Explore the vast range of titles available.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important legume which is consumed globally for protein intake, particularly in Asian states. It is a well-known source of dietary fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins. The cowpea grains are stored after harvest and used till the next harvest. However, the grains are infested by storage pests, primarily Callosobruchus maculatus. Hence, effective management strategies are needed to protect the stored grains form the pests. This study assessed the efficacy of some edible oils in suppressing C. maculatus infestation in stored cowpea grains. Four different botanical oils (i.e., mustard, neem, poppy, and pumpkin) at four different concentrations (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 ml per 100 g grain) were included in the study. A control treatment without any botanical oil was also included for comparison. The relevant concentrations of botanical oils were poured into plastic containers containing 100 g cowpea grains and ten C. maculatus adults were released. The jars were sealed and placed at room temperature. Data relating to mortality, oviposition, F1 adult emergence, and seed weight loss were recorded. The tested botanical oils and their concentrations significantly affected mortality after one day. Mortality after 2.sup.nd and 3.sup.rd days remained unaffected by botanical oils and their different concentrations. The highest mortality was recorded in neem oil-treated grains followed by poppy, pumpkin, and mustard oils. Increased oviposition rate was observed in the grains treated with mustard and pumpkin oils, while those treated with neem and poppy oil recorded decreased oviposition. The control treatment had increased oviposition rate compared to tested botanical oils. All botanical oils significantly inhibited egg laying percentage. The highest germination was recorded for the grains treated with mustard oil followed by pumpkin, poppy, and neem oils, respectively. The lowest germination was recorded for control treatment. Significant differences were noted for C. maculatus repellency among botanical oils. No emergence of adults (F1 progeny) was recorded in all tested botanical oils; thus, F1 progeny was inhibited by 100%. Weight loss, damage percentage, and holes in the grains were not recorded since F1 progeny did not emerge. It is concluded that tested botanical oils are promising and could be utilized to control C. maculatus in cowpea grains during storage.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important legume which is consumed globally for protein intake, particularly in Asian states. It is a well-known source of dietary fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins. The cowpea grains are stored after harvest and used till the next harvest. However, the grains are infested by storage pests, primarily Callosobruchus maculatus. Hence, effective management strategies are needed to protect the stored grains form the pests. This study assessed the efficacy of some edible oils in suppressing C. maculatus infestation in stored cowpea grains. Four different botanical oils (i.e., mustard, neem, poppy, and pumpkin) at four different concentrations (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 ml per 100 g grain) were included in the study. A control treatment without any botanical oil was also included for comparison. The relevant concentrations of botanical oils were poured into plastic containers containing 100 g cowpea grains and ten C. maculatus adults were released. The jars were sealed and placed at room temperature. Data relating to mortality, oviposition, F1 adult emergence, and seed weight loss were recorded. The tested botanical oils and their concentrations significantly affected mortality after one day. Mortality after 2.sup.nd and 3.sup.rd days remained unaffected by botanical oils and their different concentrations. The highest mortality was recorded in neem oil-treated grains followed by poppy, pumpkin, and mustard oils. Increased oviposition rate was observed in the grains treated with mustard and pumpkin oils, while those treated with neem and poppy oil recorded decreased oviposition. The control treatment had increased oviposition rate compared to tested botanical oils. All botanical oils significantly inhibited egg laying percentage. The highest germination was recorded for the grains treated with mustard oil followed by pumpkin, poppy, and neem oils, respectively. The lowest germination was recorded for control treatment. Significant differences were noted for C. maculatus repellency among botanical oils. No emergence of adults (F1 progeny) was recorded in all tested botanical oils; thus, F1 progeny was inhibited by 100%. Weight loss, damage percentage, and holes in the grains were not recorded since F1 progeny did not emerge. It is concluded that tested botanical oils are promising and could be utilized to control C. maculatus in cowpea grains during storage.

