The researchers studied a family of genes called AhGRF in peanuts to understand their role in plant growth. They found 24 AhGRF genes in peanuts, with some being more active during pod development. Two specific genes, AhGRF5a and AhGRF5b, were found to be highly expressed in pods compared to other plant tissues. When a growth hormone called GA3 was applied, these genes were activated more in one peanut species compared to another. This suggests that AhGRF5a and AhGRF5b play a key role in peanut pod development.