Vigna

Background: Urdbean’s low productivity is largely due to its susceptibility against whitefly-transmitted mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) disease. The effect of Salicylic acid (SA) on MYMV disease resistance and its impact on seed yield under field conditions on diverse genotypes is largely unknown. Therefore, in present investigation, we have analysed the effect of SA on induction of antioxidant enzymes leading to MYMV resistance and enhanced seed yield in urdbean genotypes. Methods: Different concentrations of SA were sprayed on 3 week-old susceptible urdbean genotype (LBG 623) and induction of antioxidant enzymes was analysed. A pot experiment was conducted to see the effect of SA on initial induction of antioxidant enzymes maintained over long period of time in 39 urdbean genotypes. Under field conditions, the effect of SA treatment on MYMV disease resistance and seed yield was assessed. Result: Rise in antioxidant enzyme production was observed in SA treated urdbean plants c...

Among classicists, archaeobotanists and agricultural historians, the meaning of the word phasolus (ϕασηλος
in Greek) is ambiguous. While Latin scholars have agreed that the word refers to a type of pulse or bean, there are various interpretations and subsequent identifications as to which botanical species is meant. The current paper aims to address this ambiguity by assessing the validity of the proposed interpretations. This will be done on three levels. First, the a priori feasibility of the interpretations will be ascertained. Second, all classical mentions of phasolus, both in Greek and Latin, will be reviewed and analysed. The aim of this step is to find what biological traits and characteristics were associated with phasolus, which may aid in confirming or rebuking an identification. Thirdly, we will assess the archaeobotanical evidence pertaining to the proposed interpretations for the Roman period. This paper includes the assessment of several classical sources previously absent from the debate as well as a new botanical identification of a key archaeobotanical
sample previously used to prove the presence of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in the Mediterranean during Antiquity.

Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper belongs to the family Papilionaceae. It is an erect hairy annual plant with long twining branches. The flowers are small and yellow in color, while fruits are cylindrical. The pods are hairy containing 1-4 seeds per pod. Seeds are used as nervine tonic and in urinary reflex disorder. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, vitamin C and steroids. Seeds posses antidiabetic, antioxidant and hypolipidemic properties. The present review provides an updated information on its medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal. (Papilionaceae) is a medicinally important plant and is used for the treatment of different diseases specially in dermatological disorders. Alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and phytic acid have been reported from this plant. Antioxidant, antidiabetic and hypocholesterolemic activities are also shown by Vigna aconitifolia. The present review is an attempt to compile all the previous data on the basis of its medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology reported in the previous articles.

Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Papilionaceae) is a medicinally important plant and is used for the treatment of different diseases.  Alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and phytic acid have been reported from this plant. Antioxidant, antidiabetic and hypocholestrolemic activities are reported by Vigna unguiculata. The present review is an attempt to compile all the previous data on the basis of its medicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology reported in the previous articles.

Biochar is the carbonized material produced from biomass and is used in several environmental applications. The biochar characteristics depend on the carbonization conditions and feedstock. The suitability of a given biochar for soil improvement depends on the biochar characteristics, soil properties, and target plants. Biochar has been applied at 1-20% (w/w) in the soil, but currently there is a lack of information on what type and concentration of biochar are most suitable for a specific plant and soil quality. Too much biochar will reduce plant growth because of the high alkalinity of biochar, which will cause long-term soil alkalinity. In contrast, too little biochar might be insufficient to enhance plant productivity. In this study, a suitable concentration of cassava stem (an abundant agricultural waste in Thailand) biochar produced at 350 °C was evaluated for green bean (Vigna radiata L.) growth from germination to seed production in pots over 8 weeks. The soil fertility was ...

Background Phenology data collected recently for about 300 accessions of Vigna radiata (mungbean) is an invaluable resource for investigation of impacts of climatic factors on plant development. Results We developed a new mathematical model that describes the dynamic control of time to flowering by daily values of maximal and minimal temperature, precipitation, day length and solar radiation. We obtained model parameters by adaptation to the available experimental data. The models were validated by cross-validation and used to demonstrate that the phenology of adaptive traits, like flowering time, is strongly predicted not only by local environmental factors but also by plant geographic origin and genotype. Conclusions Of local environmental factors maximal temperature appeared to be the most critical factor determining how faithfully the model describes the data. The models were applied to forecast time to flowering of accessions grown in Taiwan in future years 2020-2030.

