Seed Quality and Longevity of Four Cowpea Accessions in Relation to Seed Coat Colour Tetteh Rashied1,*, Aboagye Lawrence Misa1, Obirih-Opareh Jennifer1, Kotey Daniel Ashie1, Adams Fuleratu Karim1, Yeboah Abraham1 1CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 7, Bunso, Eastern Region, Ghana *Corresponding Author: Rashied Tetteh, CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, P.O. Box 7, Bunso, Eastern Region, Ghana, Email: rashbalm@yahoo.com
Online Published on 15 February, 2024. Abstract Background Cowpea is one of the most important legumes grown as a sole crop or integrated into farming systems in Africa. Seed quality plays a crucial role in plant population establishment in stressed environment. However, the behaviour of cowpea seeds with different seed coat colours at storage is not known. The study therefore aimed to assess the effect of seed coat colour on seed quality and longevity of seeds of four cowpea accessions. Methods Two experiments (field and laboratory) were conducted at the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, Bunso, Ghana for a period of 3 years. Seeds of four cowpea accessions dried to a moisture content of 7% and packaged in aluminium foil packets were stored at -20°C in a deep freezer for 30 months. The quality of stored seeds was measured by seed vigour and germination percentage at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months after storage (MAS). Before storage, the 100-seed weight and initial seed quality were assessed. Result The study showed significant differences in seed vigour and germination percentage at 6 and 12 months after storage (MAS) among the four cowpea accessions. Light-coloured accessions (GH7175 and GH8800) of cowpea seeds showed higher vigour and were of better quality than those of dark colours (GH3677 and GH2323) at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months after storage. Top Keywords Cowpea, Longevity, Seed quality, Seed storage. Top |