FARMER'S NOTEBOOK
High yielding, disease-resistant cowpea
By Our Agriculture Correspondent
The erect and non-trailing cowpea variety produces white, bold and round seeds.
SCIENTISTS AT the Division of Genetics at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, have developed a high-yielding and disease-resistant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) variety.
Erect growth habit
The improved variety with erect growth habit yields attractive white seeds, and the variety is resistant to the yellow mosaic virus (YMV), according to Dr. S. Nagarjan, Director, IARI.
Christened `Pusa Reshmi', the new variety was developed by induced mutation using gamma rays of an exotic variety introduced from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigeria.
The parent line is a late maturing variety with trailing growth habit, and it is susceptible to YMV disease. It yields black seeds.
Wide spectrum
When the seeds of the parent line were treated with gamma rays, a wide spectrum of variability was produced.
From that lot more stable mutants were identified over the generations and their progenies were evaluated and those with higher yield, erect and non-trailing growth habit, white seeds and resistance to YMV were selected.
And `Pusa Reshmi' was selected from that pool based on its superior performance in the field and other attractive traits, according to the scientists, who developed this variety.
Early maturing variety
This improved cowpea is an early maturing variety, and it is particularly suited for cultivation in kharif season.
Being an erect and non-trailing variety it is ideal for growing as a pure crop with high density in intensive cropping systems. Being early, it can be planted slightly late (even during the second half of July). This helps in nearly complete weed control through pre-sowing tillage.
It produces white, bold and round seeds and hundred seeds of this variety weigh on an average 18.15 g. The white seeds are rich in protein and low in tannin. The plants started flowering from the 45th day after sowing, and the variety yielded on an average 12.13 quintals a hectare under Delhi conditions.
`Pusa Reshmi' showed distinct yield advantages over the national checks, RC 19, Pusa Phalguni, GC 3 and the recently released variety RC 101. It did exceedingly well in the farmers' fields and also in the national multi-location trials in the research fields.
Drought tolerant
The variety showed high degree of tolerance to both water-deficiency and excess as it showed good performance in the drought year 2002, and high rainfall year 2003.
It has wide adaptability under adverse conditions.
There is no other variety with such unique features available in the country, according to the scientists.
Consumers readily accept the white and bold grains of this variety, with excellent cooking quality and higher digestibility.
It has already become popular among the farmers in Rajasthan, where it yielded an average of 15 to 20 quintal a hectare. The grains fetched a premium price in the market.
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