A field experiment was conducted during <italic>kharif</italic> season 2013 to estimate the correlations and path coefficients for ten quantitative characters among 72 cowpea germplasm. Seed yield per plant had positive significant correlation with days to 50% flowering, plant height, primary branches per plant, pods per plant, pod length, seeds per pod and 100-seed weight at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that primary branches per plant and 100-seed weight had high direct positive effect on seed yield per plant at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Pod length, days to maturity, 100 seed weight and pod wall proportion had high positive direct effects on seed yield per plant at only genotypic level. Correlation and path analysis indicated that for increasing seed yield in cowpea direct selection should be carried out for higher values of primary branches per plant, pods length, days to maturity and 100 seed weight.

Mung bean has become an important cash and food crop in dry land areas of Ethiopia. However, there is no sufficient research information on the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers rates for the crop in the study area. Thus, field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of N and P fertilizer rates on growth, yield components and yield of mung bean under irrigation at Nura-Era, central Ethiopia. The treatments consisted of factorial combinations of three N fertilizer rates (0, 23 and 46 kg N ha-1) in the form of Urea (46% N) and five P fertilizer rates (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg P ha-1) in the form of Triple Superphosphate (20% P)  laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Result of the main effect of nitrogen rate showed significantly highest number of primary branches per plant (4.25), number of  pods per plant (17.7), and 100 seed weight (4.94 g) at 23 kg N ha-1. Similarly, the main effect of P fertilizer rate showed that the appli...

Changes in consumer demand for new pastries due to the high rate of diabetes, obesity and celiac disease are causing an unprecedented spur in the processing and ingredient system developments within the pastry production sector. Consumers demand healthier pastries that are low in sugar, fat, cholesterol, and calories in general and contain in addition health-promoting components such as protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and fibres. This project reports the proximate, mineral, functional and sensory characteristics of cakes produced from blends of wheat and cowpea flour using date as a sweetener. Six cake samples were produced with different formulations which include wheat flour and sugar (WHS), wheat flour and date fruit extracts (WHD), composite flour of wheat and cowpea in the ratio 50:50 with sugar (COS) and dates respectively (COD) and cowpea flour with sugar (CWS) and date fruit extracts (CWD) respectively. The protein content of the wheat, cowpea and composite flours ranged b...

Cowpea seed β-vignin, a vicilin-like globulin, proved to exert various health favourable effects, including blood cholesterol reduction in animal models. The need of a simple scalable enrichment procedure for further studies for tailored applications of this seed protein is crucial. A chromatography-independent fractionation method allowing to obtain a protein preparation with a high degree of homogeneity was used. Further purification was pursued to deep the molecular characterisation of β-vignin. The results showed: (i) differing glycosylation patterns of the two constituent polypeptides, in agreement with amino acid sequence features; (ii) the seed accumulation of a gene product never identified before; (iii) metal binding capacity of native protein, a property observed only in few other legume seed vicilins.

Mungbean is one of the most important grain legumes with high-quality dietary protein in India as well in many other Asian countries. But the crop is severely affected by bruchids (Callosobruchus spp.) from field to storage condition. These storage pests not only affect the yield but also reduce the market value and quality of the crops. The chemical method of bruchid management is not economical and environmentally unsafe. So, the host-plant resistance to bruchids would be the best alternative and most sustainable way to control the bruchid. A very limited number of wild accessions and cultivated genotypes are available for the transfer of bruchid resistance gene through conventional breeding. Thus, insights into the molecular mechanism of resistance will help to find out the resistance genes/QTLs easily with the support of available genome sequence and that can be introgressed to the cultivated varieties through marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) approach. Therefore, in thi...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculataL. Walp.) is a legume crop that is resilient to hot and drought-prone climates, and a primary source of protein in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world. However, genome resources for cowpea have lagged behind most other major crop plants. Here we describe foundational genome resources and their application to analysis of germplasm currently in use in West African breeding programs. Resources developed from the African cultivar IT97K-499-35 include bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries and a BAC-based physical map, assembled sequences from 4,355 BACs, as well as a whole-genome shotgun (WGS) assembly. These resources and WGS sequences of an additional 36 diverse cowpea accessions supported the development of a genotyping assay for over 50,000 SNPs, which was then applied to five biparental RIL populations to produce a consensus genetic map containing 37,372 SNPs. This genetic map enabled the anchoring of 100 Mb of WGS and 420 Mb...

