in the last week of June where temperatures blazed at 105°F. This just goes to show how the peanut is the perfect crop for the diverse Texas climate! Plots at these locations will help to identify lines that have potential to be released as varieties. Included in these plots are two disease screening nurseries. One nursery is for Sclerotinia and another is for leaf spot, where breeding lines will be evaluated for resistance to these fungal pathogens.

The Stephenville peanuts program is in its second year of a National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant that is researching leaf spot resistance in germplasm from both the United States and Africa. This project allows American breeders to collaborate with researchers in several African countries, such as Senegal and Burkina Faso, where leaf spot is a major issue. At the two nurseries we will be using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to develop new screening methods that would increase the accuracy of our leaf spot ratings for the future. As we move into summer, we will begin collecting data to help us identify which lines to implement into the peanut breeding program. The Stephenville peanut program continually strives to develop the best peanut varieties for growers in the Southwest!

Dealing with drought  

What a difference a year makes! In spring of 2021, we were unable to plant at two central Texas locations due to excessive rain. During the season, the rains fell at different rates until it stopped completely in the fall. As of late August, we were still waiting for a good soak. The entire state of Texas and large portions of the US are in a historic heatwave and extended drought. I always joke with my staff that when it gets hot over the summer months, the peanut crew’s patience dries up along with everything else! However, a silver lining lies in the opportunity to identify and isolate drought tolerant endophytes, a symbiotic bacterium or fungus that aids in a plant’s survival from external stressors.

Advanced technology: Raman spectroscopy

Raman Spectroscopy (RS) is an analytical technique that uses a laser to excite molecules in a sample and identify the compound(s) based on their unique vibrational reaction. The Stephenville peanut research team believes RS holds the key to helping breeders identify desirable peanut components in a timely and efficient manner. We are commencing several large projects this summer, including one to scan our breeding lines and develop a database of information on our new varieties. In the future, the Stephenville peanut program hopes to use this in conjunction with UAS and other hand measurements to identify elite breeding lines as early as possible and introduce them into the testing program.
In addition, the Essential Amino Acid project continues to progress as we have had success using RS to identify lysine signatures. We have welcomed new collaborators on the project, Gayan Nawaratna and Corey Klemashevich, who will be assisting on amino acid extractions following the departure of Joshua Yuan who accepted a department head position at Cornell University. As the project progresses, additional personnel in Stephenville will begin comprehensive scanning of the wild species collection. Scans will initially look for higher levels of lysine and methionine in the wild materials then transition to scanning for other valuable characteristics.

Robots in research

Another project the Stephenville peanut research team has roots in is robotic based agriculture. A NIFA/NSF grant funded project is researching ways swarm robotics can perform common tasks associated with agricultural production. The hope is that once fully developed an operator will give a swarm of robots (both air and ground based) a specific set of tasks they want completed. The swarm will decide the most efficient way to carry out these tasks and delegate the labor among the different units to accomplish them. As a first step the group of multidisciplinary researchers are designing a package that allows the different robots of the collective swarm to upload and share large amounts of information.

2021 burglary

The Peanut program wanted to provide a follow up on the 2021 burglary at the Texas A&M AgriLife Stephenville Research and Extension Center last year. Some items were recovered, and others replaced but, all in all, we have almost everything taken care of. We want to give a huge thanks to the Stephenville and Fort Worth Police Department for recovering our pickup and to Texas A&M AgriLife for replacing the UAVs, UTV, and trailer that was stolen. Finally, we want to provide a big Gig’em to the Corpus Christi center for sending us a loaner UAV. Their generosity made it so only a single data collection was lost following the break-in!

Thank you for your support

We would like to thank you for your support of the Charles Simpson Endowed Research Fund. We are committed to preserving the legacy of Dr. Simpson and appreciate your partnership as we continue to sustain and advance his vision.

Contact us

Texas A&M Foundation
Jennifer Ann Scasta ‘11, Ph.D.
Senior Director of Development
jscasta@txamfoundation.com
(903) 926-5514

AgriLife Research, Stephenville
Emily N. Green
Peanut Breeding and Genetics
Program Coordinator
emily.green@ag.tamu.edu
(254) 974-9429

The post Charles Simpson Endowed Peanut Program Newsletter 1-2 appeared first on Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Stephenville.

In this issue

Kicking Things Off | Drought Transcriptomics | 2021 Ice Storm | Creating a Superfood | Other Projects | Contact

Please enjoy our inaugural newsletter to discover initiatives and successes of the Charles Simpson Endowed Peanut Program at Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Our goal is to keep you informed about exciting projects and strive to continue Dr. Simpson’s vision at the forefront in peanut research and development.

