Variability Studies in Diverse Germplasm of Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]

Aims: The degree of genetic variety in the breeding material has a significant impact on crop yield enhancement. In order to assess variation in growth and yield-related characteristics, such as days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of primary and secondary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per cluster, pod length, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight, and seed yield, a study was carried out on cowpea germplasm lines. Study Design: The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two replications Place and Duration of Study: College of Agriculture, Navile, Shivamogga, Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (KSNUAHS) during Kharif 2024. Methodology: 62 germplasm lines including two checks, collected from AICRP on Pulses, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru. Data was recorded and statistical analysis was carried out using R software Results: For every attribute under investigation, the analysis of variance showed that there were notable variations across the germplasm. For traits like plant height, number of secondary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, test weight, and seed yield per plant, high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV), heritability, and high genetic advancement as a percentage of mean were noted. These findings suggest that additive gene action predominates and that there is room for improvement through direct selection. Conclusion: Through this study, it is clear that yield improvement programs could prioritize traits like number of secondary branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant in breeding programmes.