Evaluation of Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] Cultivars Using Morphological Indices

Cowpea is a multipurpose crop and is a grain legume mainly for dry beans and green vegetables and also as forages, green manure and cover crop. It is cultivated for its seed (green or dried), pods and / or leaves, which are consumed in fresh form as green vegetable. In our study, we investigated of morphological characterizations of different plant part of seven cowpea cultivars. We characterized the leave, stem ,flower and seed of seven cultivars of cow pea. During this investigation we found that leaf variability flower variability pod variability seed variability were very much significant after this study it is concluded that the variability help in identifications of different cultivars of cow pea. The characters such as plant height, number of pods per plant and days to 50 per cent flowering cannot be referred as reliable trait for genotype identification because of effect of environment. Seed morphological characters like eye pattern, size and shape were also found helpful in characterization of cowpea in genotype identification programme. For which extensive studies are required. It has been possible to identify some of the genotypes based on one or few character which give clear classification in characterization in field condition for example, GC-121, FS-68 and Chirodi can be identified by hastate terminal leaflet shape and DCP-13, CPD-72, GC-121 and GC-27 by white flower.