University of Georgia

A website from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

UGA Wild Peanut Lab

LAB ACTIVITIES

A celebratory group portrait of the Wild Peanut Lab team taken outdoors after a successful fall harvest.
Three UGA Wild Peanut Lab members operating a thresher machine to harvest peanut pods in the field. Two member feed dried plants into the thresher while the other, on the right, prepares to hold up a handful of dried peanut plants.
A UGA Wild Peanut Lab member uses a broom to safely feed dried peanut plants into a thresher to separate peanut pods from the plants.
Fall 2025 – Peanut harvest in Midville, GA
A diverse food spread laid out for the CAGT coffee hour hosted by the Bertioli Lab, featuring various snacks, pastries, and refreshments for students and faculty.
Members of the CAGT community fill a classroom for a coffee hour hosted by the Bertioli Lab. People are engaged in conversation while standing and sitting, holding coffee cups and plates of food.
Spring 2025 – First CAGT Coffee Hour of the year Hosted by the Bertioli Lab, Athens, GA
The Wild Peanut Lab’s holiday door entry, "A Peanut Christmas." The decoration features "Peanuts" comic characters reimagined as actual peanut pods, gathered around a Charlie Brown Christmas tree that has been styled to look like a green peanut plant.
The Wild Peanut Lab’s gingerbread house competition entry, themed after the musical "Wicked." The house is split down the center with a vibrant pink and green color scheme, featuring decorated gingerbread men posed outside the display.
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab gathered together, proudly displaying their finished "Wicked" themed gingerbread house. The team is posed around the pink and green creation.

Winter 2024 – Holiday Celebration with the annual IPBGG Gingerbread and Door Decoration Competition, Athens, GA
UGA Wild Peanut Lab members gathered at Mark Hopkins’ retirement and holiday celebration.
Group photo of wild peanut lab members talking gathered in a kitchen at Mark Hopkins retirement party and holiday celebration.
A commemorative portrait from the joint retirement party and Wild Peanut Lab holiday celebration. Pictured together are (left to right) Dr. David Bertioli, Dr. Soraya Leal-Bertioli, Mark Hopkins, and Jill Hopkins.
Mark Hopkins smiling as he opens a retirement gift and reads a letter from the Wild Peanut Lab members. He is standing next to his wife, who watches on from his left during the celebratory gathering.
UGA Wild Peanut Lab members gathered at a joint celebration honoring Mark Hopkins’ retirement and the holiday season. The team is pictured together in a festive setting, celebrating Mark’s career and the end of the year.
Winter 2024 – Mark Hopkins Retirement and Holiday Celebration, Athens, GA
A group portrait of the Wild Peanut Lab team at a local restaurant following the successful fall harvest. Lab members are pictured together during a celebratory social outing to mark the end of the field season.

