TITLE:
Impact of Cowpea mottle virus on the Growth and Yield of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranean (L.) Verdc.)
AUTHORS:
Elisabeth Zongo, Bouma James Néya, Valentin Stanislas Edgar Traoré, Essowé Palanga, Jean Zabré, Nicolas Barro, Oumar Traoré
KEYWORDS:
Bambara Groundnut, Cowpea mottle virus, Impact, Yield Loss
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.9 No.10,
September
25,
2018
ABSTRACT: Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranean (L.) Verdc] is a food
legume with high potential for food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, in
addition to being a neglected crop, its production is limited by several constraints
among which viral diseases are most cited. In order to contribute to the
improvement of Bambara groundnut in Burkina Faso, local accessions of the crop
were screened for resistance to Cowpea mottle virus (CPMoV), one of the most
damaging viruses in grain legumes. Seven local accessions (C1 to C7) from two
agro-ecological zones were evaluated by mechanical inoculation in field
conditions in 2016 and 2017. The infected plants exhibited various symptoms of
chlorosis, leaf deformation, growth retardation and plant stunting. CPMoV
caused a significant reduction in the number of flowers and pods. As a result,
grain yield was
reduced by 49.5% to 83.9% depending on the accessions. The impact of the virus
in yield loss was lowest in accessions C6 and C7 which indicated their possible
used in the management of Cowpea mottle virus disease in bambara
groundnut.