Abstract
Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is an important grain legume mainly grown in tropical and subtropical regions for vegetables, grains, and fodder. The crop is grown predominantly in the dry savannahs to the Sahel in the fringes of the Sahara Desert where the annual rainfall is around 300 mm or less. Cowpea provides shelter as a cover crop and improves soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Its grain is preferred for high levels of protein, energy, micro-and macronutrients. Cowpea belongs to the family Fabaceae and sub-family Faboidea, and it is a self-pollinating crop with low and narrow genetic diversity, making it susceptible to various environmental factors. Various research projects have been established on cowpea, and as a result, various cowpea germplasm is stored at Africa International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)—Nigeria, the USDA repository in Griffin, GA (USA), the University of California, Riverside, CA (USA), and at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in New Delhi, India. Despite the available germplasms, cowpea productivity remains very low in many countries due to a wide array of abiotic and biotic stresses and socio-economic constraints. This review summarizes some aspects of cowpea, including origin and history, challenges, economic importance, and constraints to production, providing possible useful information for cowpea researchers, agronomists, and producers in SSA.
Highlights
Various research projects have been established on cowpea, and as a result, various cowpea germplasm is stored at Africa International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)—Nigeria, the USDA repository in Griffin, GA (USA), the University of California, Riverside, CA (USA), and at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in New Delhi, India
This review summarizes some aspects of cowpea, including origin and history, challenges, economic importance, and constraints to production, providing possible useful information for cowpea researchers, agronomists, and producers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
The most cultivated cowpea is in subspecies unguiculata and is divided into five cultivar groups, i.e. unguiculata, sesquipedalis, known as yard-long-bean, Textiles, Biflora, and Melanophthalmus [5]. [6] reported about diverse cowpea germplasm at Africa International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria, the USDA repository in Griffin, GA (USA), the University of California, Riverside, CA (USA), and at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in New Delhi, India
Summary
About 6.5 million metric tons of cowpea were reported produced annually on about 14.5 million hectares worldwide [5]. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), West Africa is regarded as the major cowpea producing region with 80% of the total regional production reported for Nigeria and Niger at first and second positions respectively for 14 years in a row [6] [7]. Nigeria has been the leading producer and consumer of cowpea globally with an approximately 2.4 million tonnes annual production produced on five million hectares in 2010, followed by Niger, Brazil, and the USA [8]. The high nutritional value of the cowpea grain makes it suitable for infant food and is widely used as weaning food in many African countries [10]
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