Cowpea, in addition to being a food and feed crop, plays a key role in sustainable farming. The present study’s goal is to develop new high-yielding cowpea varieties. A Field experiment was carried out across 3 summer seasons and the breeding program included 28 distinct cowpea varieties, out of which five potential parents were selected for this investigation. Local cultivars, i.e., Cream 7 ‘Cr7’, Dokki 331 ‘D331’, Commercial 1 ‘Com1’, and introduced cultivars, i.e., Colossus ‘Col’ and Asian Introduction ‘AI’ were utilized to produce six crosses in two generations apart; F 1 and F 2 : Col x AI, Col x Com1, Cr7 x AI, Cr7 x Com1, D331 x AI, and D331 x Com1. ‘AI’ and ‘Com1’ were superior in pod length, pod diameter, number of seeds/pod and seeds weight/pod, whereas ‘Col’, ‘Cr7’ and ‘D331’ were superior in seeds yield/plant, number of pods/plant and the least number of aborted ovules/pod. The genotypes/crosses showed greater genotypic variance (GV) than phenotypic variance (PV) for number of pods/plant, pod length, number of seeds/pod, number of aborted ovules/pod, fresh pod weight, seeds weight/pod, and seeds yield/plant. All studied variables showed high heritability (H%) in genotypes/crosses, despite the exception of seeds weight/pod, which ranged from 29.14 in ‘D331’ to 83.7 in F 2 of Col x Com1. F 2 plants and their parents’ genotypes showed greater H%. Cr7 x AI developed the most H%, 99.04% for number of pods/plant. D331 x Com1 and Cr7 x AI exhibited moderate H% for fresh pod weight in F 1 , but all other crosses had high H%. F 1 and F 2 crosses yielded moderate to high GCV and PCV for number of seeds/pod. Variations in parental genotypes and crossings reflect genetic diversity and the possibility of selection. Crossing with ‘AI,’ and ‘Com1’ genotypes enhanced the performance of the other varieties, ‘Col’, ‘D331’ and ‘Cr7’. Cr7 x Com1 and D331 x AI were selected as the most promising crosses for cowpea breeding programs.

Background The growing field of plant molecular farming relies on expression vectors that allow high yields of recombinant proteins to be produced through transient gene expression. While numerous expression vectors currently exist for this purpose, there are very few examples of systematic efforts to improve upon these. Moreover, the current generation of expression systems makes use of naturally-occurring regulatory elements, typically selected from plant viruses, to maximise yields. This study aims to use rational design to generate synthetic sequences that can rival existing ones. Results In this work, we present the rational design of novel synthetic 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) which can be used in various combinations to modulate accumulation levels of transiently-expressed recombinant proteins. Using the pEAQ- HT expression vector as a point of comparison, we show that pre-existing expression systems can be improved by the deployment of rationally designed synthetic UTRs. Notably, we show that a suite of short, synthetic 5′UTRs behave as expression enhancers that outperform the HT 5′UTR present in the CPMV- HT expression system. Furthermore, we confirm the critical role played by the 3′UTR of cowpea mosaic virus RNA-2 in the performance of the CPMV- HT system. Finally, we use the knowledge obtained from these results to develop novel expression vectors (named pHRE and pHREAC) that equal or outperform pEAQ- HT in terms of recombinant protein yield. These new vectors are also domesticated for the use of certain Type IIS restriction enzymes, which allows for quicker cloning and straightforward assessment of different combinations of UTRs. Conclusions We have shown that it is possible to rationally design a suite of expression modulators in the form of synthetic UTRs. We have created novel expression vectors that allow very high levels of recombinant protein expression in a transient expression context. This will have important consequences for future efforts to develop ever-better plant transient overexpression vectors for research or industrial applications.

