CARACTERIZAÇÃO MORFOAGRONÔMICA DE VARIEDADES CRIOULAS DE FEIJÃO-CAUPI EM DIFERENTES SISTEMAS DE CULTIVO

Cowpea is an exotic species with great genetic variability, still little explored, and the potential to be used in a genetic improvement program for this culture, with the performance of morpho-agronomic characterization essential for the identification and selection of characters and genotypes of interest, which meet the requirements of farmers, producers and consumers of this legume. The characterization consists in identifying and describing the distinctions that may exist between the varieties, however, the efficient use of genetic variability is only possible if it is properly evaluated and quantified. Thus, the objective of the study was to describe the methods of morphological and agronomic characterization used by the researchers to distinguish Creole varieties of cowpea in different cultivation systems, from organic to conventional. The present research presented a qualitative nature of bibliographic type, following the norms of an exploratory study, developed by material already elaborated: books, scientific articles, dissertations, expanded abstracts and technical circulars. Considering as selection criteria, those who had knowledge about morphological and agronomic characterization, in Creole varieties of cowpea, in different production systems. After reading the articles, those that were relevant to the topic were selected, aiming to extract the necessary information for the composition of this work. For the genetic improvement of cowpea, it is necessary to know the morphological and agronomic characteristics of the varieties, the Creole genotypes being important for the species, since they are sources of genetic variability and are adapted to the different edaphoclimatic conditions of the growing regions, and even though it is a culture of great socioeconomic importance, there are still few studies involving morphoagronomic description, mainly in organic production systems.