MORPHOLOGY, GENETICS AND BREEDING 81 



short history of their cultivation in the U.S.S.R. were reported by 

 Piroznikova (51). A description of the peanut, its types, varieties, and 

 various characteristics were included. Extensive data are presented on 

 variety trials in various regions of the U.S.S.R, The main aims stated for 

 the breeding program for U.S.S.R. are earliness, drought resistance, 

 disease resistance, high oil content, high protein content, and a production 

 of a plant suitable for mechanical harvesting. 



From Krasnodar, Umen (73) described the necessity of understand- 

 ing the floral biology of the peanut. He stated that pure line selection 

 started in 1926 had shown hybridization to be the only promising method 

 for improvement of the peanut. To quote from the abstracting journal, 

 "The method of pure line selection has not yielded very favorable results, 

 especially in regard to resistance to Fusarium and hybridization is re- 

 garded as essential." 



Selection for improved varieties of peanuts has been attempted in 

 French West Africa since 1924. Many criteria for selection have been 

 used without success. The morphological character of the pods and the 

 weight per 100 seeds are now the principal characters selected. An exten- 

 sive series of local strains collected from the native farms is grown at the 

 central station. The selections are made but are subsequently increased in 

 the locality where the original strain is grown and known to be adapted. 

 Hybridization, either natural or artificial has yielded no results of con- 

 sequence to the French West African program. Bouffil has not entirely 

 abandoned the idea of the use of hybridization in peanut breeding but 

 feels that the existing stocks of peanuts in French West Africa must first 

 be purified. 



In the United States, prior to 1930, the most extensive work on the 

 breeding of peanuts was reported from Florida by Stokes and Hull (69). 

 Single plants were selected from within an unselected variety, Florida 

 Spanish, seven of which were tested for 8 years. Some showed increases 

 over the original variety averaging 22.8 percent. It was concluded that 

 plant-to-row selection produced high-yielding strains. No heterosis was 

 observed in the various hybrids made. 



Hull and Carver (37) have continued this work, and in 1936 pub- 

 lished a summary of their breeding procedures. These workers concluded 

 that the desired types could "hardly be obtained except by hybridization. 

 ... It has also appeared that large numbers of hybrids would be neces- 

 sary to provide reasonable chances of obtaining the desirable types." 



In Georgia an extensive breeding program is under way with a col- 

 lection of varieties and strains with objectives to combine high yield, 



