Genetic Diversity of Cowpea Genotypes Grown in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

This study aimed to identify promising crosses to generate cowpea breeding populations for the Brazilian Cerrado region. The experiment was carried out during the two crop seasons. The experimental design used was a randomized block with four replications and 20 genotypes prostrate. The effect of genotypes was significant for all traits evaluated. The Mahalanobis distance and the Tocher’s cluster were used to estimate the genetic diversity. Singh’s criterion was used to quantify the contribution of each trait to genetic diversity. Mass of hundred grains and grain yield were the traits that most contributed to detect diversity among cowpea genotypes. The crosses between the G14 genotype with G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G11, G16, and G20 are promising for the development of populations with variability and high genetic potential.