Iqbal Javaid, Robert Dadson, Fawzy Hashem, and Jagmohan Joshi. 30921 Back Bone Rd, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Department of Agriculture, Princess Anne, MD 21853-1299
Cowpea is susceptible to various insect pests at various growth stages. Pod borers attack cowpea pods and affect crop yield and quality. Due to side effects of insecticides, non-chemical methods are being emphasized for the management of cowpea insect pests. Field experiments were conducted for a period of two growing seasons to evaluate 27 cowpea genotypes for resistance against pod borers. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. A random sample of pods was observed after harvest to study the incidence of cowpea borers. The results showed that genotypes Quickpick Pinkeye, Texas Cream 12 and Zipper Cream had significantly less number of pods attacked by pod borers. Cowpea genotypes, Quickpick Pinkeye and Texas Cream also showed antibiosis types of resistance against corn earworm in our previous laboratory studies. Resistance to pod borers in some of the cowpea genotypes could play an important role in cowpea pest management