The UPPT was established in 1973 through an informal arrangement among cooperating scientists involving seven major peanut-producing states. In 1995, plant material transfer agreements were also accepted among all cooperators in the UPPT.
The purpose of these tests is to evaluate the commercial potential of advanced peanut breeding lines not formally released. The UPPT continues to serve as a valuable testing arrangement for U.S. peanut breeding programs to measure the adaptability of potential new cultivars over a wide range of diverse environments.
Annually, a uniform set of advanced breeding lines has been chosen and tested against the same set of check cultivars. Before acceptance for UPPT evaluation, new entries should be equal to the appropriate check cultivar of similar market type in several respects and be superior in one or more characteristics after preliminary yield testing for at least two years. These new entries are usually accepted for a maximum time period of three years in the UPPT, unless prior arrangement has been made with the coordinator. At each participating location, the UPPT cooperator commonly uses the most prevalent cultural practices, and may also include additional entries (local options).
To assist the UPPT, the USDA, ARS, National Peanut Research Laboratory (NPRL) has established a program to assist cultivar quality assessment for participating scientists and the US peanut industry. A shelling and physical property laboratory has been established and is being used to provide information relevant to industry shelling and post harvest processing. Beginning with the 2001 crop year, quality determinations that included collaborative food composition and sensory evaluations were begun with the USDA, ARS, Market Quality and Handling Research Unit in Raleigh, NC.
Annual reports from the NPRL (pdf format):
Searchable UPPT Database
A searchable database can be requested from Bill Edwards at 229.995.7443 or by email.
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