-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.Keywords: Vigna unguiculata. Green grain. Landraces. RENDIMENTO DE GRÃOS VERDES E ANÁLISE DE TRILHA EM VARIEDADES TRADICIONAIS DE FEIJÃO-CAUPI

Cowpea is a staple food in the Northeast of Brazil, thus, genetic improvement of this species is important. Samples of cowpea landraces were collected in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and the most promising ones were evaluated in the present study. The objective was to identify the most productive varieties and the characteristics that have greater direct effect on grain yield, for breeding purposes. Twelve landraces were evaluated using a randomized block design with five replications, in two experiments-one in the dry season, and other in the rainy season. However, water irrigation was used in both experiments, due to the almost total absence of rainfall in the rainy season. The Baraúna, and Carnaubais cowpea varieties were the most productive in both experiments. Campo Grande was the best variety found in the experiment carried out in the dry season. José da Penha, Lagoa de Pedra, Umarizal, and Upanema were the best varieties in the experiment carried out in the rainy season. The number of pods per plant was the characteristic that had greater direct effect on grain yield. RENDIMENTOS DE GRÃOS E ANÁLISE DETRILHA NA AVALIAÇÃO DE VARIEDADES TRADICIONAIS DE FEIJÃO-CAUPI RESUMO -O feijão-caupi é uma das principais culturas alimentícias do Nordeste brasileiro e, por essa razão, existe interesse em melhorá-la geneticamente. Foram coletadas variedades tradicionais dessa cultura no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte e as mais promissoras foram avaliadas no presente trabalho. Objetivou-se identificar as mais produtivas e distinguir, entre as características avaliadas, a que possui o maior efeito direto sobre o rendimento de grãos, para fins de melhoramento. Doze variedades foram avaliadas em blocos ao acaso com cinco repetições em dois experimentos. Um dos experimentos foi irrigado. O outro experimento foi realizado na época das chuvas, mas requereu irrigação devido à ausência quase que total de chuvas. As variedades Baraúna e Carnaubais foram as mais produtivas nos dois experimentos. No experimento realizado com irrigação foi destaque a variedade Campo Grande. Sob condições de sequeiro (com chuvas) destacaram-se também as variedades José da Penha, Lagoa de Pedra, Umarizal e Upanema. O número de vagens por planta foi o principal caráter a influenciar o rendimento de grãos. Palavras-chave: Vigna unguiculata. Variedades crioulas. Feijão-de-corda. Feijão macassar. Componentes do rendimento.

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