Cowpea-YouTube.mov

Promising results from a crossbred cowpea variety has Texas AgriLife Research scientists hopeful that the drought-resistant trait will soon be available to producers.

Though commonly consumed as a food staple, the cowpea (commonly known as the black-eyed pea) has lots of potential to expand into the feedstock sector in both livestock and cropping systems, according to Dr. B.B. Singh, a visiting professor in the soil and crop sciences department at Texas A&M University.
"Drought is one of the major constraints to agriculture across the world," Singh said. "The breeders are trying to develop drought-tolerant varieties. Screening for this in the field is very difficult. What we've done is bring the drought inside the greenhouse and so far, we've seen some very favorable results."

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/01/31/promising-results-for-breeding-drought-r...

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• Texas AgriLife Research