GREEN BEAN YIELD AND PATH ANALYSIS IN COWPEA LANDRACES

ABSTRACT Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is widely cultivated in northeast Brazil for production of both green grains and dry grains. Green grains are cowpea grains with a 60 to 70% moisture content that are very appreciated by the local people. The cultivation of cowpea in northeast Brazil is performed mostly using landraces and the low yields achieved in some areas of that region are generally attributed to the cultivation of less productive landraces. The objectives of this research were to identify the best landraces in terms of green bean yield and the characters that hold the most positive direct effects on this yield via path analysis. Twelve landraces of undetermined growth were evaluated in two experiments conducted in Mossoró, Brazil. The first experiment (E1) was sprinkler-irrigated and the second (E2) was conducted under rainfed conditions, but was irrigated whenever necessary. Pod yield and dimensions and green grains were evaluated, in addition to the main grain yield components. A randomized block design with five replications was used. The data presented here identified eight landraces with the highest yields. In addition, cowpea yield was higher in the dry season (E1) than in the rainy season (E2). The number of pods per plant had the largest direct positive effect on green grain yield.