P1013
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Climate Resilient Cowpea

Timothy J. Close , Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Stefano Lonardi , University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Philip A. Roberts , Department of Nematology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Maria Muņoz-Amatriain , Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Ibrahim Atokple , CSIR - Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana
Joseph Batieno , Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Kamboinse, Burkina Faso
Ousmane Boukar , International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
Ndiaga Cisse , ISRA-Senegal, Bambey, Senegal
Issa Drabo , Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, Saria, Burkina Faso
Christian Fatokun , International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
Yi-Ning Guo , University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Bao-Lam Huynh , Department of Nematology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Francis Kusi , CSIR - Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana
Sassoum Lo , University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Mitchell R. Lucas , Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Hamid Mirebrahim , University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Savanah M St Clair , University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
Steve Wanamaker , Department of Botany & Plant Sciences, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA
Pei Xu , Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
The five-year “Innovation Lab for Climate Resilient Cowpea" began September 2013 under the Feed the Future Global Hunger and Food Security Research Strategy: Climate Resilience, Nutrition, and Policy in the Program Area "High-Yielding, Climate Resilient Legumes". The project involves partnership between the University of California at Riverside and the leading cowpea breeders in four West African nations (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal) in the Sudano-Sahelian region; this is the main production zone for cowpea. The focus is genetics and breeding, with the ultimate aim of increasing yield potential and providing solutions for major production constraints. The areas of emphasis for variety improvement are drought tolerance at critical stages (early seedling, flowering, and pod filling), heat tolerance during reproductive development, and resistance to the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina. There are three basic objectives: 1) Foundation Development, 2) Training and 3) Implementation. Foundation Development includes the improvement of genotyping capabilities. So far, this has included the development of a “60k” BeadAssay iSelect for SNP genotyping which successfully assays 49,393 SNPs, and its application to bi-parental and MAGIC RILs, diverse germplasm, and over 400 West African breeder favorites. One of the outcomes of genotyping bi-parental RILs has been the assignment of over 37,000 SNPs to map positions. Also, the extent of purity and relationships between breeder materials have become evident from analyses of the SNP data. Phenotyping and seed increases are ongoing, and annual workshops ensure the sharing of research advances and the training of people. The project is synergistic with the FtF Legume Innovation Lab, which emphasizes insect resistance in the context of the drought prone production environment.
Handouts
  • ILCRC_Poster4.pdf (622.1 kB)
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