Microsatellite analyses of the cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) accessions in Namibia reveal low genetic diversity.

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Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important nitrogen-fixing grain legume crop grown for its protein rich grains and leaves that can be used as a vegetable delicacy. In times of drought, there are always severe cowpea losses. The major reason for the low cowpea yield in the dry areas of Namibia is poor choice of cultivars that are drought-tolerant. Current and previous research activities have aimed at improving yield by performing cultivar suitability trials. In this study, 28 domesticated cowpeas accession and one wild cowpeas accession were included and 17 microsatellite primer pairs were used with the objective of determining genetic diversity of wild and domesticated cowpeas of Namibia. One to three alleles per primer were detected. All data analysis was performed using the PRIMER5 program. From this study, we concluded that cowpea has low genetic diversity in Namibia and that geneflow exists between the wild and domesticated cowpeas in Namibia. This geneflow may have implications to wild cowpeas if GMO-domesticated cowpea were to be introduced into Namibia.

Microsatellite analyses; Vigna unguiculata; Namibia; genetic diversity