Plants usually tolerate drought by producing organic solutes, which can either act as compatible osmolytes for maintaining turgor, or radical scavengers for protecting cellular functions. However, these two properties of organic solutes are often indistinguishable during stress progression. This study looked at individualizing properties of osmotic adjustment vs. osmoprotection in plants, using cowpea as the model species. Two cultivars were grown in well-watered soil, drought conditions, or drought followed by rewatering through fruit formation. Osmoadaptation was investigated in leaves and roots using photosynthetic traits, water homoeostasis, inorganic ions, and primary and secondary metabolites. Multifactorial analyses indicated allocation of high quantities of amino acids, sugars, and proanthocyanidins into roots, presumably linked to their role in growth and initial stress perception. Physiological and metabolic changes developed in parallel and drought/recovery responses showed a progressive acclimation of the cowpea plant to stress. Of the 88 metabolites studied, proline, galactinol, and a quercetin derivative responded the most to drought as highlighted by multivariate analyses, and their correlations with yield indicated beneficial effects. These metabolites accumulated differently in roots, but similarly in leaves, suggesting a more conservative strategy to cope with drought in the aerial parts. Changes in these compounds roughly reflected energy investment in protective mechanisms, although the ability of plants to adjust osmotically through inorganic ions uptake could not be discounted.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is one of the major food legume crops grown extensively in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The determinate habit of cowpea has many advantages over the indeterminate and is well adapted to modern farming systems. Mutation breeding is an active research area to develop the determinate habit of cowpea. The present study aimed to develop new determinate habit mutants with terminal flowering (TFL) in locally well-adapted genetic backgrounds. Consequently, the seeds of popular cowpea cv P152 were irradiated with doses of gamma rays (200, 250, and, 300 Gy), and the M.sub.1 populations were grown. The M.sub.2 populations were produced from the M.sub.1 progenies and selected determinate mutants (TFLCM-1 and TFLCM-2) from the M.sub.2 generation (200 Gy) were forwarded up to the M.sub.5 generation to characterize the mutants and simultaneously they were crossed with P152 to develop a MutMap population. In the M5 generation, determinate mutants (80-81 days) were characterized by evaluating the TFL growth habit, longer peduncles (30.75-31.45 cm), erect pods (160°- 200°), number of pods per cluster (4-5 nos.), and early maturity. Further, sequencing analysis of the VuTFL1 gene in the determinate mutants and MutMap population revealed a single nucleotide transversion (A-T at 1196 bp) in the fourth exon and asparagine (N) to tyrosine (Y) amino acid change at the 143.sup.rd position of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP). Notably, the loss of function PEPB with a higher confidence level modification of anti-parallel beta-sheets and destabilization of the protein secondary structure was observed in the mutant lines. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the VuTFL1 gene was downregulated at the flowering stage in TFL mutants. Collectively, the insights garnered from this study affirm the effectiveness of induced mutation in modifying the plant's ideotype. The TFL mutants developed during this investigation have the potential to serve as a valuable resource for fostering determinate traits in future cowpea breeding programs and pave the way for mechanical harvesting.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is one of the major food legume crops grown extensively in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The determinate habit of cowpea has many advantages over the indeterminate and is well adapted to modern farming systems. Mutation breeding is an active research area to develop the determinate habit of cowpea. The present study aimed to develop new determinate habit mutants with terminal flowering (TFL) in locally well-adapted genetic backgrounds. Consequently, the seeds of popular cowpea cv P152 were irradiated with doses of gamma rays (200, 250, and, 300 Gy), and the M.sub.1 populations were grown. The M.sub.2 populations were produced from the M.sub.1 progenies and selected determinate mutants (TFLCM-1 and TFLCM-2) from the M.sub.2 generation (200 Gy) were forwarded up to the M.sub.5 generation to characterize the mutants and simultaneously they were crossed with P152 to develop a MutMap population. In the M5 generation, determinate mutants (80-81 days) were characterized by evaluating the TFL growth habit, longer peduncles (30.75-31.45 cm), erect pods (160°- 200°), number of pods per cluster (4-5 nos.), and early maturity. Further, sequencing analysis of the VuTFL1 gene in the determinate mutants and MutMap population revealed a single nucleotide transversion (A-T at 1196 bp) in the fourth exon and asparagine (N) to tyrosine (Y) amino acid change at the 143.sup.rd position of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP). Notably, the loss of function PEPB with a higher confidence level modification of anti-parallel beta-sheets and destabilization of the protein secondary structure was observed in the mutant lines. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the VuTFL1 gene was downregulated at the flowering stage in TFL mutants. Collectively, the insights garnered from this study affirm the effectiveness of induced mutation in modifying the plant's ideotype. The TFL mutants developed during this investigation have the potential to serve as a valuable resource for fostering determinate traits in future cowpea breeding programs and pave the way for mechanical harvesting.

