# Next-Generation Precision Breeding in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) for Disease and Pest Resistance: From Multi-Omics to AI-Driven Innovations

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how new technologies like genomics and AI are helping breed disease-resistant peanut varieties to ensure sustainable production.

## Contribution

The paper synthesizes recent advances in multi-omics and AI-driven precision breeding for disease and pest resistance in peanut.

## Key findings

- Multi-omics approaches have accelerated the discovery of genes involved in peanut resistance.
- CRISPR-Cas enables precise genome editing to enhance peanut's natural defenses.
- AI and remote sensing improve the speed and accuracy of resistance screening.

## Abstract

Peanut is an important crop grown for food and oil around the world. However, its yield is often reduced by many diseases and insect pests, problems that are becoming worse due to climate change. Traditional methods like crop rotation, field management, and pesticide use have not been fully effective or sustainable. Because cultivated peanut has a narrow genetic base and a complex genome, developing resistant varieties through conventional breeding is difficult. New scientific tools are now helping overcome these limits. Techniques such as genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics are helping scientists find genes that control resistance. Modern gene-editing methods like CRISPR-Cas allow precise changes to improve the plant’s natural defense. With the help of artificial intelligence, phenotyping, and remote sensing, resistance testing has become faster and more accurate. Together, these modern tools are helping breeders develop peanut varieties that can better resist diseases and pests, ensuring stable and sustainable production in the future.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a globally important oilseed and food legume, yet its productivity is persistently constrained by devastating diseases and insect pests that thrive under changing climates. This review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of advances in precision breeding and molecular approaches for enhancing disease and pest resistance in peanut. Traditional control measures ranging from crop rotation and cultural practices to chemical protection have delivered only partial and often unsustainable relief. The narrow genetic base of cultivated peanut and its complex allotetraploid genome further hinder the introgression of durable resistance. Recent advances in precision breeding are redefining the possibilities for resilient peanut improvement. Multi-omics platforms genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics have accelerated the identification of resistance loci, effector-triggered immune components, and molecular cross-talk between pathogen, pest, and host responses. Genome editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas systems now enable the precise modification of susceptibility genes and defense regulators, overcoming barriers of conventional breeding. Integration of these molecular innovations with phenomics, machine learning, and remote sensing has transformed resistance screening from manual assessment to real-time, data-driven prediction. Such AI-assisted breeding pipelines promise enhanced selection accuracy and faster deployment of multi-stress-tolerant cultivars. This review outlines current progress, technological frontiers, and persisting gaps in leveraging precision breeding for disease and pest resistance in peanut, outlining a roadmap toward climate-resilient, sustainable production systems.