Drought tolerance found on cowpea genome
By comparing the DNA from cowpea plants that did poorly in low water conditions with those that did well, an African scientist studying in the Netherlands has traced the location of drought tolerance on the cowpea genome, according to a press release from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture posted yesterday on SeedQuest.com.
The research, conducted at Wageningen University, will help breeders and farmers produce crops with higher yields despite the changing climate. Cowpea is an important food source in arid areas of West Africa, where over 200 million Africans eat the legumes and feed the tops to their cattle.
The story said similar work on the cowpea genome was reported by researchers at UC Riverside and scientists at the two institutions are comparing notes on the outcomes of their research to see areas of agreement.“If both parties are able to find areas of agreement or concurrence, such areas of the genome would be of immense benefit when marker assisted selection is to be applied in cowpea breeding," the release quoted cowpea breeder Christian Fatokun, who supervised the work for IITA. "So what will take about 10 years to accomplish could be done in three years or even less."
Because cowpea is traditionally cultivated on small farms, very little detailed research into the crop has been conducted, the release said. But that is now changing.
Research to increase cowpea yield is led by UC Riverside and supported through the Generation Challenge Program with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. More on the UC Riverside cowpea genome mapping program is available in this October 2009 news release.
Cowpeas and other legumes.