Abstract
Methods for phenotyping cowpeas for adaptation to drought are reviewed. Key factors involve achieving optimal time of flowering and cycle length, and appropriate morphology for different types of cultivars as they relate to their utilization for dry grain, hay, and fresh pea production. Strong resistance to vegetative-stage drought is available and should be incorporated. The extreme ability of extra-early erect cowpea cultivars to escape terminal drought should be exploited in zones with very short rainfall seasons. In zones with the possibility of limited rainfall in the middle of the growing season, resistance to mid-season drought, and the delayed-leaf-senescence trait can be valuable. Breeding for water-use efficiency, deeper rooting, and heat tolerance are discussed. Diseases and pests that influence adaptation to drought are considered. Resistance to the organism causing ashy stem blight disease should be incorporated because this disease can destroy cowpea seedlings under hot, dry soil conditions. The value of varietal intercrops with contrasting types of cowpea cultivars in enhancing adaptation to drought is described. Implications of cowpea/cereal rotations for cowpea breeding are discussed. Breeding strategies for enhancing cowpea adaptation to drought are described.
Highlights
USES OF COWPEAS FOR FOOD AND FEED AS THEY RELATE TO CULTIVAR TYPES AND DROUGHT ADAPTATION The various uses of cowpeas
These extra-early erect cowpea cultivars have three disadvantages: (i) they must be sown at close spacing, which is not a major problem in Senegal where horse-drawn seeders are used; (ii) they produce very little hay; and (iii) they can be devastated by a mid-season drought (Thiaw et al, 1993) and some biotic stresses
Due to the small number of active cowpea breeding programs in the world in relation to the large numbers of farmers growing this crop, the major effort in cowpea breeding must be on downstream programs that are devoted to cultivar development
Summary
Methods for phenotyping cowpeas for adaptation to drought are reviewed. Strong resistance to vegetative-stage drought is available and should be incorporated. The extreme ability of extra-early erect cowpea cultivars to escape terminal drought should be exploited in zones with very short rainfall seasons. In zones with the possibility of limited rainfall in the middle of the growing season, resistance to mid-season drought, and the delayed-leaf-senescence trait can be valuable. Diseases and pests that influence adaptation to drought are considered. Resistance to the organism causing ashy stem blight disease should be incorporated because this disease can destroy cowpea seedlings under hot, dry soil conditions. The value of varietal intercrops with contrasting types of cowpea cultivars in enhancing adaptation to drought is described. Breeding strategies for enhancing cowpea adaptation to drought are described
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