Identification of moderately early maturing runner peanut genotypes with maintained yield and grade

Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) maturity influences harvest timing, yield, and seed quality, particularly in northern production regions where shorter growing seasons increase the risk of late‐season losses. However, variation in harvest maturity among advanced runner‐type breeding genotypes is not well characterized. From 2020 to 2024, 44 runner‐type genotypes were evaluated in four 2‐year field trials in Starkville, MS, to assess differences in stand establishment, pod maturity, grade, and yield. Pod maturity was quantified using maturity indices (MIs; MI1 and MI2) and mesocarp color progression curves. Integrating MIs with color distribution patterns revealed that genotypes with similar MI values could differ in maturity progression. For example, in Trial 2, 14 × 070‐HO2‐2‐1‐1 (University of Florida) exhibited a greater proportion of brown pods, whereas 14 × 022‐1‐2‐1‐2 retained more orange pods despite comparable MI values. Several genotypes, including IPG914 and 16 × 40‐HO‐SSD‐11‐2‐B, exhibited up to 13 percentage points greater MI1 than Georgia‐06G (University of Georgia) while maintaining comparable yield and grade. These results demonstrate that moderate earliness can be achieved without yield or grade penalties, providing greater flexibility in harvest timing and improving production reliability in northern peanut‐growing regions.