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Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] (2n = 22) is one of the important legume crops used as pulse, vegetable and fodder. Cowpeas are rich in protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. The centre of origin of cowpea is Africa. There exists a large amount of diversity in Vigna unguiculata subspecies complex with 11 subspecies and the only cultivated one being Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata. The improved bush varieties of cowpea are of short duration and fit better in cropping systems of rice and wheat, making it a part of sustainable agriculture. The worldwide production of cowpea is 7.41 million tonnes with an average productivity of 589 kg/ha which indicates that there is a large scope for improvement of cowpea yield through development and effective dissemination of improved varieties. The major breeding objectives of cowpea are breeding for improved yield, protein content and resistance to pests mainly cowpea golden mosaic disease, Cercospora leaf spot, anthracnose, bruchids and legume pod borer. The sources of resistance to all these pests except legume pod borer were available in cultivated genotypes, making them crossable and leading to the development of resistant varieties. For legume pod borer, the resistance source is available in wild relatives of Vigna spp. which is not crossable with the cultivated cowpea that led to development of transgenic cowpeas. |
