Molecular markers and genomic resources for disease resistance in peanut-A review

Abstract

Recent polyploidation of peanut genome and geographical isolation has rendered peanut to be a highly monomorphic species. Due to its narrow genetic base, cultivated peanut has been susceptible to various diseases, causing economic loss to farmers. Availability of only a few disease resistance sources in cultivated peanut has resulted in limited success using the conventional breeding practices. Also, scarcity of markers has been the major limiting factor to precisely identify the disease resistance genomic regions. Recent identification of large number of molecular markers using advanced genomic resources and high throughput sequencing technologies has and will continue to assist in improvement of peanut diversity and breeding. This review gives an update on recent discovery of molecular markers associated with major diseases and the available genomic resources in peanut.