New cultivars of vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) developed at VIR

Background. Cowpea is an important legume crop of great nutritional and economic value, ranking fourth in the world among leguminous crops in the area of cultivation. This crop is known to tolerate high temperatures and droughts, so new cowpea cultivars adapted to the local arid conditions of the Lower Volga are of considerable interest.

Materials and methods. Mass and individual selection techniques were applied to develop new cultivars from cowpea landraces held in the VIR collection. Selection was carried out at Astrakhan Experiment Station of VIR in 2012–2018, and variety trials took place in 2019–2021.

Results. Cvs. ‘Samma Nova’ and ‘Pasta Grin’ were released for vegetable use. The pod yield of ‘Samma Nova’ is 12.18–14.85 t/ha, seed yield is 0.92–1.14 t/ha, protein content is 28.8% in seeds and 27.1% in pods, and its growing season is 57–66 days. The cultivar is bushy, with synchronous pod and seed maturation, suitable for mechanized cultivation. The pod yield of ‘Pasta Grin’ is 24.68–25.84 t/ha, seed yield is 0.82–1.04 t/ha, protein content is 29.1% in pods and 23.6% in seeds. It is a mid-season cultivar, with a rambling stem, intended for growing on a trellis. Both cultivars significantly exceeded the reference (cv. ‘Sibirsky Razmer”) in most of the studied indicators. The breeding work with cowpea accessions showed that pod harvesting at the commercial ripeness stage stimulated plants to develop new pods, which extended the duration of fruiting and increased productivity. The maximum number of pods in all studied cultivars was formed in the first 20 days of the fruiting period.

Conclusion. In 2022, according to the results of competitive and local trials, cvs. ‘Samma Nova’ and ‘Pasta Grin’ were included in the State Register for Selection Achievements (National List). The zones of cultivation and seed production for these cultivars are Astrakhan and Volgograd Provinces, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, and the Republic of Crimea.

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