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Project information
»The problem
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a crop of major importance
to the nutrition of poor rural households in the drier and
sub-humid regions of Eastern and Southern Africa, where diets
tend to be overly reliant on starchy foods such as millet,
sorghum, maize and cassava. Cowpea grain is an inexpensive,
high quality source of protein and its vitamin-rich leaves
are eaten as spinach. Women particularly value cowpeas, which
help them to bridge the "hunger months" prior to
the main cereal harvest.
On-farm cowpea yields are extremely low, averaging 319 kg/ha
in Tanzania and 388 kg/ha in Malawi. Use of late maturing
cultivars, low plant density and insect damage are widely
recognized as important constraints to improved cowpea production
under on-farm conditions. Less well appreciated is the growing
importance of the parasitic weed Alectra vogelii, which
attaches itself to the roots of cowpea plants and interferes
with the plants' ability to obtain water and nutrients. Recently-released
improved cowpea cultivars that are earlier maturing and more
tolerant of key insect pests and disease are especially susceptible
to Alectra attack, experiencing up to 50% yield reductions.
A. vogelii is widespread from the Northern Province
of South Africa, through Central Africa to Kenya and across
West Africa to Mali. In Tanzania, A. vogelii is common
in Mwanza, Shinyanga, Dodoma, Ismani and Ruvuma regions, while
in Malawi, it is common in Lilongwe, Dowa and districts in
central Malawi, the lower lying, drier areas of the southern
region and the Blantyre/Shire Highlands.
»The approach
 Project
workplan
This project will develop and promote Alectra-resistant
cowpea lines that are acceptable to farmers and consumer markets
in both Malawi and Tanzania. The project will link to the
successful cowpea breeding program at the International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to obtain sources of parasite
resistance. Hybridization and selection, using backcross and
pedigree breeding methods, will be undertaken to introduce
parasite resistance into locally adapted, early maturing,
high yielding, pest and disease resistant lines. The most
promising lines will be provided to farmer groups with Alectra-infested
land to be evaluated using participatory variety selection
methods. The variability in virulence of A. vogelli
strains obtained from throughout the region will also be determined
so that resistant lines can be confidently deployed over wide
geographic areas. Involvement of agricultural service providers
and farmers will increase their understanding of cowpea production
constraints, as well as opportunities for increasing productivity.
The experienced farmer research groups will provide foci for
scaling-up the multiplication and use of the varieties developed.
»The goals
The overall goal the project is to improve cowpea productivity
on A. vogelii-infested land in Malawi and Tanzania
by introducing Alectra resistance into cowpea cultivars
that are also early-maturing, pest and disease tolerant and
high-yielding under on-farm conditions.
»Back to top
Investigators
Principal Investigator
Dr. A.M. Mbwaga, Ilonga Agricultural Research Institute, Tanzania
Collaborators
»Back to top
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Annual progress reports
Click the links below for annual progress reports.
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»Original grant
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Year 1 (9/2006-8/2007)
English
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Year 2 (9/2007-8/2008)
Due 9/30/2008
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Year 3 (9/2008-8/2009)
Due 9/30/2009
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Year 4 (9/2009-8/2010)
Due 9/30/2010
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