The seed quality of Indonesian cowpea local varieties after storage

Abstract

Abstract The optimum performance of the cowpea plant population in the field could be determined by their seed quality. The research aims to evaluate the seed quality of several cowpea local varieties after being stored in the form of seeds and pods. A total of 18 cowpea local varieties from East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, and West Sulawesi were evaluated for their seed vigor and viability after being stored for 30 and 60 days at room temperature using plant material in the form of seeds and pods. The seed multiplication was conducted in the field at Banyuwangi, and the seed quality test using sand media was carried out at the glasshouse of ILETRI Malang. The storage of cowpea in the form of pods and seeds for up to 30 days did not significantly affect the seed quality. Four local varieties (VU 0007, VU 0093, VU 0125, VU 0155) showed good viability at the storage of 30 and 60 days, respectively. The VU 0032 and VU 0076 have optimum viability after being stored for 60 days. The speed of the germination index (SGI) was not only describing the level of vigor but also able to show the type of plant material to be stored. The VU 0007, VU 0093, and VU 0155 were recommended to be stored in the form of seeds, meanwhile, the VU 0125 can be stored for up to 60 days in the form of seeds or pods. The morphological characters of sprouts, namely hypocotyl length, stem dry weight, and root dry weight, could be considered as a benchmark parameter for seed vigor of cowpea.