Laboratory screening of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes against pulse beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus (F.)

Research studies were conducted to screen 110 cowpea genotypes against Callosobruchus maculatus commonly known as the cowpea weevil, under the no-choice infestation condition. Out of all the genotypes screened, BBBT1-11 outperformed all the genotypes across all parameters investigated. BBBT1-11 recorded 13.01 no. of eggs/100 seeds compared to MS1-8-2-6-9-1 with 128.67 eggs/100 seeds. The adult emergence on BBBT1-11 was at 12.72% compared to the highest LTBT1-5 at 88.11%. The lowest growth index of 0.42 and frass of 0.23g was recorded on BBBT1-11. BBBT1-11 could be further assessed for the possible presence of biochemical substances, which could explain the observed differences among the genotypes in their reaction to C. maculatus. Besides, BBBT1-11 can also be incorporated into the breeding program with the target of breeding cowpea varieties that are tolerant to pest infestation