Reducing aflatoxin contamination in peanut genotypes by selection and breeding

The potential for developing agronomically suitable cultivais using peanut genotypes that exhibit resistance to seed colonization by aflatoxin‐producing strains ofAspergillus species is explored. Some factors found to be associated with the nature of resistance to seed colonization by the toxin‐producing fungi are cell structure, cell arrangement, permeability, waxy surface, tannin content and amino acid components of the seed testae. The practical implications of developing resistant cultivars are presented in data for yield, value and seed quality for 6 advanced peanut lines that were developed by breeding and selection from crosses.