Screening for Drought Tolerance and Nutrient Foraging Ability of Some Local Varieties of Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L. Walp)

Drought stress is one of the greatest threats to crop productivity, including cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) globally. Nutrient foraging is the ability of plants to efficiently explore and exploit the soil environment to acquire essential nutrients for their growth and development. The study was carried out at the Screen-house of the Department of Biological Sciences at Yelwa Campus of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University; Bauchi State, Nigeria between August-September, 2024. The study was conducted as a complete randomized design into five varieties with three replicates. A regimental watering schedule was employed, with watering every 5 days.