Breeding Cowpea Vignaunguiculata l. Walp for Quality Traits

Abstract

Cowpea is truly a multifunctional crop, providing food for man and livestock and serving as a valuable and dependable revenue-generating commodity for farmers and grain traders. Cowpea is of major importance to the livelihoods of millions of people in less developed countries of the tropics. It is consumed in many forms. Young leaves, green pods, and green seeds are used as vegetables, and dry seeds are used in various food preparations with 25% protein (on dry-weight basis) in its seeds and tender leaves, cowpea is a major source of protein, minerals, and vitamins in the daily diets in Africa, and thus it positively influences the health of men, women and children. The bulk of the diet of the rural and urban poor in Africa consists of starchy food made from cassava, yam, plantain and banana, millet, sorghum, and maize. The addition of even a small amount of cowpea ensures a nutritional balance and enhances the protein quality by the synergistic effect of high protein and high lysine from cowpea and high methionine and high energy from the starchy foods. Trading fresh produce and processed cowpea foods and snacks provides rural and urban women opportunity for earning cash income. A good knowledge of crop taxonomy contributes to an efficient use of germplasm for hybridization in the breeding programs. In addition, the results of hybridizations and cross compatibilities provide the basis for improving plant classification. Large and diverse cowpea germplasm collections are available to the researchers around the world, especially in Africa, to exploit the valuable genes to improve cowpea cultivars.

Cowpea Constraints and Breeding in Europe

“…Maximizing seed yield is the main breeding objective for cowpea [ 49 , 62 ]. Yield is also considered by farmers as the most desirable trait, taking also into consideration its limiting factors [ 63 , 64 , 65 ].…”

Bacterias promotoras de crecimiento en el fréjol caupí (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)

“…Es de conocimiento que el caupí se originó en el sur de África, sin embargo, resulta difícil determinar en qué lugar de África se domesticó por primera vez el cultivo, existen sugerencias de varios centros de domesticación, como Etiopía, África central, Sudáfrica y África occidental (Simion, 2018).…”

Improving the Photosynthetic Efficiency and Productivity of Cowpea in Sub Saharan Africa: A Review

“…It is vital to the livelihoods of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa [18,19] and comes in a variety of forms, including young leaves, green pods, and green seeds that are eaten as vegetables, as well as dry seeds that are used in a variety of food preparations. Cowpea is an important source of protein, minerals, and vitamins in daily diets across Sub-Saharan Africa, with 25 percent protein (on a dry-weight basis) in its seeds and young leaves [20,21]. Owade et al [9] and Philipo et al [22] noted cowpea leaves as a vegetable are rich in micronutrients including iron and vitamin A whose deficiencies are prevalent in Sub Saharan Africa.…”