Delineating the genetic variability in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L. Walp)] under the summer season

Abstract

The investigation conducted at the Dry Land Research Area of CCS Haryana Agricultural University in Hisar during the summer of 2021 focused on assessing genetic variability among 48 cowpea genotypes through the analysis of 12 quantitative traits, finding significant differences among the genotypes and indicating a high level of genetic variability; the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 2.6% to 48.34%, while the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) ranged from 4.62% to 49.37%, with the higher PCV compared to GCV across all traits suggesting that environmental factors considerably influence trait expression, and high heritability (h²) and genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (GAM) were observed for several traits, including days to 50% flowering, number of branches per plant, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, seed yield per plant, and 100-seed weight, indicating a predominance of additive gene action for these traits and suggesting that selection for these traits could be effective in enhancing their performance, contributing valuable insights into the genetic potential of cowpea and emphasizing the importance of selecting genotypes based on their heritable traits for future breeding programs.