Selection for Postflowering Drought Resistance in Short‐ and Medium‐ duration Cowpeas Using Stress Tolerance Indices

ABSTRACT Available drought-tolerant cowpeas [ Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] are few, and identifica-tion of additional genotypes with even greater tolerance to drought would enable breeders to develop cultivars with higher and more stable yields across the semiarid ecologies where this crop is grown. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the effects of drought on the growth and reproduction of a diverse set of cowpea germplasm and select drought-tolerant and high-yielding genotypes using stress tolerance indices. Thirty short- and 30 medium-duration genotypes were separately assessed in adja-cent drought-stressed (DS) and nonstressed (NS) environments in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Selection indices, including stress tolerance index (STI) and geometric mean productivity (GMP), were estimated considering grain yield under NS and DS environments and the stress intensity. Over-all, the medium-duration genotypes had higher yields than the short-duration ones under both DS and NS conditions. On average, fodder and grain yields were 40 and 65% less under DS con -ditions and maturity occurred 4 d earlier. IT85F-3139, IT93K-693-2, IT97K-499-39, IT93K-503-1, IT96D-610, IT97K-207-15, KVx-61-1, KVx-403, KVx-421-25, and Mouride had the highest grain yields under both DS and NS environments and were identified as the most drought-tolerant and high-yielding genotypes based on their rank in terms of STI and GMP values. Therefore, these cultivars may be valuable parents for breeding programs whose objectives include developing drought-tolerant cowpea cultivars.N. Belko, N. Cisse, and N.N. Diop, Regional Research Center for the Improvement of Crops Adaptation to Drought, CERAAS-ISRA, P.O. Box 3320 Thies-Escale, Thies, Senegal; N. Belko and G. Zombre, Dep. of Biology and Ecology, Univ. of Ouagadougou, 03 P.O. Box 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso; N. Cisse and S. Thiaw, Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research, CNRA-ISRA, P.O. Box 53, Bambey, Senegal; Satoru Muranaka, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), PMB 5320, Ibadan, Nigeria; N.N. Diop and J.D. Ehlers, Dep. of Botany and Plant Sciences, Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0124. Received 9 Dec. 2012. *Corresponding author (ncisse@refer.sn).

[1]  M. Zaman-Allah,et al.  Restriction of transpiration rate under high vapour pressure deficit and non-limiting water conditions is important for terminal drought tolerance in cowpea. , 2013, Plant biology.

[2]  M. Zaman-Allah,et al.  Lower soil moisture threshold for transpiration decline under water deficit correlates with lower canopy conductance and higher transpiration efficiency in drought-tolerant cowpea. , 2012, Functional plant biology : FPB.

[3]  S. Asseng,et al.  Adaptation of grain legumes to climate change: a review , 2011, Agronomy for Sustainable Development.

[4]  S. Salack,et al.  Rain-based factors of high agricultural impacts over Senegal. Part I: integration of local to sub-regional trends and variability , 2011 .

[5]  K. Siddique,et al.  Faba bean breeding for drought-affected environments: a physiological and agronomic perspective , 2010 .

[6]  R. Zarghami,et al.  Evaluation of drought tolerance in mid and late mature corn hybrids using stress tolerance indices. , 2010 .

[7]  R. Choukan,et al.  Water stress effects on combining ability and gene action of yield and genetic properties of drought tolerance indices in maize. , 2010 .

[8]  C. Yonts,et al.  Selection for Drought Tolerance in Dry Bean Derived from the Mesoamerican Gene Pool in Western Nebraska , 2009 .

[9]  R. Visser,et al.  Breeding drought tolerant cowpea: constraints, accomplishments, and future prospects , 2009, Euphytica.

[10]  J. Tenywa,et al.  Enhancing drought tolerance in cowpea. , 2009 .

[11]  A. Jafari,et al.  Evaluation of selection indices for drought tolerance of corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids , 2009 .

[12]  R. Talebi,et al.  Effective selection criteria for assessing drought stress tolerance in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). , 2009 .