Providing safe and secure food for an increasing number of people globally is challenging. Coping with such a human population by merely applying the conventional agricultural production system has not proved to be agro-ecologically friendly; nor is it sustainable. Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) is a multi-purpose legume. It consists of high-quality protein for human consumption, and it is rich in protein for livestock fodder. It enriches the soil in that it recycles nutrients through the fixation of nitrogen in association with nodulating bacteria. However, the productivity of this multi-functional, indigenous legume that is of great value to African smallholder farmers and the rural populace, and also to urban consumers and entrepreneurs, is limited. Because cowpea is of strategic importance in Africa, there is a need to improve on its productivity. Such endeavors in Africa are wrought with challenges that include drought, salinity, the excessive demand among farmers for synthetic chemicals, the repercussions of climate change, declining soil nutrients, microbial infestations, pest issues, and so forth. Nevertheless, giant strides have already been made and there have already been improvements in adopting sustainable and smart biotechnological approaches that are favorably influencing the production costs of cowpea and its availability. As such, the prospects for a leap in cowpea productivity in Africa and in the enhancement of its genetic gain are good. Potential and viable means for overcoming some of the above-mentioned production constraints would be to focus on the key cowpea producer nations in Africa and to encourage them to embrace biotechnological techniques in an integrated approach to enhance for sustainable productivity. This review highlights the spectrum of constraints that limit the cowpea yield, but looks ahead of the constraints and seeks a way forward to improve cowpea productivity in Africa. More importantly, this review investigates applications and insights concerning mechanisms of action for implementing eco-friendly biotechnological techniques, such as the deployment of bio inoculants, applying climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices, agricultural conservation techniques, and multi-omics smart technology in the spheres of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, for improving cowpea yields and productivity to achieve sustainable agro-ecosystems, and ensuring their stability.

Continuous cropping obstacle of cowpea is an urgent problem to be solved for its sustainable production. A field experiment was performed from April to June 2024 to study the effects of four commercially microbial agents on the growth and yield of continuously cropping cowpea plants and nitrogen-fixing bacterial community structure in root-zone soil by high-throughput sequencing technology. Four commercially microbial agents used were BS ( Bacillus subtilis ), TH ( Trichoderma harzianum ), AB ( Bacillus amyloliquefaciens , Brevibacillus laterosporus , Bacillus mucilaginosus and Enterobacter ludwigii ), and CP ( T. harzianum , B. amyloliquefaciens , Bacillus licheniformis and B. laterosporus ). The results showed that four microbial agents enhanced soil organic matter, nitrate nitrogen and available potassium content in soil. The application of BS resulted in an increase in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in root-zone soil of cowpea, while Actinobacteria and Firmicutes showed a downward trend compared to the control (CK). The treatments of BS, TH and AB significantly increased the relative abundance of Bradyrhizobium in soil by 109.4%, 38.5%, and 20.6% compared with CK, respectively. Furthermore, TH and CP increased the relative abundance of Halorhodospira in soil by 47.4% and 98.5%, respectively. The yield of cowpea plants increased by 9.6% with CP treatment compared to CK ( P  < 0.05). The BS treatment significantly promoted the main stem width of cowpea plants. The AB treatment enhanced protein, vitamin C and organic acid contents in cowpea plants. Overall, CP treatment is a better choice, as it has potential advantages over other agents in terms of cowpea growth and yield, and can improve the structure of the soil nitrogen-fixing bacterial community.