Participatory varietal selection among elite cowpea genotypes in northern Namibia

Author(s):  
Lydia N. Horn ◽  
Habteab M. Ghebrehiwot ◽  
Fatma Sarsu ◽  
Hussein A. Shimelis

The objective of this study was to select cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) varieties that meet farmers’ needs in Namibia, from a set of newly developed and elite cowpea varieties developed through gamma irradiation. Thirty four candidate mutant cowpea varieties derived from three local varieties, (Shindimba, Bira and Nakare), were evaluated for nine agronomic traits. The new genotypes descended from Bira were favourably selected by all participants for their best plant cover. The genotype L1P12 (Bi450) was preferred by 81 percent percent of farmers for its higher pod setting ability. The genotype R4P5 (Nk150) with longer pod size and R3P1 (Bi600) with early maturity were ideal candidates preferred by nearly all farmers. The present study has identified farmers’ most-preferred cowpea varieties selected for their best agronomic performances and drought tolerance. These selected cowpea genotype lines will further be subjected to distinct, uniformity and stability trials for varietal registration and release.

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-103
Author(s):  
Haruki Ishikawa ◽  
Issa Drabo ◽  
Batieno B. Joseph ◽  
Satoru Muranaka ◽  
Christian Fatokun ◽  
...  

SummaryComparative analysis of preferences and key criteria for selecting cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) varieties was conducted using the data collected from farmers’ participatory varietal selection (FPVS) activities conducted over 3 years with a total of 2401 farmers (1230 male and 1171 female) in 13 villages in Tougouri department in northern region and Tiéfora department in southern region of Burkina Faso in West Africa. Over the 3 years, farmer criteria for variety selection remained basically stable, but some variations among the regions and years were noticed. Grain yield was the most common and the most important criterion for farmers’ choice in both regions. Farmers in Tougouri (north) put more emphasis on early maturity (90%) and drought resistance (19.7%) as selection criteria than farmers in Tiéfora (south). Farmers in Tiéfora placed statistically significant importance on seed colour and plant type, while farmers in Tougouri did not, and for these selection criteria, there were only slight differences between genders in both areas. Results of stepwise multiple regression indicated that maturity and seed colour in the north, and seed size and seed colour in the south were the most important selection factors for farmers to select cowpea varieties. Improved varieties should have sufficiently good yield to be accepted, but other favoured traits may differ by target region as a reflection of local and regional market demands as well as deep-rooted cultural preferences. Understanding local and regional differences in selection criteria for cowpea varieties is necessary to improve the acceptance of newly released improved varieties. Preferences identified in the participatory activities could inform further development of cowpea breeding strategies for north and south regions of Burkina Faso.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Vincent Ezin ◽  
Artoche Gloria Christelle Tosse ◽  
Ifagbémi Bienvenue Chabi ◽  
Adam Ahanchede

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an important commodity in West Africa. Its seeds are a valuable source of protein, vitamins, and income for humans. However, cowpea cultivation in Benin faces climatic constraints such as water stress caused by a prolonged absence of rain during the rainy season. Thus, this work aims at selecting cowpea varieties that can be cultivated in times of drought without compromising their yields and yield components. Twenty cowpea varieties were used, including 17 improved cultivars and 3 landraces. The experiment was conducted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Benin and laid at a split-plot design with four replicates. Each genotype was exposed to three water treatments: fully irrigated control, vegetative stress (when plants were 23 days old, drought stress was imposed for 30 days), and reproductive stress (once the first flowers were observed, water stress was imposed for 30 days). The results showed that photochemical yield, chlorophyll content, and relative water content were reduced under water deficit at the vegetative and reproductive stages. But there were no significant differences in proline content among cowpea varieties. Agronomic traits such as number of days to flowering, number of pods, yield per plant, the weight of 100 seeds, and harvest time showed significant differences under water stress. Overall, the landraces and cultivars including Kpodjiguegue, KVX 61-1, and IT 06-K-242-3 were the most tolerant to drought stress at the vegetative and reproductive stages and could potentially be used in breeding programs to improve drought tolerance of cowpeas.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
El-Sayed M. Desoky ◽  
Elsayed Mansour ◽  
Mohamed M. A. Ali ◽  
Mohamed A. T. Yasin ◽  
Mohamed I. E. Abdul-Hamid ◽  
...  