Assessment of genetic diversity of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (cowpea) accessions using informative molecular markers is imperative for their genetic improvement and conservation. Use of efficacious molecular markers to obtain the required knowledge of the genetic diversity within the local and regional germplasm collections can enhance the overall effectiveness of cowpea improvement programs, hence, the comparative assessment of Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and Start codon targeted (SCoT) markers in genetic diversity of V. unguiculata accessions from different regions in Nigeria. Comparative analysis of the genetic diversity of eighteen accessions from different locations in Nigeria was investigated using ISSR and SCoT markers. DNA extraction was done using Zymogen Kit according to its manufacturer's instructions followed by amplifications with ISSR and SCoT and agarose gel electrophoresis. The reproducible bands were scored for analyses of dendrograms, principal compon...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important legume crop due to its high protein content, adaptation to heat and drought and capacity to fix nitrogen. Europe has a deficit of cowpea production. Knowledge of genetic diversity among cowpea landraces is important for the preservation of local varieties and is the basis to obtain improved varieties. The aims of this study were to explore diversity and the genetic structure of a set of Iberian Peninsula cowpea accessions in comparison to a worldwide collection and to infer possible dispersion routes of cultivated cowpea. The Illumina Cowpea iSelect Consortium Array containing 51,128 SNPs was used to genotype 96 cowpea accessions including 43 landraces and cultivars from the Iberian Peninsula, and 53 landraces collected worldwide. Four subpopulations were identified. Most Iberian Peninsula accessions clustered together with those from other southern European and northern African countries. Only one accession belonged to another subp...

We investigated the hypocholesterolemic and liver-protective effects of cooked and germinated whole mung beans. Hamsters were fed for 28 days on diets rich in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, differing only in protein source (20%): casein, cooked whole mung bean, and germinated mung bean. After 28 days, we found reduced plasma concentrations of total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, increased faecal cholesterol excretion, and reduced levels of asparagine aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzymes in the liver. Reduction in hepatic lipid deposition was observed between each of the mung bean groups relative to the casein group. In addition, the animals of the geminated mung bean group showed a lack of inflammatory infiltrate and better vascularisation of the hepatic tissue. Results from this study show significant hypocholesterolemic and liver-protective properties of the mung bean, which are further enhanced after germination.

The diversity of components for fourproteinase inhibitors found in species ofthe genus Vigna subgenus Ceratotropis are described. Trypsin,chymotrypsin, subtilisin and cysteineproteinase inhibitors were analyzedby isoelectric focusing followed by thegelatin replica method. Of these proteinaseinhibitors, trypsin inhibitors showedmost polymorphism both within and betweenspecies. Many trypsin inhibitor componentswere also active to chymotrypsin. Severalaccessions had very low levels or absenceof some inhibitors, such as very low levelsof trypsin inhibitor in two accessions ofthe V. tenuicaulis and absence ofchymotrypsin inhibitors in V.grandiflora and V. subramaniana.Proteinase inhibitor polymorphism broadlyagreed with the taxonomic system for thesubgenus Ceratotropis. Based oninhibitor variation species analyzed couldbe divided into three groups whichcorresponding to sections Aconitifoliae, Angulares and Ceratotropis. Some species have verylittle variation in trypsin inhibitorsdespite wide distribution, such as, V.radiata and V. reflexo-pilosa.Accessions of other species showedconsiderable intraspecific variation fortrypsin inhibitors, such as, V.grandiflora, V. aconitifolia andV. stipulacea. Proteinase inhibitorpolymorphism provides an indication of thespecies that may have contributed a genometo the tetraploid species, V. reflexo-pilosa.

