Archives of Agriculture Research and Technology
[ ISSN : 2832-8639 ]
Evaluation of Drought Tolerance of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp
Department of Phytotechnics, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Corresponding Authors
Keywords
Abstract
Global climate changes are intensifying and may threaten agricultural production, especially in marginal tropical areas. Cowpea is a legume of great socioeconomic importance, grown worldwide, mainly under rainfed conditions. It is currently considered tolerant to water stress and presents diverse local varieties. However, water stress can negatively affect plants' various morphophysiological, biochemical, and molecular functions, especially in the pre-flowering stage, which is the most sensitive period to the effects of water deficit. Evaluating leaf protoplasmic tolerance may represent a promising approach for investigating drought tolerance, enabling discrimination between different genotypes.