Evaluation of Agronomic Performances of Five Cowpea Lines in the Experimental Research Station of Saria, Burkina Faso

Abstract

Considered by most producers as their coffee and cocoa as it plays a role of cash crop, cowpea constitutes in Burkina Faso an important source of income to satisfy the needs of families in rural environment. It is grown in all agro-ecological area of the country. Despite this advantage, its production is held back by biotic and abiotic constraints that significantly reduce yields. Best performing varieties are therefore needed by farmers to improve productivity and their livelihoods. The present study which is an agronomic performances evaluation of five cowpea lines at Saria station was done in the field in a Fisher block with three (03) replications. The results revealed significant differences (P 0.05) was noted among lines concerning grain and fodder yields. However, the best results have been obtained with the improved lines BC3F10P34-1 and BC3F10P34-3. These lines were better than their parent KVx745-11P and could be disseminated to rural producers to ensure food security and improve their incomes.