Hybridization of cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.): Cross-pollination technique

The reproductive behavior of the peanut plant is self-pollination; thus a breeding program based on new strains has to deal with artificial crossings. This work was initiated at Campinas a few years ago, using the best varieties maintained by the Seção de Oleaginosas do Instituto Agronômico and some American varieties introduced in 1952 from North Carolina, U.S.A. The characters combined were nut production, oil percentage and field qualities. The technique used in hybridization is described in detail. Fifty hybrids are already under study in their first to third generations.