The peanut breeding and genetics program in Stephenville has a rich history dating back over 75 years. Today, we are focused on using the latest technologies to produce improved peanut cultivars. We concentrate on cultivated peanut variety development, wild species gene introgression, trait enhancement, and germplasm maintenance.

Kicking Things Off

The Charles Simpson Endowed Research Fund was established to preserve a legacy created by Dr. Charles E. Simpson for his tireless efforts to collect, preserve and utilize wild species peanuts for the peanut industry across Texas, the US, and the world. Dr. Simpson has spent a lifetime traveling to remote areas in South America to gather and assemble one of the most comprehensive collections of wild peanut germplasm in the world. He has utilized this collection to develop peanut varieties resistant to Root-knot nematode as well as many other pests and diseases. Dr. Simpson’s extended career has created over 23 varieties and seven germplasm releases.

We are proud to announce in 2021 at the USA Peanut Congress held in New Orleans, LA, Dr. Simpson was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 54 years of service to the peanut industry by the American Peanut Council. From 1980 to 2004 Dr. Simpson made 28 expeditions to South America, and though he retired in 2003, he continues to oversee the care and use of the collection on a daily basis.

Drought Transcriptomics

We continue to use our wild species to search for new drought tolerance traits. In 2021, the Peanut Research Foundation provided funding for our program to conduct a drought study on two different wild species peanuts. One of these species comes from the dry Northeastern tip of Brazil that receives less than four-inches of rain per year. During the study we stopped watering the plants for seven days and took leaf and root samples from which ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted by Drs. Jeff Brady and Biyi Obayomi at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center Stephenville. The samples were sequenced and analyzed for genes that were active during drought stress that could be used for targeted breeding

2021 Ice Storm

In February 2021, Texas was hit with a crippling ice storm that required rolling power outages across the state for five days. As a result, our dedicated staff and students operated generators 24-hours per day to ensure peanut preservation. We would like to send a thank them for their continued dedication and perseverance!

Creating a Superfood

One of our most exciting projects embarked in 2021 – We are striving to make peanuts a superfood. Over the next 50-years we will find ourselves facing a critical food shortage, and Texas A&M AgriLife Research is developing new and innovative methods of peanut variety development to feed an ever-growing population. Producing enough food is one problem; however, another related issue is logistically sourcing the peanuts to people around the world…Within our research, we begin to ask, “What if there is one food source that provides all essential nutrients a person needs to survive, could be grown large scale on every continent of the world (except Antarctica), and sustains a long shelf life?” The unassuming peanut ALMOST fits the bill.

Did you know that peanuts contains adequate daily recommendations of 7 of the 9 essential amino acids required to be considered a complete protein source? Essential amino acids are the minimum number of amino acids the body needs to produce everything needed to remain healthy. Superfood status is given when a food contains all the necessary recommended daily allowances of these building blocks for the body’s nutritional needs. Preliminary research indicates variation in multiple nutritional components is present in wild and exotic peanut germplasm, and may be developed to provide to people who desperately need a reliable, inexpensive food source. Therefore, with the help of College Station-based scientists Drs. Joshua Yuan and Dmitry Kurouski, we are working to provide the knowledge and resources needed to further enhance the nutritional value of peanuts in a profitable and sustainable manner.

Other Projects

Our program operates as part of a larger Texas A&M AgriLife Peanut Program. We cooperate with scientists involving other disciplines such as Agronomy, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science in an effort to not only develop germplasm, but to help growers establish sound production practices. As part of this, we are proud to announce that Dr. Mark Burow, the peanut breeder in Lubbock was awarded a USDA-NIFA grant to develop molecular markers for leafspot resistance, aflatoxin resistance, oil characteristics, and plant architecture. In addition, we are part of the USAID Feed the Future Peanut Innovation Lab that is awarded by the U.S. Department of State. Also, we have also received word that Dr. Kiju Lee from the Texas A&M University Engineering Department was awarded NSF funding to develop swarm robotics, both air and ground vehicles to conduct common field tasks such as weed control and monitoring crop health. We are excited to be a part of both projects!

Thank You for Your Support

We would like to thank you for your support of the Charles Simpson Endowed Research Fund. We are committed to preserving the legacy of Dr. Simpson and appreciate your partnership as we continue to sustain and advance his vision.

Contact us

Texas A&M Foundation
Jennifer Ann Scasta ‘11Ph.D.
Director of Development & Corporate Relations
jscasta@txamfoundation.com
(903) 926-5514

Texas A&M AgriLife Research
John Cason, Ph.D.
Peanut Breeder
john.cason@ag.tamu.edu
(254) 974-9419

The post Charles Simpson Endowed Peanut Program Newsletter 1-1 appeared first on Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Stephenville.