This paper presents a global perspective on bacterial and fungal pathogens that directly infect cowpea foliage, stems, and pods. A brief outline is presented of the main symptoms, distribution, economic importance, epidemiology, and control of bacterial blight/pustule and of 11 fungal diseases: anthracnose, Ascochyta blight, black leaf spot (= leaf smut), brown blotch, brown rust. Cercospora and Pseudocercospora leaf spols. powdery mildew. Pythium soft stem rot. Septoria leaf spot. Sphaceloma scab, ...

The imponance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is underscored by its use as a component in many cropping system combinations in Africa, Asia, and tropical America. Cropping systems research over the past decade has served as a multidisciplinary approach to examine the biological superiority of specific innovations, as well as the degree to which such innovations fit existing practices and meet the needs of resource-poor farmers. The scope of cropping systems research includes physiology ...

Cowpea (V. unguiculata) represents the main food legume in tropical Africa. Germplasm collecting missions launched over the past 10 years have provided genebanks with a wide array of variability within the cultivated and wild taxa of the species. Based on detailed studies on morphological diversity of live materials along with extensive survey of materials in major Vigna herbaria and ecogeographical information, a new intra specific classification recognizing 13 varieties of wild cowpea has been ...

Thirty-two wild species and varieties of Vigna of different origin were screened for their flavotioid content. The compounds detected were utilizcd to assess both interand intraspecific relationships. Flavonoid HPLC fingerprints support evidence for the existence of different flavonoid chemotypes. which may reflect differences in geographic origin. As far as interspecific relationships ;irc concerned, species belonging lo sections Vigna, Plectotropis, and Ceratotropis do not show flavonoid glycosides ...

The use of cowpea haulms as fodder is attractive in mixed crop/livestock systems where both grain and fodder can be obtained from the same crop. Traditional farming systems which use the haulms as fodder in Asia, Australia, Africa, and other regions are reviewed. ILRI and I1TA have undertaken joint research to identify accessions with improved grain and fodder yields. Trials were conducted in northern Nigeria to monitor yields in (1) cropping systems trials planted in the rainy season at Kano ...

Cowpea yields are known to be low in most parts of the tropics because of heavy insect pest problems. In Africa, cowpea growers do not generally use synthetic insecticides; however, in most parts of Asia, dependence on the use of insecticides is common, often with serious environmental consequences. Such misuse of insecticides on cowpen, coupled with low yields, has led to an intensive search for pest control options that will increase yields with l i t t l e or no input from insecticides, or ...

Cowpea is an important grain legume throughout the tropics and subtropics, covering Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, as well as parts of southern Europe and the United States of America. The use patterns, seed preferences, and cropping systems vary from region to region. Insect pests, diseases, nematodes, parasitic weeds, and drought are major production constraints. Early maturity is preferred everywhere so that cowpeas can be grown in the niches of cereal-based cropping systems, but ...

In the decade since the literature on the genetics of cowpea was last reviewed by Fery (1985). Researchers have published numerous cowpea genetics studies, especially on economically important traits. Both qualitative and quantitative procedures have been utilized to study these traits, and considerable effort made to increase our knowledge of cowpea cytogenetics, heterosis, and problems associated with crossing cowpea with other Vigiia species. Many inheritance studies have addressed flower traits ...

The population dynamics of major cowpea pests was studied in northern Nigeria during 1992-95 in both the wet and dry seasons. Rainfall cowpea is grown as a subsistence crop, mixed at low densities with cereals. Dry-season cowpea is irrigated or grown on residual moisture in monocultures as a cash crop. Light-trap monitoring and sampling of cowpea fields, throughout the wet and dry seasons, showed that Manica \iirata (previously M. testulalis) does not occur during the dry season in northern Nigeria, ...