Performance of cultivars and new peanut lines in the Tocantins

Abstract

The state of Tocantins is an important grain producer in the northern region of Brazil, which has the potential to produce high quality peanuts, aiming to meet the growing demand for this product in the domestic and foreign markets. This work aimed to evaluate six high oleic Runner type peanut lines (1253 OL, 1952 OL, 2055 OL, 2101 OL, 2133 OL and 2136 OL) in the experimental area of "‹"‹Embrapa, in Palmas-TO. The cultivars BRS 421 OL and BRS 423 OL were used as controls. A randomized block design with four replications was used, with six lines in the 2019/20 harvest and four lines in the 2020/21 harvest being evaluated. The management of the areas followed the recommendations for commercial peanut production, including chemical control of weeds and foliar diseases. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using mixed models (REML/BLUP) using the Selegen software. The significance of treatment effects was tested using analysis of variance. There was no statistical difference between treatments (cultivars and strains) in the two years of evaluation. However, the overall average of the experiment in the 2019/20 crop (3,676.0 kg.ha^-1) was lower than that of the 2020/21 crop (5,895.6 kg.ha^-1). In 2019/20, a general yellowing of the plants was observed, although there was no nitrogen deficiency or other factor associated with the management; seed samples with deformations, spots, cracks and reddening of the skin were also observed. These symptoms are very similar to the symptoms caused by ring spot, a disease of viral etiology detected in peanuts in the states of São Paulo and Goiás. Therefore, it is important to continue the evaluation of new strains, aiming to develop more productive cultivars adapted to cultivation in Tocantins, as well as elucidating the etiology of the symptoms observed in the experimental area in the 2019/20 harvest.