Breeding of Vegetable Cowpea for Nutrition and Climate Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract

Currently, the world population is increasing, and humanity is facing food and nutritional scarcity. Climate change and variability are a major threat to global food and nutritional security, reducing crop productivity in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. Cowpea has the potential to make a significant contribution to global food and nutritional security. In addition, it can be part of a sustainable food system, being a genetic resource for future crop improvement, contributing to resilience and improving agricultural sustainability under climate change conditions. In malnutrition prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, cowpea has become a strategic dryland legume crop for addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. Therefore, this review aims to assess the contribution of cowpea to SSA countries as a climate-resilient crop and the existing production challenges and perspectives. Cowpea leaves and immature pods are rich in diverse nutrients, with high levels of protein, vitamins, macro and micronutrients, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates compared to its grain. In addition, cowpea is truly a multifunctional crop for maintaining good health and for reducing non-communicable human diseases. However, as a leafy vegetable, cowpea has not been researched and promoted sufficiently because it has not been promoted as a food security crop due to its low yield potential, susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses, quality assurance issues, policy regulation, and cultural beliefs (it is considered a livestock feed). The development of superior cowpea as a leafy vegetable can be approached in different ways, such as conventional breeding and gene stacking, speed breeding, mutation breeding, space breeding, demand-led breeding, a pan-omics approach, and local government policies. The successful breeding of cowpea genotypes that are high-yielding with a good nutritional value as well as having resistance to biotics and tolerant to abiotic stress could also be used to address food security and malnutrition-related challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

Salicylic acid and proline modulate water stress tolerance in a traditional variety of cowpeas

“…These decreases in enzymatic activity may have been prompted by the removal of ROS in the cowpea plants under the W50 water replacement regime, either directly, through compounds acting in a non-enzymatic way, or via earlier enzyme activity, leading to better preservation of the homeostatic levels of these molecules. According to Lee et al (2014), Sachdev et al (2021), andMekonnen et al (2022), these mechanisms reduce the adverse effects of environmental stresses and ensure the integrity of cellular structures.…”

Cowpea Constraints and Breeding in Europe

“…Classical breeding methods that are used mainly for cv.-gr. unguiculata are pedigree selection, mixed-population selection and single-seed-derived selection [ 5 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. Selection of pure lines has also been used mainly to form parental lines, as cowpea is a species characterized by a narrow genetic base [ 69 , 70 ] and this method does not have the ability to produce new available genetic variability.…”

“…(2n = 2x = 22) is an important legume species, both for its consumption as food and as animal feed worldwide, especially in semi-arid tropical and desert regions [ 1 , 2 ]. It is an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, trace elements and other nutrients [ 2 , 3 ] and plays an important role in malnutrition avoidance in the least developed countries (LDCs) where it is mainly cultivated [ 4 , 5 ]. Almost all its above-ground plant parts are consumed [ 6 ].…”

“…Almost all its above-ground plant parts are consumed [ 6 ]. In addition to its mature dry seeds, its leaves, green pods and green seeds are consumed in various countries [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. It is also used for flour [ 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], as its seeds contain a high protein content (23–32%) compared to many other legume species [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Breeding implications of nodulation performance and root structure under natural inoculation for soil fertility enhancement and sustainable cowpea production

“…(2n = 2x = 22) is self-pollinating and a dicotyledonous grain legume that belongs to the genus Vigna within the family of Fabaceae and is native to Africa (Menssen et al, 2017). Cowpea is one of Africa's most important indigenous food sources and insurance legume crops during the dry season, grown by poor farmers in marginal environments (Mekonnen et al, 2022a).…”