GENETIC EVALUATION OF COWPEA (VIGNA UNGUICULATA (L.) WALP.) LINES FOR MULTIPLE PEST RESISTANCE

Abstract

Forty nine germplasm lines of cowpea were evaluated in pot cultures for their multiple resistance against some economically important insects (galerucid beetle, semilooper) diseases (bacterial blight, cowpea mosaic virus), and a nematode (root-knot nematode), and also to relate them with some plant characters. None of the lines tested was resistant to all the five pests and diseases. However, line TVU-1591 was resistant to all except CPMV, line TVU-2337 exhibited moderately resistant reaction to all the pests and diseases. Moreover, significant positive or negative correlations between some of the plant characters and the pests were observed. The lines exhibiting resistant/moderately resistant reaction against multiple pests can be utilised in cowpea improvement programme.