Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) is an economically important pest of agricultural crops. High resistance has been detected in field populations of F. occidentalis against the insecticide spinosad. In this study, we compared life history traits, body sizes, and feeding behaviors (recorded via an electrical penetration graph) of spinosad-susceptible (Ivf03) and spinosad-resistant (NIL-R) near-isogenic lines of F. occidentalis. Life table analysis showed that NIL-R had reduced female longevity and reduced fecundity. The relative fitness of NIL-R (0.43) was less than half that of Ivf03. NIL-R individuals were smaller than Ivf03 individuals, both in body length and body width at every stage. The number and duration of feeding activities were significantly reduced in NIL-R, with the exception of total duration of long-ingestion probes. These results suggest that there is a fitness trade-off associated with spinosad resistance in F. occidentalis, and that the development of resistance in this pest species may be reduced by rotating spinosad with other pesticides lacking cross-resistance.

Peanut is a vital cash crop globally, and enhancing its seed protein content is essential for nutritional security. However, the genetic basis of seed protein content in peanut remains unclear. In this study, bulked segregant analysis combined with next-generation sequencing (BSA-Seq) was employed to isolate a candidate gene, AhSPC, associated with peanut seed protein content. Its function was then characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout and overexpression analysis. Gene editing of the homologous gene in Arabidopsis significantly reduced seed protein content in six lines, while two lines showed no obvious change. Overexpression of the AhSPC gene in Arabidopsis led to an increase in seed protein content in three transgenic lines, but some lines showed no significant change, or even a decrease. These inconsistent results might be attributed to functional redundancy, epigenetic modifications, resource competition, or feedback regulation mechanisms within the protein synthesis pathway. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of peanut seed protein content regulation and offers a potential genetic target for molecular breeding.

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a main cash crop globally, providing oil, protein, and various beneficial phytochemicals, with high-oleic peanut offering enhanced health benefits and oxidative stability. Despite these advantages, many widely cultivated peanut varieties remain normal-oleic, and the conversion of these varieties to high-oleic types without compromising yield and adaptability is of significant interest. This study evaluated the feasibility of using Pingyangmycin, a chemical mutagen, to induce high-oleic mutations in the popular peanut variety 308 through floral organ injection. The results showed that this method effectively generated high-oleic mutants with oleic acid content exceeding 75%. The mutants yielded more pods and kernels than the parental variety. Genotypic analysis confirmed mutations in the FAD2A and FAD2B genes, associated with the high-oleic phenotype. This novel approach, which reduces seed and reagent requirements and accelerates the breeding timeline, holds promise for enhancing peanut breeding programs and the development of high-oleic cultivars with superior quality and yield.

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a globally important oilseed and economic crop, but its narrow genetic base limits breeding progress. Wild Arachis species represent valuable genetic resources for enhancing the resilience of the peanut cultigen. While wild species from section Arachis are widely used in breeding programs, the detection of alien chromosomes in hybrids remains challenging due to limited molecular tools. In this study, a cost-effective and efficient system was established for generating species-specific molecular markers using low-coverage next-generation sequencing data, bypassing the need for whole-genome assembly. Utilizing the Chorus2 software, specific alien-chromosome oligo (SAO) markers were developed for four wild species, A. duranensis (accession A19), A. pusilla (A10), A. appresipilla (A33), and A. glabrata (G2 and G3). A total of 1166 primer pairs were designed, resulting in 220 SAO markers specific to A. duranensis, 77 to A. pusilla, 112 to A. appresipilla, 69 to A. glabrata G2, and 59 to A. glabrata G3, with the highest development efficiency observed in A. duranensis (55.0%). These markers span all chromosomes of the five wild accessions. Genome-wide, chromosome-specific SAO markers enable the efficient detection of introgressed alien chromosomes and provide insight into syntenic relationships among homoeologous chromosomes. These markers offer an effective tool for identifying favorable genes and facilitating targeted introgression for the genetic improvement of the cultivated peanut.

Peanut is a key cash crop worldwide, yet the limited availability of functional genes and markers for breeding hinders further progress, largely due to the lack of an efficient and user-friendly transformation system. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of nodal agroinjection, a novel transformation technique we developed for peanut, by introducing the soybean cold-tolerance gene SCTF-1. Putative transgenic seeds and seedlings were screened using genomic DNA PCR, while transgene expression was analyzed via qRT-PCR and phenotypic assessments. Southern blotting confirmed the stable integration of SCTF-1. The transgenic seedlings displayed enhanced chilling tolerance, characterized by increased proline accumulation, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), and elevated peroxidase (POD) activity. These findings demonstrate that nodal agroinjection is an efficient and reliable approach for generating transgenic peanut and analyzing gene function. This method offers a promising alternative to conventional tissue culture-based transformation strategies.