The effect of drought on plant water relations and photosynthesis of Vigna glabrescens (Vg) and Vigna unguiculata (cvs. 1183, EPACE-1 and Lagoa), which differ in their drought resistance, was compared. With the increase of drought severity, Vg showed a more gradual stomatal closure and maintained significantly higher levels of stomatal conductance (gs) and photosynthetic activity (PN) than the other genotypes even when minimum relative water content (RWC) values were observed. Furthermore, Vg was the only genotype able to accumulate significant amounts of proline already under moderate water deficit, what could explain the lower osmotic potential (ψs) values observed in these plants. The three V. unguiculata cultivars presented a similar stomatal control under increasing water deficit. A mesophyllic impairment of photosynthetic capacity (Pmax) was detected for cv. 1183 from the beginning of drought onset (85-75 % RWC) while in the Vg plants the values remained unaffected along the whole drought period, indicating that PN decrease observed in this genotype is mainly a consequence of stomatal closure. Such Pmax maintenance suggests the existence of a high mesophyllic ability to cope with increasing tissue dehydration in Vg.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an important legume crop with enormous nutritional, agronomic and economic value. Cowpea constitutes a large portion of the daily diet among many people in Africa, Asia, Central America, and Southern America. The United States was among the top 10 global producers of cowpea until 1967, when cowpea was grown primarily for soil management and livestock feed. With the projected increase in the minority population in the United States, from 25% in 1992 to 47% in 2050, it is expected that the consumption of cowpea in the nation will increase substantially. In this review, we provide information about cowpea production systems and prospects in the United States.

Freezing represents a common conservation practice, regarding vegetal foodstuffs. Since compositional features need to be monitored during storage, the development of rapid monitoring tools, suitable for assessing the nutritional characteristics, arises as a pertinent issue. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) pods have been evaluated, concerning their content of protein, as well as of essential and nonessential amino acids, either fresh or after 6 and 9 months of freezing at -18 °C, resorting to HPLC, while their FTIR spectra were concomitantly registered both within the MIR and NIR ranges to assess the feasibility of this approach for the traceability of these frozen matrices. For the NIR interval, the application of the 1(st) derivative to the spectral data retrieved the best results, while for lower concentrations the application of the SG algorithm was indispensable to achieve quantification models for the amino acids. MIR is also suitable for this purpose, though being unable to qua...

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of different levels of mung bean flour as meat substitute on the sensory quality of burger patties, determine the physicochemical properties, and compare production costs of burger patties containing varying levels ofmung bean flour. The mung bean flour was prepared by drying and grinding the mung bean seeds. Five levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50%) of mung bean was used as replacement for lean meat in the formulation with 0% mung bean flour used as control. The physicochemical composition of the patties was determined. The sensory attributes were evaluated by thirty semi—trained panelists. Data on physicochemical characteristics were analyzed by one—way analysis of variance (ANOVA) while quality description of the sensory attributes were evaluated in combination with the 9-Point Hedonic Scale and the mean acceptability ratings were analyzed using Friedman Test. Thirty percent mung bean flour substitute is possible to the production of burg...

Among the biotic stresses that affect cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L) productivity, infestation by cowpea bruchid beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus) is a major problem, causing yield losses of up to 100 %. To alleviate this problem, use of resistant varieties is a feasible approach for small-scale farmers. In Zambia, there are no reported sources of resistance to C. maculatus. The objectives of this study were: i) to evaluate certain cowpea mutants, generated at the University of Zambia, for resistance to C. maculatus; ii) to cluster the tested genotypes based on height, number of pods per plant, 100-seed weight, yield ha-1, number of eggs laid and adult emergence; and iii) to evaluate the candidate mutants for protein content. Experiments were conducted at three locations in 2014/15. The mutants, LT 11-5-2-2, BB 7-9-7-5 and BB-14-16-22, were found to be resistant to C. maculatus across locations and they out-performed their respective parents (p