[13]  T. Close,et al.  Mapping QTL for drought stress-induced premature senescence and maturity in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] , 2009, Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

[14]  J. Ehlers,et al.  Seedling Stage Drought-Induced Phenotypes and Drought-Responsive Genes in Diverse Cowpea Genotypes , 2008 .

[15]  Shree P. Singh.  Drought Resistance in the Race Durango Dry Bean Landraces and Cultivars , 2007 .

[16]  F. Hamidou,et al.  Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Cowpea Genotypes to Water Stress Under Glasshouse and Field Conditions , 2007 .

[17]  A. Arzani,et al.  Assessment of Drought Tolerance in Segregating Populations in Durum Wheat , 2006 .

[18]  Dale T. Westermann,et al.  Selection for Drought Resistance in Dry Bean Landraces and Cultivars , 2006 .

[19]  K. Poustini,et al.  Evaluation of drought resistance indices under various environmental conditions , 2006 .

[20]  N. Sanginga,et al.  Phosphorus use efficiency and nitrogen balance of cowpea breeding lines in a low P soil of the derived savanna zone in West Africa , 2000, Plant and Soil.

[21]  J. Kelly,et al.  Traits related to drought resistance in common bean , 1998, Euphytica.

[22]  S. Fernández-Rivera,et al.  Improving the production and utilization of cowpea as food and fodder. , 2003 .

[23]  L. B. Morgado,et al.  Contribution of biological nitrogen fixation to cowpea: a strategy for improving grain yield in the semi-arid region of Brazil , 2003, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[24]  A. Ismail,et al.  Development of cowpea cultivars and germplasm by the Bean/Cowpea CRSP , 2003 .

[25]  C. Brou,et al.  Selection of Cowpea Genotypes in Hydroponics, Pots, and Field for Drought Tolerance , 2003 .

[26]  S. Baheri,et al.  EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT DROUGHT TOLERANCE INDICES IN SOME SPRING BARLEY GENOTYPES , 2003 .

[27]  N. van Duivenbooden,et al.  Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Production in the Sahel – Part 2. Case Study for Groundnut and Cowpea in Niger , 2002 .

[28]  Shree P. Singh,et al.  Selection for drought resistance in early generations of common bean populations , 2002 .

[29]  M. Hadizadeh,et al.  RESPONSE OF CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) HYBRIDS AND THEIR PARENTAL LINES TO DROUGHT USING DIFFERENT STRESS TOLERANCE INDICES , 2002 .

[30]  R. Richards,et al.  Breeding Opportunities for Increasing the Efficiency of Water Use and Crop Yield in Temperate Cereals. , 2002, Crop science.

[31]  Shree P. Singh,et al.  Comparison of Sources and Lines Selected for Drought Resistance in Common Bean. , 2002, Crop science.

[32]  G. Wright,et al.  Adaptation of grain legumes (pulses) to water-limited environments , 2001 .

[33]  J. Ehlers,et al.  Inheritance of a Broad-Based Form of Root-Knot Nematode Resistance in Cowpea , 2000 .

[34]  J. A. A. Gallegos,et al.  Rendimeinto de grano y tolerancia a la sequía del frijol común en condiciones de campo , 2000 .

[35]  O. Myers,et al.  Two mechanisms of drought tolerance in cowpea , 1999 .

[36]  M. Brick,et al.  Comparison of selection indices to identify productive dry bean lines under diverse environmental conditions , 1998 .

[37]  A. Hall,et al.  Registration of 'Melakh' cowpea. , 1997 .

[38]  A. Hall,et al.  Registration of 'Mouride' cowpea. , 1995 .

[39]  W. Schapaugh,et al.  Stress Tolerance in Soybeans. I. Evaluation of Three Screening Techniques for Heat and Drought Tolerance 1 , 1984 .

[40]  A. Rosielle,et al.  Theoretical Aspects of Selection for Yield in Stress and Non-Stress Environment 1 , 1981 .

[41]  R. Fischer,et al.  Drought resistance in spring wheat cultivars, 1. Grain yield responses. , 1978 .