Agronomic performance of cowpea genotypes in southwestern Brazilian Amazon

José Tadeu De Souza Marinho,Charles Rodrigues Da Costa,Lauro Saraiva Lessa

doi:10.1590/s1678-3921.pab2021.v56.02046

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes over three crop years, in the ecosystem of Rio Branco, in the state of Acre, Brazil. The experiments were carried out in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 crop seasons, in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. Eight agronomic traits were evaluated in 14 cowpea genotypes, which included: 12 lines (BDO 1-5-11, BDO 1-5-15, BDO 1-5-19, BDO 1-5-24, PDO 1-5-26, PDO 1-5-4, PDO 1-5-5, PDO 1-5-7, PDO 1-5-8, PDO 1-5-10, PDO 1-5-11, and PDO 1-5-14) and two cultivars (BRS Tumucumaque and BRS Imponente). A significant difference was observed in the genotype x crop year interaction, for most traits. Although there was no statistical difference between genotypes in the studied crop years, dry seed productivity was higher than the national average. All cowpea lines and cultivars from the genetic breeding program show equivalent and favorable agronomic performances in the environmental conditions of Rio Branco. Therefore, these genotypes can be selected for incorporation into the production system of Rio Branco.

Highlights

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is one of the most important sources of human food in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Lopes et al, 2018)
The objective of this work was to evaluate the agronomic performance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes over three crop years, in the ecosystem of Rio Branco, in the state of Acre, Brazil
All cowpea lines and cultivars from the genetic breeding program show equivalent and favorable agronomic performances in the environmental conditions of Rio Branco. These genotypes can be selected for incorporation into the production system of Rio Branco

Summary

Introduction

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is one of the most important sources of human food in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Lopes et al, 2018). The world planted area is approximately 12.6 million hectares, and Nigeria ranks as the largest producer, with 3.4 million metric tons (FAO, 2019). In Brazil, the area planted in the 2019/2020 agricultural year, was 1.3 million ha, and the average yield was 545 kg ha-1 (Acompanhamento..., 2020). In the Northern and Northeastern Brazil, cowpea is still grown as a secondary crop (Medeiros et al, 2017) mainly by small farmers. The easiness of adaptation to different Brazilian ecosystems has allowed the crop to spread to other regions, notably the Midwest (Freire Filho, 2011)

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Results