Fall 2024 – Lab Lunch to celebrate a successful harvest, Athens, GA
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab posing for a group photo before their annual kayaking trip. The team is fully equipped for the day, holding kayak paddles and wearing life vests while carrying lunch boxes for their excursion.
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab taking a midday break on a small, rocky river island during their annual kayak trip. The group is seen sitting together and enjoying lunch outdoors, surrounded by the natural scenery of the river.
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab posing for a group photo before their annual kayaking trip. The team is fully equipped for the day, holding kayak paddles and wearing life vests while carrying lunch boxes for their river excursion
Wild Peanut Lab members taking the plunge over a small waterfall during their annual group kayaking trip.
Two more Wild Peanut Lab members taking the plunge over a small waterfall during their annual group kayaking trip.
Summer 2024 – Kayaking, Athens, GA
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab gathered at a bowling alley for a team social event. The group is smiling for a portrait, with several members holding their bowling balls and ready to play.
Winter 2023 – Christmas Bowling, Athens, GA
The Wild Peanut Lab’s first entry for the annual door decoration competition, titled "How the Grinch Stole Our Peanuts." The door features a decorated Christmas tree and a poem that reads: "Every person down in Athens liked Christmas a lot. But the Grinch who lived just North of Athens did not!"
The Wild Peanut Lab’s second entry for the annual door decoration competition, titled "How the Grinch Stole Our Peanuts." The door features the Grinch's hand holding a peanut over a red bag full of presents. The text on the door reads "He slithered and slunk, with a smile and strut. In every house, he even took the last peanut"
The Wild Peanut Lab’s third entry for the annual door decoration competition, titled "How the Grinch Stole Our Peanuts." The door features the Grinch sneaking around in a Santa outfit. The text on the door reads "Packed up his sleigh with their presents and wrappings, they're finding out now that no Christmas is happening!"
The Wild Peanut Lab’s fourth entry for the annual door decoration competition, titled "How the Grinch Stole Our Peanuts." The door features the Grinch happy and his heart 'growing three sizes'. In the middle of his heart are peanuts. The text on the door reads "And what happened then? Well, in Athens they say, he at the peanut and the Grinch's heart grew 3 sizes that day"
The Wild Peanut Lab’s fifth entry for the annual door decoration competition, titled "How the Grinch Stole Our Peanuts." The door features the Grinch in a Santa outfit decorating a Christmas tree with an ornament featuring the UGA IPBGG logo. The text on the door reads "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!"
Winter 2023 – Christmas Door Decoration, Athens, GA
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab posing proudly around their completed gingerbread house. The team is gathered closely together, smiling behind their creative "Godzilla-themed" display
The Bertioli Lab’s gingerbread house entry, featuring a creative and destructive twist. A "Godzilla" monster crafted from a scone and candy is perched atop the roof, poised to wreak havoc on the house. To the right, the lab's official name badge and two lit red candles.
Winter 2023 – CAGT Christmas Holiday Party, Athens, GA
Fall 2023 – Georgia Peanut Tour, Tifton, GA
Dr. David Bertioli leading a greenhouse tour for visiting Brazilian peanut researchers and industry stakeholders. He points out a series of tubs containing a diverse array of genetically unique peanut plants
Namrata Maharjan demonstrates the process of running detached leaf bioassays to visiting members of the Brazilian peanut industry. She explains how this specific screening method allows the lab to identify novel sources of disease resistance.
Drs. Soraya and David Bertioli hosting members of the Brazilian peanut industry and research community at their home in Athens.
Fall 2023 – Breeders, researchers and members of the Brazilian peanut industry, Athens, GA.
Ignazio Godoy, Marcos Michelloto, Denizart Bolonhezi, and Rogerio Freitas (IAC)
Marcio Moretzsohn (Embrapa)
Olavo Betiol (UNESP-Jaboticabal)
Dacio Olibone and Ana Paula Olibone (Instituto Federal de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso)
Paulo Henn (Cras Agricola)
A group of peanut breeders from across Africa posing with Dr. Soraya Leal-Bertioli, Mark Hopkins, and Alyr Mounirou in a UGA greenhouse. They are gathered around a lab bench filled with wild peanut introgression lines.
Fall 2023 – Visit of peanut breeders from Africa (Peanut Innovation Lab), Athens, GA.
Esther Echola (Makerere University, Uganda)
Richard Oteng-Frimpong (CSIR-Savanaa Agricultural Research Institute, Ghana)
Jamie Rhodes (Peanut Innovation Lab UGA)
Daniel Matusinec stands in the Wild Peanut Lab holding his certificate of award for winning second place in the poster competition at the AAGB conference.
Fall 2023 – Congratulations Dan!!! 2nd place at the AAGB poster competition, Huntsville, AL

