Author(s)

Sekou Armand Sanogo^1*, Sory Diallo^2*, Teyioue Benoit Joseph Batieno³, Adejumobi Idris Ishola¹, Nerbéwendé Sawadogo⁴, Daniel Nyadanu¹

¹Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
²Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER), Bamako, Mali.
³Institut de l’Environnement et de la Recherche Agricole (INERA Kamboinsé/CNRST), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
⁴Equipe Génétique et Amélioration des Plantes, Laboratoire Biosciences, Ecole Doctorale Sciences et Technologies, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.)] is one of the most important arid legumes cultivated for pulse and forage production. Drought is one of the most damageable constraints to crop production impacting negatively food security. The potential of cowpea to address food security is well established. However, not much is known about the base index selection method in breeding cowpea for drought tolerance, which is important for yields. Consequently, the present study has been conducted to: 1) evaluate the yield performance of cowpea genotypes under artificial drought and well-watered condition, 2) ranke genotype performance using selection indices, and 3) assess relationship between agronomic traits and yield. The experiment was the 2 watering conditions laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment was carried out in pots under screen house at the Department of Horticulture at KNUST. The result showed that KPR1-96-73, Simbo, CZ06-4-16, Wilibaly and Agyenkwa were high yielding in well-water condition while Ghana Shoba, Sangaraka, Nketewade, Ghana Shoni and Korobalen were high yielding genotypes in water stress condition. The average yield reduction was 60.6% and 16% for grain and fodder yield respectively. The biplot displays revealed four groups among the genotypes tested which were based on their yielding capacity and drought tolerance. In cluster B high yielding and drought tolerant genotypes were identified, high yielding and drought susceptible have been identified in cluster A, low yielding and drought tolerant in cluster D, and lastly low yielding and drought susceptible in cluster C. Genotypes in cluster B were best due to the fact that it combines high yield and tolerance to drought. They were Ghana Shoni, Nketewade, Sangaraka and Ghana Shoba. These genotypes might be suitably employed in further drought tolerance breeding programs of cowpea. Significant relationships were observed between agronomic trait and yields under drought condition.

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.)], Drought, Selection Index

Sanogo, S. , Diallo, S. , Batieno, T. , Ishola, A. , Sawadogo, N. and Nyadanu, D. (2023) Screen House Assessment of Cowpea [(Vigna unguiculata (L.)] Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using Selection Indices. Agricultural Sciences, 14, 457-473. doi: 10.4236/as.2023.144030.