Descriptors for cowpea
Landau, L. (1937). Descriptors for cowpea. Rome: Bioversity.
Evaluated in the 6th week after sowing
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acute erect | Branches form acute angles with main stem |
| 2 | Erect | Branching angle less acute than above |
| 3 | Semi-erect | Branches perpendicular to main stem, but not touch ground |
| 4 | Intermediate | Most lower branches touch the ground |
| 5 | Semi–prostrate (main stem reaches 20 or more centimeters | |
| 6 | Prostrate | Plants flat on ground; branches spread several meters |
| 7 | Climbing |
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Determinate | Apical bud of main stem reproductive |
| 2 | Indeterminate |
Legend:
Recorded for stem, branches, petioles and peduncles in the 6th week after sowing
Legend:
Recorded for the terminal leaflet of a young, mature leaf in the 6 th week after sowing
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Globose | |
| 2 | Sub–globose | |
| 3 | Sub–hastate | |
| 4 | Hastate |
Of stems, leaves and pods
Legend:
From sowing to stage when 50% of plants have begun to flower. Recorded for plants with the same sowing date, at the same location, each year
Recorder when peduncles have reached full length
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mostly above canopy | |
| 2 | In upper canopy | |
| 3 | Throughout canopy |
From sowing to stage when 50% of plants have mature pods
Recorded when pods are full grown
Legend:
Pattern of pigment distribution on full grown immature pods
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | None | |
| 1 | Pigmented tip | |
| 2 | Pigmented sutures | |
| 3 | Pigmented valves, green sutures | |
| 4 | Splashes of pigment | |
| 5 | Uniformly pigmented | |
| 6 | Other | Specify in the notes descriptor, 11 |
Of mature pods
Legend:
Mean of the 10 longest mature pods from 10 randomly selected plants
Mean number of the 10 pods measured for length in 4.2.7
(See figure 1)
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kideny | |
| 2 | Ovoid | |
| 3 | Crowder | |
| 4 | Globose | |
| 5 | Rhombold |
Legend:
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Absent, Group A' | If the eye pattern is recorded as 0 or 1 (Group A), then eye colour (4.3.9) is always likewise recorded as 0 or 1 (Group W) |
| 1 | Very small, Group A | Group A |
| 2 | Kabba group | Eye fills the narrow groove all around the hilum, and the body has some form of speckling. A blue halo is also found around the hilum, Group K |
| 3 | Narrow eye | Hilum Ring. Eye fills the narrow groove around the hilum and spills out of this groove in front of the hilum for a short distance and has an indistinct front margin, Group N |
| 4 | Small eye | eye has a distinct margin, but is smaller than Holstein group, Group E |
| 5 | Holstein group | eye encircles the back of the hilum in a narrow ring, widens at the sides, and then extends margin of the eye is very distinct, Group H |
| 6 | Watson group | eye encircles the back of the hilum as a narrow ring, widens at the sides and spills over the non –micropylar end of the seed with an indistinct margin. The extra width at the sides of the hilum distinguishes this group from 3, narrow eye, Group W |
| 7 | Self coloured | eye covers entire seed, Group S |
| 8 | Other | Other |
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Eye absent (white, cream) | Group W' (Group W (states 0 and 1) is only used in combination with Group A (states 0 and 1) for eye pattern (4.3.8)) |
| 1 | Brown splash or gray, Group W | |
| 2 | Tan Brown, Group T | |
| 3 | Red, Group R | |
| 4 | Green, Group G | |
| 5 | Blue to balck, Group B | |
| 6 | Blue to black spots or mottle, Group X | |
| 7 | Speckled (even distribution of fine speckling), Group S | |
| 8 | Mottled (dark brown pigment typically Absent around hilum), Group M | |
| 9 | Mottled and speckled (Victor), Group V | |
| 10 | Other |
Weight of 100 seeds moisture content 12%
Mean of ten plants
Intensity of green colour
Legend:
Presence/absence of V-mark on leaflets
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Absent | |
| 1 | Present |
Terminal leaflet whose shape was recorded in 4.1.5
The widest dimension of the terminal leaflet whose shape was recorded in 4.1.5
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caricaeous | |
| 2 | Intermediate | |
| 3 | Membranous |
the branches whose origin is in the leaf axils on the main stem: recorded in the 8th week after sowing. Mean of 10 randomly selected plants
Recorded 3-4 weeks after sowing. Mean of 10 randomly selected plants
Based on the plant width and height 3-4 weeks afetr sowing
Legend:
weight of leaves divided by weight of other parts of shoot
precentage of dry matter in 500 g samples of green plant
Average yield in grams of 10 randomly selected plants weighed at 50% flowering
Weight of green matter in grams at 50% flowering after the accession has been cut at six week stage
Digestibility of green fodder at 50% flowering
Of newly opened flowers
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not pigmented | White |
| 1 | Wing pigmented: standard with light V-shaped pattern of pigment at top center | |
| 2 | Pigmented margins on wing and standard | |
| 3 | Wing pigmented: standard lightly pigmented | |
| 4 | Wing with pigmented upper margin, standard is pigmented | |
| 5 | Completely pigmented | |
| 6 | Other |
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | |
| 2 | Violet | |
| 3 | Mauve-pink | |
| 4 | Other |
Ameasure of flowers size: the mean length of 10 freshly opened, randomly selected standard petals
Days from first flowers to stage when 50% of plants have finished flowering
Mean of 10 randomly selected plants
Recorded when peduncles have grown full length. Mean length of 10 peduncles, one from each of 10 randomly selected plants
Recorded under total insect control. Mean of 10 randomly selected peduncles
Mean number of mature pods from 10 randomly selected plants
Mean width of the 10 pods measured for length in 4.2.10
Legend:
Of mature pod
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pale tan or straw | |
| 2 | Dark tan | |
| 3 | Drak brown | |
| 4 | Black or dark purple | |
| 5 | Other |
Mean of 10 mature seeds excluding those from the extremities of pods
Mean width from hilum to keel of the 10 seeds measured for length in 6.3.1
Mean thickness of the 10 seeds measured for length in 6.3.1; measured perpendicular to length and width
A visual estimate of seed compression, being indicative of spacing within the pod
Legend:
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Absent | |
| 1 | Present | Testa split exposing cotyledons |
| Code | Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Testa not firmly attached to seed | |
| 1 | Testa firmly attached to seed |