Wendy in the Wild Peanut Lab sharing a variety of peanut-based treats she brought back from Taiwan. She is pictured holding an assortment of unique snacks
A close-up of shelled "Black King Kong" peanuts from Taiwan held in a hand. The seeds are notable for their deep, black seed coats and elongated shapes. Several opened pods are visible, showing the variety's characteristic trait of producing three to four seeds per shell.
Spring 2023 – Cookie Friday with Wendy and her delicious Taiwanese “Black King Kong” peanuts, Athens, GA.
A candid photo of Adriana Martinelli at the wild peanut lab sorting through wild-introgression peanut pods
Fall 2022 – Adriana Martinelli, professor at Universidade de São Paulo, visits the Wild Peanut Lab, Athens, GA
The Wild Peanut Lab’s 2022 holiday door, featuring Snoopy’s red doghouse decorated with festive lights. Charlie Brown stands beside the house, which is adorned with an IPBGG logo ribbon. A live, potted peanut plant serves as the lab’s unique "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" at the base of the display.
Fall 2022 – Christmas door decoration at the UGA Wild Peanut Lab, Athens, GA
A festive group portrait of the Wild Peanut Lab team during a holiday outing to the UGA Botanical Garden’s Winter Wonderlights. Members are seen relaxing with hot cocoa amidst a backdrop of a light display.
Fall 2022 – Winter Wonderlights at the UGA Botanical Garden, Athens, GA
Fall 2022 – Peanut threshing at Midville, GA (Part 2)
Fall 2022 – Peanut threshing at Midville, GA
Wild Peanut Lab members operating a thresher machine to harvest peanut pods in the field. Three member feed dried plants into the thresher while the other, on the right, prepares dried peanut plants to put into the machine.
Fall 2022 – Peanut harvest at Midville, GA
(Left to Right) Dr. Guillermo Seijo, Dr. David Bertioli, and Mark Hopkins posing amidst rows of potted wild peanut plants inside a UGA greenhouse.
Summer 2022 – A short visit to the greenhouse with Dr. Guillermo Seijo from CONICET (Argentina)
Summer 2022 – Our peanut is growing, Midville, GA part 1
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab posing for a group photo before their annual kayaking trip. The team is fully equipped for the day, holding kayak paddles and wearing life vests while carrying lunch boxes for their river excursion.
Summer 2022 – Kayaking trip with van der Knaap’s lab at the Brad River Outpost, Danielsville, GA
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab gathered at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, ready to depart for the annual APRES meeting in Dallas, Texas.
Summer 2022 – Coming back trip from the American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) meeting, Dallas, TX.
Mark Hopkins showing wild peanut flowers to visitors from the National Peanut Board during a greenhouse tour at UGA.
Summer 2022 – Bob Parker from the National Peanut Board visits the Wild Panut Lab greenhouses, Athens, GA
Summer 2022 – Peanut plants enjoying Midville heat, Midville, GA part 3
Dr. David Bertioli presents a research poster to a group of visitors in a peanut field. The guests, who arrived via a tractor-pulled trolley, are gathered around to learn about the specific genetic research and field trials occurring in this plot.
Summer 2022 – Midville Field Day, Midville,GA
Summer 2022 – Collecting Data, Midville, GA
Summer 2022 – Field Experiment, Midville, GA
A group portrait of visiting researchers from ISRA/CERAAS (Senegal) alongside Dr. Soraya Leal-Bertioli and Dr. David Bertioli outside a UGA greenhouse.
Spring 2022 – A short visit to the greenhouse with Daniel Fonceka, Researcher and Scientific Coordinator at
ISRA/CERAAS (Part 2)
(Left-Right)Dr. Daniel Fonceka, Dr. David Bertioli, and Samuele Lamon examining wild peanut plants in the greenhouse during a collaborative visit.
Spring 2022 – A short visit to the greenhouse with Daniel Fonceka, Researcher and Scientific Coordinator at
ISRA/CERAAS
Members of the Wild Peanut Lab gathered in the field, ready to begin the planting season. The team is posed together, equipped with hoesm preparing to hand-plant the year's research plots.
Spring 2022 – Planting Day at Midville, GA