Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA Saria), Laboratoire de Génétique et de Biotechnologie végétales, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Aims: Seed is the first basic input in agriculture, which is why seed production remains a key sector in a country’s agricultural development. However, germination capacity is extremely important in the context of seed exchange. The aim of this study is to evaluate the seed quality of five cowpea varieties.
Methodology: One hundred (100) seeds of five cowpea varieties (Issa SOSSO, Neerwaya, Makoyin, Teeksongo and Yipoussi) were germinated in three germination tests (field test, Petri dish test and pot test). For this purpose, an Alpha design device with one repetition and five elementary plots for the germination test in open ground; 20 Petri dishes for the germination test in Petri dishes and 25 pots for the germination test in pots, were used to set up the various tests. Parameters such as germination rate, average germination time and seedling vigor were collected.
Results: The results showed that the Issa SOSSO variety performed best in terms of germination rate (100%) in Petri dishes, while the Yipoussi variety performed best in pots (91%) and in the field (94%). In addition, a good germination capacity ranging from 88% to 100% in Petri dishes, from 59% to 91% in pots and from 60% to 94% in the field was observed in this study. However, the results of this work showed that the germination test in Petri dishes is the best method for testing the germinative vigour of seeds.
Conclusion: On the other hand, the best seedling vigor performances were observed in pots and in the field. The good germinative capacity of seeds of the different varieties (>50%) observed could help boost cowpea production in Burkina Faso.