Research Article

**Relationship Studies in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) Landraces Grown under Humid Lowland Condition**

O. Udensi, E.V. Ikpeme, E.A. Edu and D.E. Ekpe

Establishing the extent of relationship, identifying the cause and measuring the relative importance of such associations to yield is very crucial for varietal selection, breeding and subsequent improvement of crops, especially cowpea landraces. This research x-rays correlation coefficients and path coefficients of yield and yield-influencing traits in cowpea landraces. Seeds of four varieties of locally grown cowpea were sown in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in ten replications. The field study was carried out at the University of Calabar Experimental Farm, University of Calabar, Nigeria, during the 2010-2011 growing season. Correlation coefficients and path coefficients were computed on yield and yield-contributing traits. Results obtained revealed that significant relationships between yield and yield-contributing traits existed which could be indices for selection. Genotypic correlations coefficients were high and more significant than the phenotypic and environmental correlation coefficients. Path coefficient analysis shows that number of pod per plant had the highest direct effects to cowpea yield (0.588). This was followed by number of flowers (0.454), number of seeds per pod (0.366), leaf area at 5 weeks (0.366) and pod length and 100 seed weight (0.316), respectively. Other morphological traits had negative direct effects on seed yield such as vein length at 10 weeks (-0.627), number of leaves at 5 weeks (-0.215), number of leaves at 10 weeks (-0.033), leaf area at 10 weeks -1.124, days to 50% flowering (-0.083) and days to 50% maturity (-0.066). Succinctly, it therefore implies that number of pods per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, number of flowers per plant, pod length and number of seeds per pod are good selection indices for a high yielding variety of cowpea, especially the landraces. This then can be exploited in hybridization programmes involving cowpea.

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O. Udensi, E.V. Ikpeme, E.A. Edu and D.E. Ekpe, 2012. Relationship Studies in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) Landraces Grown under Humid Lowland Condition. International Journal of Agricultural Research, 7: 33-45.

DOI: 10.3923/ijar.2012.33.45

URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ijar.2012.33.45

International Journal of Agricultural Research

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Authors

O. Udensi

E.V. Ikpeme

E.A. Edu

D.E. Ekpe

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Research Article

**Relationship Studies in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) Landraces Grown under Humid Lowland Condition**

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