Abstract
ABSTRACT Cowpea is a great socioeconomically important leguminous plant worldwide. The crop is an excellent source of proteins and minerals, mainly for the poorest populations. It is cultivated in some states of Brazil. The Piauí semi-arid is the most yielding zone in the state. Thus, the selection of superior cowpea genotypes for multi-traits and adaptabilities to this growing area is very important for the small-scale and medium-scale farmers in Piauí. The objective of this study was to select the superior cowpea lines for their multi-traits and adaptabilities to the Piauí semi-arid zone based on the genotype by the yield*trait (GYT) Biplot approach. Seventeen elite lines and three cultivars were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications under the rainfed growing condition at three different locations away from the Piauí semi-arid zone. The following traits were evaluated: the number of days to flowering, pod length, the number of grains per pod, weight of one hundred grains, grain index, grain yield, Fe and Zn contents, and also the cooking quality. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), the grouping of means, and simultaneous selection by the GYT Biplot were implemented. Through the GYT Biplot approach, the two lines, MNC11-1013E-35 and MNC11-1013E-15, were found superior because they combined the traits, grain-yield with the yield components and nutritional traits simultaneously during the cultivation in the Piauí semi-arid zone. However, the MNC11-1052E-3 line was better in the combination of yield and cooking quality than the other lines.
Highlights
Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is originally from the African continent (Xiong et al, 2016; Karapanos et al, 2017)
The cultivation was aimed at the family and business farmers standing out mainly in the Caatinga, Cerrado, and Tabuleiros Costeiros ecosystems under rainfed or irrigated regimes of the northeastern region (Embrapa, 2009)
The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the genotypic effect was significant (p
Summary
Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is originally from the African continent (Xiong et al, 2016; Karapanos et al, 2017). The cultivation occurs mainly in Africa, Southeastern Asia, Southern United States, and Latin America (Xiong et al, 2018; Aliyu et al, 2019; Baoua et al, 2021). The crop has great socioeconomic and nutritional importance, especially for the poorest population (Gondwe, 2019). Brazil is the third world cowpea producing country with the harvested area, production, and yield of 1,309.00 ha–1, 687.40 tonnes, and 525 kg ha–1, respectively, in the 2020/2021 agricultural year. The Northeastern region accounts for most of the national production (64.15%), followed by the Midwestern (22.29%) and Northern (10.87%) regions (Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento - CONAB, 2021). The crop is ideal for genetic breeding studies and biofortification as it is mainly a strategic food for fighting against human malnutrition and diseases (Dakora; Belane, 2019; Coelho et al, 2021)
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