Brazil: Tracking wild peanut genes to improve crop resilience

A couple, David and Soraya Bertioli, who started their research career in Brazil, discovered that a humble weed from Bolivia, A. cardenasii, has been inadvertently incorporated into peanut varieties around the world, enhancing disease resistance without the need for fungicides. This finding highlights the benefits of international seed exchange and the importance of biodiversity in creating resilient food crops. However, the authors caution that increasing legal restrictions on the collection of wild species and seed exchanges are hindering progress in improving food security through the sharing of genetic strengths. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, underscores the value of international collaboration in overcoming challenges related to emerging diseases and a changing climate.