Main Article Content
Reaction of cowpeavarieties to Alectra vogelli (benth.) in northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria
Abstract
In field trials conducted at Samaru (11 11 07 36'E) in 2003 and 2004 wet seasons in Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria, Variety B301 and derivatives of its crosses with IT84S 2246-4 (IT90K-59 and IT90K-76 did not support Alectra emergence. Varieties IT89KD-245-1 and IT89KD 245, both of which are derivatives of B301 and local variety Kananado supported low emergency of Alectra. Inspite of high infestation by Alectra, and very low pod number, Kano 1696 produced acceptable grain yield of 830 kg/ha. Cowpea varieties IT82D- 849 and SUVITA-2 known to be resistant to Striga gesnerioides, exhibited moderate susceptibility to Alectra Both TVX3236 and SAMPEA-7 supported high Alectra infection with consequent high susceptibility to the parasite. All the varieties tested including B301 had lower grain yield than VITA-3.
Keywords: Cowpea,Alectra vogelii Resistance/Tolerance Guinea Savannah