Vol. 12, Issue 7 (2023)

Author(s):
Sudhamani Kalluru, SS Desai, VV Dalvi, AV Mane and UB Pethe

Abstract:
Cowpea is a prospective climate-resilient food legume of the 21^st century owing to its high protein content, nitrogen-fixing capacity, drought tolerance, and adaptability to harsh environments. Despite being in use for centuries, there is still a gap in obtaining maximum yield potential, primarily ascribed to the shortage of high-yielding cultivars. To this end, nine grain-type cowpea varieties (Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata) and four-yard-long bean-type varieties (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) were crossed to produce fifteen families each having three progeny in the F₃ generation. Using the compact family block design, the 15 families, parents and two checks were assessed for twelve yield component traits. Data subjected to multiple selections using Pearson’s correlation, principal component, factor, path and cluster analyses revealed seed yield being directly controlled by branches per plant, harvest index, 100 seed weight and pod number per plant. These characteristics should serve as the primary selection criteria for the genetic enhancement of yield. Further, the progeny of the crosses Konkan safed x Arka garima, ACP-1264 x DPL-YB-5, ACP-1264 x UBA-1, PCP-97100 x Arka garima, and Pusa dophasali x DPL-YB-5 were the best performing lines which should be forwarded to the next generation.