Genetic variability studies in seven accessions of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Moench.) using nine quantitative traits and chlorophyll content of leaves

Seven accessions of Vigna unguiculata were evaluated for variation in phenotypic traits and chlorophyll content of the cowpea leaves. Each accession was planted in a plastic container in triplicates in a Completely Randomised Block Design and evaluated based on nine quantitative traits. The morphological characters such as plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, peduncle length, number of pods per plant, terminal leaf length, terminal leaf width, number of main branches and number of nodes were determined at maturity. The leaf chlorophyll content was determined using spectrophotometer set at a wavelength of 634nm, 648nm and 470nm. Accession UAMO910556 has the highest plant height of 91.58cm, followed by accession IT97K- 499-35 with plant height of 50.33cm, while accession NGB0050 has the lowest plant height of 22.43cm. Accession T107K-297-13 has the highest peduncle length, number of main branches, number of nodes on main stem, number of leaves and highest number of pod which are significantly different from other accessions for the trait studied. Accession T107K-297-13 also has the highest content of chlorophylls a and b and highest total chlorophyll content. This shows that accession T107K-297-13 is the most diverse genotype with high quality of trait and so it could be selected for further breeding work.