Organic and inorganic fertilizers improve the nutritional quality of crop. An experiment in pots of four treatments was conducted in a randomized complete block design in order to evaluate the effect of the application of organic and NPK fertilizers on the biochemical components and antioxidant activities of five cowpea genotypes. Results showed that organic fertilizer and the mixture of organic and NPK fertilizer have significantly (p < 0.05) increased the growth parameters and leaves quality traits of cowpea. The response of cowpea under the different treatment is also function of genotype type. The PCA and the dendrogram performed basis on the different fertilizers effect on growth parameters and leaves quality trait divided the treatments into three main classes. Class I comprising NPK + Jatropha treatment strongly contributed to lycopene, β-carotene and total chlorophyll contents, height and number of branches. Class II comprising NPK treatment solely and Jatropha treatment solely are highly linked to the variables FRAP, DPPH and protein content. Class III comprising control treatment strongly contributed to salicylic, soluble sugar, phenolics and flavonoids contents, and trypsin inhibition activity. The Jatropha cake could be used solely or in mixture with NPK to improve growth and the quality traits of cowpea leaves.

Cowpea aphid-born mosaic virus disease (CABMV) is one of the reasons for rejection of cowpea seed by seed inspectors in Burkina Faso. With regard to this, this study was undertaken to analyze the genetic components underlying the resistance of cowpea lines to the cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) and to determine the mechanism of transmission of the resistance from parents to offspring. Therefore, crosses were made in 5x5 full diallel design. Data analysis was done following Griffing and Hayman method on disease severity and the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) for five cowpea varieties during the 2015 off-season at Kamboinse research station. The analysis of variance associated with the general and specific combining abilities (GCA and SCA) and reciprocal effect (RCE) showed that the genetic variability was explained by additive effect. The F 1 population showed that there was partial dominance and the narrow sense heritability for severity and AUDPC was high (60%). To improve cowpea for resistance to CABMV, rigorous choice of parents should be made before crosses and there was no maternal effect.

No abstract

In June 2015, four multi-stakeholder platforms (Sanguie, Zondoma, Soum, and Association Yiye) were established in different regions of Burkina Faso to promote agricultural activities. By 2018, more than 200 farmers had already been trained on different aspects of the cowpea value chain including grain production, storage, and food processing skills. The platforms played a key role in the dissemination of new cowpea varieties through demonstrations, field days, the mass media, and social media. About 160 demonstrations were established by the members of the platforms every year from 2015 to 2018. Each platform was supported to produce 10 ha of certified seeds making a total of 40 ha each year and 160 ha during the four-year period. Due to the demand for foundation seeds that was increasing year after year in Burkina Faso and the inability of INERA to produce enough seeds, the most successful platform members were contracted by the INERA Seed Unit to produce foundation seeds in order to meet the high demand in the country for certified seed production. Although there are no official statistics about certified seeds produced in Burkina Faso in terms of demand, recent happenings have shown their increased production. For instance, in 2018 about 1000 tons of certified seeds were produced compared to previous years which had less than 700 tons.