FIELD SCREENING AND IDENTIFICATION OF SCAB RESISTANT COWPEA VARIETIES

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an essential crop in sub-Saharan Africa, providing dietary protein and improving soil fertility (Olufajo and Akinwunmi, 2022). However, Cowpea scab, caused by Sphaceloma sp. significantly affects yield in cowpea. This study aimed to screen nine cowpea varieties for scab resistance and identify those with high resistance or susceptibility. The nine varieties of Cowpea were screened under artificial inoculation with the scab pathogen and field conditions to select highly resistance and susceptible varieties. Data was collected on disease incidence and severity and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a p-value of 0.05 significance. Varieties IT99K-573- 1-1 and TVx-3236 showed strong resistance, while FUAMPEA-4 and UAM-09-130-20-4 were highly susceptible. Cluster analysis grouped varieties based on their resistance profiles, and significant differences in scab resistance were observed. The dendrogram generated from the cluster analysis, shows a clear grouping of the cowpea varieties based on disease incidence and severity into four distinct clusters. The grouping shows the genetic relationships and differences among the cowpea varieties in their resistance to scab. Results from this study provide valuable information for breeding scab-resistant cowpea varieties.