New Peanut Variety Released by the University of Florida – FloRun ‘52N’

A new peanut variety has been released by the University of Florida, North Florida Research and Education Center.  FloRun^TM ‘52N’ was released on January 19, 2023 and represents the first normal oleic cultivar released by the UF/IFAS peanut breeding program in over 10 years.  The normal oleic trait is preferred by some of the largest producers of peanut butter in the U.S.  Over half of peanuts consumed in the U.S. are consumed as peanut butter.  On the other hand, high oleic peanuts are favored by the makers of peanut candies and whole nuts because they have a longer shelf life in those food applications.  The UF/IFAS peanut breeding program develops both normal and high oleic type peanut varieites.

FloRun^TM ‘52N’ was tested over a five-year period for its yield and grade potential and was found to have excellent pod yield potential and high grades.  In twenty-seven experiments across Florida, FloRun 52N was found to have about 4.5% higher yield than Georgia-06G, the dominant normal oleic cultivar grown today, with equal grade of about 77% total sound mature kernels (TSMK).  It also has moderate resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and better resistance to white mold disease than Georgia-06G.  FloRun 52N produced about 38% medium seed on an in-shell basis and the seed count is about 650-700 seeds per pound, making it smaller seeded than Georgia-06G. Seed of FloRun 52N will be in limited supply for the next two seasons with the potential to grow about 600 acres in seed increase in 2023.