Assessment of genetic diversity of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (cowpea) accessions using informative molecular markers is imperative for their genetic improvement and conservation. Use of efficacious molecular markers to obtain the required knowledge of the genetic diversity within the local and regional germplasm collections can enhance the overall effectiveness of cowpea improvement programs, hence, the comparative assessment of Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and Start codon targeted (SCoT) markers in genetic diversity of V. unguiculata accessions from different regions in Nigeria. Comparative analysis of the genetic diversity of eighteen accessions from different locations in Nigeria was investigated using ISSR and SCoT markers. DNA extraction was done using Zymogen Kit according to its manufacturer's instructions followed by amplifications with ISSR and SCoT and agarose gel electrophoresis. The reproducible bands were scored for analyses of dendrograms, principal compon...

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) is a leguminous pulse crop that is a major source of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Root infecting fungi produce severe plant diseases like root rot, charcoal rot, damping-off and stem rot. The soil-borne pathogens can be control by chemicals, but these chemicals have several negative effects. Use of microbial antagonist like fungi and bacteria is a safe, effective and eco-friendly method for the control of many soil-borne pathogens. Biological control agents promote plant growth and develop disease resistance. Application of bacteria and fungi as seed dressing suppressed the root infecting fungi on leguminous crops. Seeds of mungbean pelleted with different biocontrol agents to see their effect on plant growth and colonization of roots by root infecting fungi viz., Fusarium solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Pythium aphanidermatum, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii. Treatment of mungbean seeds with fungal antagonists showed more shoot and root length as compared to bacterial antagonists. Whereas, seed treated with bacterial antagonists showed maximum shoot and root weight. Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis were the best among all the biocontrol agents since they provided the highest plant growth and greater reduction in root colonization by all root infecting fungi. Bacillus cereus, Trichoderma virens, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Micrococcus varians were also effective against root infecting fungi but to a lesser extinct. T. harzianum, T. virens, B. subtilis and P. fluorescens were found to be best among all biocontrol agents. The root infecting fungi can be control by pelleting seeds with biocontrol agents as it is safe and effective method. Beside this plant growth promoted more by this method.

Brown pepper (Piper guineense) seed powder, used for culinary and medicinal purposes, was evaluated in the laboratory with a conventional storage chemical, actellic 2% dust (Pirimiphos-methyl), as standard, to protect stored cowpea against the cowpea bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus. Four rates of the seed powder were used (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 g/100 g seed with a control, 0.0 g) while actellic dust was applied at 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 g/100 g seed and 0.0 g/100 g seed as control. Data on percentage mortality, oviposition, adult emergence and seed damage were collected over a six-month period. Weevil perforation indexes (WPI) were estimated with the seed damage data. All data were analysed for variance at P≤0.05. Actellic dust at the lowest dose inflicted adult mortality (90 – 100%) in the first 48 h after treatment and prevented oviposition (95 – 100%) in the first five months of storage compared to the control. The highest rate of Piper guineense application caused mortality of up to 90.0% ...

Here an efficient protocol for micropropagation of black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] cv. VBN 3 is reported. The deembryonated cotyledonary explants were cultured on MS medium containing different concentrations of plant growth regulators. The maximum frequency (72%) of direct shoot regeneration (devoid of callus phase), multiple shoot induction and shoot elongation was achieved from culturing the explants on MS medium containing 3.0 mg/l of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Up to 65% of the regenerated shoots were rooted on MS medium containing 0.25 mg/l of á-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) within 3 weeks after subculturing. The in vitro-raised plantlets were successfully hardened first under culture room conditions with 62% survival rate and then in greenhouse. The identified regeneration system could be efficiently used in various in vitro manipulation studies in black gram as well.

The response of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) to inoculation with nitrogen fixing bacteria of genus Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium were tested in pot experiment. Three varieties of cowpea, 5 Bradyrhizobium strains and 1 Rhizobium strain were involved in the study. It was found that inoculation of cowpea with all Bradyrhizobium strains increased the nodule formation and grain yield. Inoculation with Rhizobium strain had positive effect on the studied parameters only in cowpea variety “Hrisi”. The effective pairs “cowpea variety – Bradyrhizobium strain” were suggested to be tested in field experiments.