Genetic analysis and characterization of cowpea genotypes for yield and yield enhancing traits

Cowpea is a dual-purpose crop extensively cultivated in semi-arid tropics for food and fodder. Although, crop is resilient to climatic extremes but its yield remains low due to several genetic and agronomic factors. The present study aims to characterisation of novel cowpea accessions for yield and yield enhancing traits. Therefore, the study involved 55 cowpea (genotypes studied for various yield and yield-enhancing traits during the Kharif season of 2023 at ICAR-NIASM, Baramati. The results revealed that, there was significant variability was observed among genotypes for key agronomic traits such as days to 50% flowering, plant height, primary branches, pods per plant, seeds per pod, test weight and grain yield. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance estimates indicated additive gene action for these traits, suggesting strong potential for selection in breeding programs. Multivariate analysis using Mahalanobis D² statistics grouped the genotypes into distinct clusters, revealing plant height and pods per plant as the primary contributors to genetic divergence. The findings highlighted the potential of specific genotypes for developing high-yielding, stress-tolerant cowpea varieties. This research provides a foundation for future breeding strategies aimed at sustainable agricultural practices in cowpea.