Assessing the Genetic Variability of Agro-morphological Traits Related to Fodder Production in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. walp)

The existence of genetic variability within a population is a fundamental requirement for promoting the effectiveness of any breeding operation. The study was carried out at Dr. RPCAU's research farm located in Pusa Samastipur, Bihar, during the kharif season of 2019-20. The objective was to assess the genetic variability among 23 cowpea genotypes (22 genotypes from various locations in the country and 1 check genotype). The study employed a randomised block design, consisting of three replications and a total of fifteen characters were recorded during the study. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant mean sum of squares (MSS) values attributed to genotype for all recorded variables, suggesting the existence of a substantial amount of diversity across the cowpea genotypes utilised in the study. In general, the recorded values for the Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation were found to be higher than those for the Genotypic Coefficient of Variation. The study observed high heritability estimates and high genetic advance for various traits, including plant height, number of leaves per plant, stem thickness, leaf-to-stem ratio, dry matter percentage, leaf fresh weight per plant, dry weight of stem per plant, seed yield per plant, and dry matter yield per plant. These findings suggest that the influence of the environment on these phenotypes is minimal. One of the key conclusions drawn from the study is that the direct selection of these traits can be employed to enhance fodder characteristics in cowpea.