BREEDING FOR ENHANCED YIELD AND QUALITY TRAITS IN COWPEA (Vigna unguiculata L.)
Abstract
This investigation was carried out at Qaha Vegetable Research Farm, ARC, Qalyoubia Governorate, Egypt spanning from 2022 to 2023,with the aim of exploring the genetic variability and heritability of key economic characters while developing promising cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) lines. The study incorporated twenty novel lines alongside five commercially established cowpea cultivars. Notably, the results underscored that a substantial proportion of the phenotypic variance (σ2 ) was attributable to genetic variance (σ2 ), excluding the trait related to the number of seeds per pod. Moreover, the broad-sense heritability estimates demonstrated moderate to high values (ranging from 43.64% to 79.28%) across all scrutinized traits. This suggests that the discernible phenotypic variations among the genotypes were predominantly of genetic origin, with minimal environmental impact on the observed phenotypic diversity. Consequently, the potential for enhancing these traits through selection based on early segregating generations is highlighted. Genetic diversity of cowpea genotypes estimated using IRAP markers (Inter Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism). The total number of reproducible fragments amplified by the ten primers reached 108 bands, of which 44 were polymorphic fragments. This represented a level of polymorphism of 40.7%, which indicates a very high level of polymorphism among the studied cowpea genotypes. Noteworthy lines, such as CP 25-2, CP 25-3, CP 56, CP 56-1, and CP 65, exhibited promising attributes, including high productivity, favorable yield components, earliness, and desirable seed color. These lines are earmarked for potential certification pending further evaluations, showcasing their potential contribution to enhanced cowpea cultivation.
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