Cultivation and Breeding Activities of Cowpea: A Turkish Perspective

Cowpea syn long bean and Turkish vernacular name Börülce (Vigna unguiculata L) is an economically valuable crop plant in the dry and drought-hit resource-poor agricultural system of West Africa, where it is used as a vegetable, dry edible legume, salad, and soup. Green leaves can be used as feed. With the passage of time, the cowpea was introduced and naturalized in other parts of the World. It is grown in Turkey in the Aegean and Marmara regions.  It can grow in drought-hit sandy areas, where most significant crops fail to emerge and grow. It is highly efficient to fix atmospheric nitrogen and improve soil fertility levels. However, very limited breeding, research, and development work are done on cowpea at the Aegean Research Institute Izmir and some Universities selectively. Therefore, yields are low to intermediate compared to yields in other parts of the world. Thus, promoting and breeding cowpea to address the crop's food, feed, and nutritional requirements will ensure food security.