Biotic Stress-resilient Cowpea Breeding: Harnessing Genetic Diversity and Biotechnological Tools for Sustainable Food Security

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a protein-rich seed legume that supports food and nutritional security in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly where farming systems face variable climatic conditions. However, its productivity remains constrained by major biotic stresses, including fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases, insect pests, nematodes, and parasitic weeds. This review synthesises the manuscript’s discussion of genetic diversity, resistance sources, breeding objectives, resistance mechanisms, and conventional and advanced breeding approaches for improving biotic stress resilience in cowpea. It highlights the contribution of germplasm collections, wild relatives, and resistant accessions to broadening the genetic base and supporting resistance breeding. The review also considers conventional methods, including selection, hybridisation, backcrossing, mutation breeding, and wide hybridisation, alongside molecular and genomic approaches such as marker-assisted selection, QTL mapping, genomic selection, speed breeding, transgenic technologies, RNA interference, and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. The manuscript indicates that biotechnology, including Bt cowpea and alpha-amylase inhibitor-based strategies, can contribute to pest management where suitable natural resistance is limited. Overall, integrating conventional breeding, molecular tools, genomic resources, and biotechnology with global germplasm utilisation is presented as a practical pathway for developing cowpea cultivars with improved resistance, stable productivity, and relevance to sustainable food security under changing environmental conditions.