Vigna unguiculata pangenome

Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata L. Walp., is a diploid warm-season legume of critical importance as both food and fodder in sub-Saharan Africa. This species is also grown in Northern Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. To capture the genomic diversity of this important legume, we performed de novo genome assemblies and gene annotations, and tallied genetic variants, for representatives of six sub-populations of cultivated cowpea identified previously from genotyping of several hundred accessions. This pan-genome resource supports further work on the genetic architecture of adaptive and agriculturally relevant traits, and increases decision-making capabilities for marker-assisted breeding and cowpea germplasm management.