Inheritance of pod colour in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (l.) Walp)

Abstract

Hybridization experiments were conducted in the screen house to study the pattern of inheritance of pod and pod tip pigmentation in cowpea. Segregating F2 populations were raised along with F1 and parental lines while F3 progenies were raised later for progeny testing. Chi-square test was used to analyze the result obtained with a view to determining the number of genes controlling the traits. Pod pigmentation is digenic while pigmentation in the pod tip followed two patterns of inheritance (monogenicity and digenicity). The investigation revealed that pigmentation is dominant over non-pigmenta

Key words: Cowpea, Inheritance, dominant, monogenicity, and digenicity.