The influence of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR24), applied to leaves at a concentration of 5 μM, on plant physio-biochemistry and its reflection on crop water productivity (CWP) and other agronomic traits of six maize hybrids was field-evaluated under semi-arid conditions. Two levels of irrigation water deficiency (IWD) (moderate and severe droughts; 6000 and 3000 m3 water ha−1, respectively) were applied versus a control (well-watering; 9000 m3 water ha−1). IWD reduced the relative water content, membrane stability index, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, and rates of transpiration and net photosynthesis. Conversely, antioxidant enzyme activities and osmolyte contents were significantly increased as a result of the increased malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage compared to the control. These negative influences of IWD led to a reduction in CWP and grain yield-related traits. However, EBR24 detoxified the IWD stress effects and enhanced all the above-mentioned parameters. The evaluated hybrids varied in drought tolerance; Giza-168 was the best under moderate drought, while Fine-276 was the best under severe drought. Under IWD, certain physiological traits exhibited a highly positive association with yield and yield-contributing traits or CWP. Thus, exogenously using EBR24 for these hybrids could be an effective approach to improve plant and water productivity under reduced available water in semi-arid environments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 17509-17528
Author(s):  
A Timitey ◽  
◽  
L Adinsi ◽  
YE Madodé ◽  
F Cissé ◽  
...  

In West Africa, cowpea is processed into several end-products among which the most consumed in Mali is a steamed granulated product known as cowpea couscous or Shô basi, in Bambara. Organoleptic properties ofShô basi are variable, probably as a consequence of the diversity of the practices of production. This study aims at determining these practices, their constraints and the physico-chemical characteristics of Shô basi as sold on Malian markets. A survey using focus group discussions, and involving eighteen (18) Shô basi production cooperatives, each gathering 8 to 32 members, was conducted in South Mali. The information collected was related to cowpea varieties used for production, flow diagrams, constraints of production, and quality criteria of the end-products. Eighteen (18) Shô basi samples were collected from the interviewed groups and used for the determination of the physical and chemical properties of Shô basi. Results showed that most of the processors were married, non or moderately literate and aged between 20 and 59 years women. The main cowpea varieties used for the production are sangaraka and wilibali, both from the species Vigna unguiculata. Both varieties of cowpea are characterized by a white or cream color. Shô basi is produced using a single process with two major technological variants. One involves a wet total dehulling (VDT), whereas the second involves a dry partial dehulling (VDP) of cowpea seeds. Regardless of the technological variant and cowpea variety used, interviewees indicated that a good qualityShô basi must have a light color, a soft mouthfeel texture, a homogeneous granule size and lacking beany flavor. Protein(25,0g/100g) and polyphenol (24,3mg/100g)contents as well as swelling level were similar for Shô basi from both variants. However, Shô basi from technology involving partial dehulling (VDP) was less bright, richer in fiber and minerals, and contained more fine granules thanShô basi involving whole dehulling(VDT). Cowpea dehulling, flour granulation, steam cooking and drying are the mean constraints for quality standardization and large-scale production of Shô basi in Mali.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Gao ◽  
Mingkang Li ◽  
Songguang Yang ◽  
Chunzhi Gao ◽  
Yan Su ◽  
...  

AbstractInduced abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis plays an important role in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, including drought, cold and salinity. However, regulation pathway of the ABA biosynthesis in response to stresses is unclear. Here, we identified a rice miRNA, osa-miR2105 (miR2105), which plays a crucial role in ABA biosynthesis under drought stress. Analysis of expression, transgenic rice and cleavage site showed that OsbZIP86 is a target gene of miR2105. Subcellular localization and luciferase activity assays showed that OsbZIP86 is a nuclear transcription factor. In vivo and in vitro analyses showed that OsbZIP86 directly binds to the promoter of OsNCED3, and interacts with OsSAPK10, resulting in enhanced-expression of OsNCED3. Transgenic rice plants with knock-down of miR2105 or overexpression of OsbZIP86 showed higher ABA content, more tolerance to drought, a lower rate of water loss, more stomatal closure than wild type rice ZH11 under drought stress. These rice plants showed no penalty with respect to agronomic traits under normal conditions. By contrast, transgenic rice plants with miR2105 overexpression, OsbZIP86 downregulation, or OsbZIP86 knockout displayed less tolerance to drought stress and other phenotypes. Collectively, our results show that a regulatory network of ‘miR2105-OsSAPK10/OsbZIP86-OsNCED3’ control ABA biosynthesis in response to drought stress.One-sentence summary‘miR2105-OsbZIP86-OsNCED3’ module plays crucial role in mediating ABA biosynthesis to contribute to drought tolerance with no penalty with respect to agronomic traits under normal conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47
Author(s):  
Suprabha Pandey ◽  
Surendra Lal Shrestha ◽  
Ishwori Prasad Gautam ◽  
Mira Dhakal ◽  
Sangita Sapkota

