Assessment of genetic diversity in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.)

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important legume crop valued for its adaptability, high protein content, and soil enriching properties. The present study was conducted to assess the genetic variability, trait associations, and genetic divergence among thirty diverse cowpea genotypes for ten yield and yield contributing and quality - related traits, with high heritability and high genetic advance recorded for plant height, yield per plant, number of branches, number of pods per plant, indicating the influence of additive gene action and potential for effective selection. correlation and path coefficient analyses revealed that number of pods per plant,100- seed weight, plant height and number of branches were the most influential traits contributing to seed yield, both directly and indirectly. Genotype Phule Sonali showed highest seed yield (23.89 g/plant)and number of pods (18.18), while TPTC-1 exhibited the tallest plants (85.50 cm) and CPD-32 had the highest number of seeds per plant (13.06) GCP-6 and CPD-119 recorded the highest protein (30.66%) and methionine content (36.48%) respectively, highlighting their superiority. Genetic divergence using Mahalnobis D2 statistics grouped the genotypes into seven clusters, with maximum inter-cluster distance observed between cluster II and VII, indicating wide genetic diversity. Genotypes from these clusters, particularly high -yielding and nutritionally superior types are recommended for hybridization to develop improved cowpea varities.