The Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation (PVQE) program was created in 1968 as a multi-state program for the evaluation of Virginia-type cultivars and breeding lines. The PVQE is the official “pipeline” for Virginia-type peanut cultivar development for the Virginia-Carolina region. The objectives of the PVQE are: 1) to determine yield, grade, quality, and disease response of commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines at various locations in Virginia and the Carolinas, 2) develop a database for Virginia-type peanut to allow research-based selection of the best genotypes by growers, industry, and the breeding programs, and 3) to identify the most-suited peanut genotypes for various regions that can be developed into varieties. This report contains agronomic and grade data of the PVQE tests in 2024.

In 2022, PVQE included 25 genotypes: 5 commercial varieties, including ‘Bailey II’,’ Emery’, ‘NC 20’, ‘Sullivan’ and ‘Walton’; and 20 advanced breeding lines developed by the North Carolina State University peanut breeding program (Table 1). All breeding lines have the ‘high oleic acid’ characteristic. Cultivars and lines were planted from May 11 through May 24 at five locations: Tidewater AREC in Suffolk, VA, Slade Farm near Williamston, Martin Co., NC, the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station (UCPRS) near Rocky Mount, NC, McDuffie Farm near Council, Bladen County, NC, and the Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC) in Blackville, SC.

In 2023, PVQE included 34 genotypes: 5 commercial varieties, including ‘Bailey II’,’ Emery’, ‘NC 20’, ‘Sullivan’ and ‘Walton’; and 25 advanced breeding lines developed by the North Carolina State University peanut breeding program and 4 advanced breeding lines developed by the University of Florida (Table 1). All breeding lines have the ‘high oleic acid’ characteristic. Cultivars and lines were planted from May 9 through June 15 at four locations: Tidewater AREC in Suffolk, VA, Slade Farm near Williamston, Martin Co., NC, the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station (UCPRS) near Rocky Mount, NC, and the Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC) in Blackville, SC.

Along with agronomic and grade information, data on kernel and pod quality are essential for release of new peanut cultivars to ensure acceptability by the entire peanut trade. The present report contains the quality data collected on 5 Virginia-type cultivars that currently are on the market and 29 advanced breeding lines tested in the Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation (PVQE) small plots in 2023