The experiment on evaluation of open pollinated genotypes of Yard long bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) was conducted during summer season of 2016 and 2017 at Horticulture Research Division, Khumaltar Lalitpur to assess the variability in the genotypes and yield potentiality for commercial production. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Six genotypes viz. Great Wall 01, Great Wall 02, Great Wall 03, Great Wall 04 and Great Wall 08 were compared with Khumal Tane. Observations were recorded on fresh pod yield and yield attributing parameters. The plant vigor and plant uniformity score (1-5 scale) was not found significantly different among the tested genotypes. The highest number of pods per plant (46) was observed on the variety Great Wall 03 and the lowest number of pods (33) on Great Wall 01 followed by Khumal Tane (39). The fresh pod yield was noted the highest with Great wall 03 (24 t/ha) followed by Great Wall 2 (19.4 t/ha). The lowest yield was observed with Khumal Tane (12.7 t/ha). Likewise, Great Wall 03 was found tender whitish with green color when it matures and spongy type of fruit with mid early maturity (85-95 days) along with long harvesting period of 30-35 days. Although Great Wall 02 scored 4.7 in plant uniformity (1-5 scale) and 4.4 in plant vigor (1-5 scale) it was characterized as thick fleshy and whitish green color at maturity with smooth straight type flesh having early maturity (70-80 days) which could gain the demand of the market early compared to most popular Khumal Tane. Thus, among all genotypes Great Wall 03 and Great Wall 02 were recorded best for further evaluation and recommendation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
José F.T. GANANÇA ◽  
José G.R. FREITAS ◽  
Humberto G.M. NÓBREGA ◽  
Vanessa RODRIGUES ◽  
Gonçalo ANTUNES ◽  
...  

Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] is a root crop which is an important staple food in many regions of the world, producing 10.5 million tonnes on 1.4 million hectares a year. The crop is cultivated in wet (rain fed) or irrigated conditions, requiring on average 2,500 mm water per year, and in many countries it is cultivated in flooded plots. It is estimated that taro production could decrease by 40% as a result of the increase in drought and other severe events. In this work, thirty three accessions, including local cultivars, selected and hybrid lines were submitted to long duration drought stress and screened for tolerance. Twelve physiological, morphological and agronomic traits were measured at harvest, and subject to multivariate analysis. Stress indices, Water Use Efficiency and Factorial Analysis were useful for discriminating accessions regarding drought tolerance and yield stability, and drought tolerant and susceptible cultivars were identified. Our results confirm that different taro cultivars have different drought avoidance and tolerance strategies to cope with water scarcity. Better yield performers minimised biomass and canopy loss, while tolerance was observed in cultivars that presented low potential yield, but efficiently transferred resources to enhance corm formation. Among the 33 accessions, two local cultivars showed high yield stability and could be considered as suitable parents for breeding programs, while two others are well adapted to drought, but with overall low yield potential.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian A. Fatokun ◽  
Ousmane Boukar ◽  
Satoru Muranaka

Cowpea is an important grain legume crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where, on a worldwide basis, the bulk is produced and consumed. The dry savanna area of SSA is where cowpea is mostly grown under rain-fed conditions. The crop is therefore prone to drought which may occur early, mid and/or late in the cropping season. Compared with many other crops, cowpea is drought tolerant, even though drought is still a major constraint limiting its productivity in SSA. Increasing the level of drought tolerance in existing cowpea varieties grown by farmers would enable them to obtain more and stable yield from their cowpea fields. As a first step towards enhancing drought tolerance in existing cowpea varieties, 1288 lines were selected randomly from cowpea germplasm collections maintained at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, and evaluated for their drought tolerance at Ibadan. Drought was imposed by withdrawal of irrigation from 5 weeks after sowing. On average, drought reduced the number of days to flower by 12 d, and the mean grain yield per plant was also reduced by 67.28%. A few of the cowpea lines stayed green for up to 6 weeks after irrigation was stopped, even though some of these produced no pods when the study was terminated. Further evaluation in the screenhouse of 142 selected drought-tolerant lines helped to identify six lines that could be potential parents for developing breeding lines with enhanced drought tolerance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Saeidnia ◽  
M. M. Majidi ◽  
A. Mirlohi

Abstract Background Little information is available on the application of marker-trait association (MTA) analysis for traits related to drought tolerance in smooth bromegrass. The objectives of this study were to identify marker loci associated with important agronomic traits and drought tolerance indices as well as fining stable associations in a diverse panel of polycross derived genotypes of smooth bromegrass. Phenotypic evaluations were performed at two irrigation regimes (normal and deficit irrigation) during 2 years; and association analysis was done with 626 SRAP markers. Results The results of population structure analysis identified three main subpopulations possessing significant genetic differences. Under normal irrigation, 68 and 57 marker-trait associations were identified using general linear model (GLM) and mixed linear mode1 (MLM), respectively. While under deficit irrigation, 61 and 54 markers were associated with the genes controlling the studied traits, based on these two models, respectively. Some of the markers were associated with more than one trait. It was revealed that markers Me1/Em5–11, Me1/Em3–15, and Me5/Em4–7 were consistently linked with drought-tolerance indices. Conclusion Following marker validation, the MTAs reported in this panel could be useful tools to initiate marker-assisted selection (MAS) and targeted trait introgression of smooth bromegrass under normal and deficit irrigation regimes, and possibly fine mapping and cloning of the underlying genes and QTLs.


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