Production Constraints and Improvement Strategies of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) Genotypes for Drought Tolerance

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp. L) is an important leguminous crop largely grown by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa for food security and animal feed. The objective of this study was to review the production constraints and improvement strategies of cowpea genotypes for drought tolerance. Data were analysed through use of literature review from various sources. In sub-Saharan Africa, cowpeas are produced mainly from West Africa, which accounts for 60% of worldwide production. A lot of pests and diseases affect cowpeas, and this often results in total crop loss. Through continuous improvement, many new cultivars are continually being identified and genetically characterised, and it is thus necessary to evaluate these new lines under different environments. There is a need for multidisciplinary collaborations among breeders and other relevant stakeholders such as farmer and extension workers because the improved cultivars must be according to the farmers preferred traits. Due to declining rainfall pattern in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent requirement for cowpea breeding programmes that focus on developing varieties with short maturity, drought, pest, and disease tolerance. The present review discusses the constraints and improvement strategies of cowpea varieties for drought tolerance.

Morpho-agronomy performance, seed nutrition content, and Aphis craccivora resistance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes

“…In addition to the agronomic character, resistance to certain pests is very necessary because cowpea cultivation activities experience various obstacles as in other food commodities. According to Nkomo et al (2021), insect pests, diseases (fungi, viruses, and bacteria), poor soil fertility, metal poisoning, and drought can potentially reduce cowpea yields. This is supported by Obopile and Ositile (2010), cowpea aphids, Aphis craccivora are polyphagous pests on cowpea plants that attack all parts of the plant and cause significant yield losses.…”

Breeding of Vegetable Cowpea for Nutrition and Climate Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges

“…Heat stress is a crucial abiotic stress that significantly affects the growth and yield of cowpea [14]. The effects of heat stress on yield and yield-contributing traits include flower and leaf drop, poor pollen fertility and germination, low pod setting, low plant biomass, low harvest index, poor pod filling, and low seed weight and yield [63,64]. Furthermore, physiological and biochemical traits of cowpea negatively affect the photosynthetic apparatus, such as impaired photo-assimilation, inhibited N2 fixation, increased leaf senescence, decreased canopy temperature, and leaf relative water content [64][65][66].…”

Genetic Transformation in Agro-Economically Important Legumes

“…), pea (Pisum sativum L.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. ], and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merril] [3,[5][6][7][8][9]. These grain legumes are said to play an imperative role in nutritional and food security as a result of their inexpensive cultivation and amenable cropping systems for household farming [4].…”