Abstract
ABSTRACT The precocity of cowpea is important because it indicates the possibility of increasing and/or stabilizing production in regions with long periods of drought. The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic variability and select extra-early cowpea progenies. Fifteen F3:6 progenies were evaluated in 2014 while sixty-two F7 progenies were evaluated in 2015. Two commercial cultivars were used in experiments performed in the irrigated perimeter of Baixo Acaraú, in Marco, CE. The following characteristics were evaluated: number of days for flowering (NDF), number of days for maturity (NDM), plant height (PH), pod length (PL), number of seeds per pod (NSP), number of grains per plant (NGP), weight of 100 grains (W100G) and total weight (MTOT). Data were analyzed in lattice and RBD, according to the methodology of mixed models by the REML/BLUP procedure. Also, the components of variance and genetic values were estimated. Variability among progenies, high heritability and high accuracy were identified for all traits. For NDF and NDM, the progenies presented higher behavior than the controls. The lattice arrangement contributed to a greater gain with the selection of NDF, NDM, PH, NSP, NGP and WTOT. The genotypes 12, 15, 30, 33, 41, 43 and 52 are among the top ten because they have high genetic values in three or more traits. The genotypes 12, 15, 30, 33, 43 and 52 highlight extra-earliness (precocity).
Highlights
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) has great genetic variability that makes it versatile; it is used for several purposes and production systems
The lattice arrangement contributed to a greater gain with the selection of number of days for flowering (NDF), number of days for maturity (NDM), plant height (PH), number of seeds per pod (NSP), number of grains per plant (NGP) and WTOT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of incomplete blocks with lattice design and randomized complete block design (RCBD) on the estimation of genetic variability and to select extra-early/ extra-precocious cowpea progenies
Summary
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) has great genetic variability that makes it versatile; it is used for several purposes and production systems. Brazil is the third largest producer in the world, and cowpea is mainly cultivated in the North, Northeast and Central West regions of the country (BEZERRA et al, 2010). The largest cowpea production (87.32%) takes place in the Northeast and accounts for 97.47% of the cowpea cultivated area in the country. In this region, cowpea has favorable ecological conditions for its development, becoming one of the most important sources of protein in the diet of rural and urban populations. In the Central-West, this culture has been highlighted by the possibility of a second harvest, being a new option for productive arrangements and diversification of the agribusiness of this region (DAMASCENO-SILVA, 2011). Precocity (early maturation) is one of the main objectives of crop improvement, since it makes it possible to perform up to three cycles per year, using dry farming and irrigated crops (FREIRE FILHO, 2011; OLIVEIRA et al, 2016)
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