Track 4-1-2: Breeding Cultivated Forage Species for Biomass, Quality and Stress Tolerance
Description
Indian subcontinent is one of the world’s mega-centres for crop plant diversity as it has a wide spectrum of eco-climate ranging from humid tropical to semi-arid, temperate to alpine. The Indian gene centre possesses rich genetic diversity for forage legume genera as well. Germplasm characterisation and documentation is a major activity of conserving genetic resources, in this direction germplasm accessions were characterized for morphological and agronomic traits in batches over the years. The relative basic information on cytological characterization of two major forage legume genera Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and Sem (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) is not quite sufficient (Adetula, 2006; Bandyopadhyay et al., 2009). Therefore, present investigation was proposed to collect this information for few accessions of these two major fodder legumes. This information on diversity can be used in conservation strategies i.e maintenance of purity as well as in genetic breeding programs of the species.
Both gerera with Chromosome number 2n = 22 are predominantly self-fertilizing. All the cultivated cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. is grouped under Vigna unguiculata, subdivided into four semi-groups or cultigroups viz. unguiculata, biflora, sesquipedalis, and textilis. Although most domesticated material of Sem is either ssp. purpureus or ssp. bengalensis, however, ssp. uncinatus of Sem has been domesticated in Ethiopia. Cytological investigation was performed for the studies of chromosome number, pairing behaviour and chromosomal association in case of both Cowpea and Semaccessions.
Included in
Cytological Investigations of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and Sem (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) Two Major Fodder Legumes
Indian subcontinent is one of the world’s mega-centres for crop plant diversity as it has a wide spectrum of eco-climate ranging from humid tropical to semi-arid, temperate to alpine. The Indian gene centre possesses rich genetic diversity for forage legume genera as well. Germplasm characterisation and documentation is a major activity of conserving genetic resources, in this direction germplasm accessions were characterized for morphological and agronomic traits in batches over the years. The relative basic information on cytological characterization of two major forage legume genera Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and Sem (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) is not quite sufficient (Adetula, 2006; Bandyopadhyay et al., 2009). Therefore, present investigation was proposed to collect this information for few accessions of these two major fodder legumes. This information on diversity can be used in conservation strategies i.e maintenance of purity as well as in genetic breeding programs of the species.
Both gerera with Chromosome number 2n = 22 are predominantly self-fertilizing. All the cultivated cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. is grouped under Vigna unguiculata, subdivided into four semi-groups or cultigroups viz. unguiculata, biflora, sesquipedalis, and textilis. Although most domesticated material of Sem is either ssp. purpureus or ssp. bengalensis, however, ssp. uncinatus of Sem has been domesticated in Ethiopia. Cytological investigation was performed for the studies of chromosome number, pairing behaviour and chromosomal association in case of both Cowpea and Semaccessions.
