Expression of Nutritional Traits in Vegetable Cowpea Grown under Various South African Agro-Ecological Conditions.

ABSTRACT: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), a traditional legume food crop indigenous to Africa, has potential as both a vegetable and grain crop in contributing to dietary diversity to support health and address malnutrition, especially for those relying heavily on wheat, maize, and rice. The expression of nutritional traits (protein content and concentrations of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn)) in cowpea leaves was evaluated over diverse agro-ecologies of South Africa and typical agronomic practices of smallholder farmers. The genotypes evaluated displayed genetic variation for all four traits. The mean values of Fe, Zn, Mn and protein content varied from 33.11 to 69.03 mg.100.g^-1; 4.00 to 4.70 mg.100.g^-1; and 14.40 to 19.63 mg.100.g^-1 and 27.98 to 31.

SUBMITTER: Gerrano AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9182706 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature