Genetic and environmental variability in starch, fatty acids and mineral nutrients composition in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp)

✍ Scribed by Oluwatosin, Olusola Bayo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 196 KB
• Volume: 78
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-5142
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0010(199809)78:1<1::aid-jsfa47>3.0.co;2-h

✦ Synopsis

Fifteen cowpea cultivars grown in three locations (Kano (12¡00@N 8¡31@E), Mokwa (9¡17@N 5¡04@E) and Ago-Iwoye (6¡58@N 4¡00@)) between 1993 and 1994 were analysed for genotype, environmental and genotype ] environment variability for starch (g kg~1), fatty acids (% of total oil) and mineral nutrients (g kg~1) composition. There were signiÐcant environmental as well as genetic e †ects on these nutritional qualities. The environmental e †ect accounted largely for the variability observed in starch (60%), palmitic acid (80%), arachidic acid (100%), potassium (100%), phosphorus (81%) and manganese (86%), while the genotypic e †ect accounted largely for the variability observed in linoleic acid (50%), linolenic acid (50%) and copper (68%) contents. Correlation coefficient (pooled data) from the three locations indicated that starch was positively correlated to palmitic acid (r \ 0É21, 0É01 \ P \ 0É05), potassium (r \ 0É80, P \ 0É001) and phosphorus (r \ 0É65, P \ 0É001), but negatively correlated to oleic (r \ [0É23, 0É01 \ P \ 0É05), linoleic (r \ [0É67, P \ 0É001) and linolenic acid (r \ [0É74, P \ 0É001) contents. Starch showed a strong positive correlation with magnesium content (r \ 0É75) and a strong negative correlation with copper (r \ [0É73) and iron (r \ [0É62) at the genetic level. This research established the degree of variability for these characters in cowpea.

1998 Society of Chemical Industry.