The story of cowpea (black-eyed peas) is a fascinating example of how science can solve the world's biggest problems—even more fascinating is the story of the scientist behind the research. B.B. Singh wrote this book to serve as an accessible summary of cowpea breeding, management,and use. He has devoted his life's work to solving the ""protein gap"" of the Green Revolution in which the emphasis on corn and wheat neglected the protein-rich legumes vital to plant-based nutrition. Today,under his careful tending, cowpea truly has become the food legume of the century. From genetics to recipes, he gives a full account of how cowpea belongs in our global agriculture and in every diet. Along the way, he shares his inspiring story.
This report is the second in a series of three evaluating underexploited African plant resources that could help broaden and secure Africa's food supply. The volume describes the characteristics of 18 little-known indigenous African vegetables (including tubers and legumes) that have potential as food- and cash-crops but are typically overlooked by scientists and policymakers and in the world at large. The book assesses the potential of each vegetable to help overcome malnutrition, boost food security, foster rural development, and create sustainable landcare in Africa. Each species is described in a separate chapter, based on information gathered from and verified by a pool of experts throughout the world. Volume I describes African grains and Volume III African fruits.
Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.
Cowpea: taxonomy, genetics, and breeding, physiology and agronomy, diseases and parasitic weeds, insect pests, postharvest technology and utilization. Biotechnological applications.
Cowpea is a versatile crop that is well-adapted to poor conditions. This, combined with its high nutrition value, gives cowpea the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change and save millions of people from hunger and malnutrition. In Cowpea: Research Progress and Management Challenges, the authors discuss how the increased productivity of cowpea can enhance agribusiness opportunities for people in developing countries and lower costs while increasing income under changing climate conditions.Promising cowpea cultivars are under great threat for profitable cultivation due to the attack of factors such as: fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, nutritional deficiency toxicity, water stress and temperature. Thus, this compilation reviews the present status of fungal and bacterial diseases of this important crop.Next, recent developments about the plant are reviewed which show high recalcitrance to in vitro regeneration and genetic transformation, using different genes of interest, since the 1980s. The main focus of the study included a comparison of protocols for sterilization, types of explants used, growth mediums, cultural conditions, rooting, acclimatization and genetic transformation of cowpea.The authors also discuss the biological and pharmacological aspects of cowpea. Some health benefits include toning the spleen, stomach and pancreas, helping induce urination and relieving damp conditions. Cowpea contains the highest concentration of antioxidant compounds. It also has a small amount of iron, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.Next, this collection focuses on how cowpea bean protein hydrolysates are obtained, their pharmacological activities and potential toxicity, as well as the potential inclusion of protein hydrolysates or biopeptides into products where they may act like health promoting functional foods/dietary supplements.The authors propose that efforts should focus on the search for increasingly localized, highly effective inoculants adapted for particular cowpea cultivars over a given environmental setting. To demonstrate this, a review is included which will analyzes some of the most pertinent challenges in the search and development of effective cowpea inoculants and suggestions on the way forward.In conclusion, research on the utility of cowpea based diets in domestic ruminants is reviewed, and the translational impacts of these studies for food security and safety and public health has been highlighted.
Cowpea (also called Southernpea and Blackeyed Pea) is a highly nutritious crop particularly suited to the stressful growing conditions of tropical Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Intensive research programmes in centres around the world have, in recent years, greatly improved the crops' yield, our efficiency in growing it and methods of processing the end product.
