Breeding of a new variety of peanut with high-oleic-acid content and high-yield by marker-assisted backcrossing

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop used for oil production, and oleic acid is a major factor in determining oil quality. Alterations in the oleic acid content can improve the nutritional quality and oxidative stability and prolong the shelf life of peanut products. The objective of this study was to develop a peanut variety with a high-oleic-acid content and high yield. One elite variety, “huayu22,” was hybridized with the high-oleic-acid “KN176” donor and backcrossed for four generations as the recurrent parent using fad2 marker-assisted backcross selection. Based on the Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) screening of fad2 markers, the oleic acid content of advanced generations derived by selfing was assessed by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and gas chromatography. The genetic background recovery rate of four BC₄F₄ lines showed an average of 92.34% and was confirmed by genotyping using the Axiom_Arachis 58 K SNP array. Across these superior lines in BC₄F₆ generations, one line with a high-oleic-acid content and high yield was detected and named “YH61.” In particular, yield comparison experiments showed that YH61 exhibited high and stable yield at three different locations and was moderately resistant to leaf spot disease. The distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) testing for two consecutive years suggested that YH61 reached the standard for variety rights application. The use of the peanut variety YH61 contributed to the expansion of the cultivation area due to its high value in the oleic acid market and the proven economic benefits in China. This study demonstrated that the marker-assisted backcross strategy based on a cost-effective KASP assay and SNP array for the detection of mutations in fad2 and genetic background evaluation can be used to create efficient peanut breeding programs and contribute to oil quality and high-yield stability.