Generation Means Analysis of three Seeds antinutrients in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)

Cowpea seeds are recognized to contain some anti-nutritional factors that reduce their nutritional values. The objective of this work was to evaluate the content of tannins, flavonoids and phytic acid of cowpea seeds and to study their genetic control by using generation's means analysis (GMA).F1 and F2generations as well as backcross populations (BC1 and BC2) were produced in three hybrid combinations by crossingsix selected lines. Variation among tested varieties was from 55.12 mg GAE/100 g dw(24-125B) to 233.92 mg GAE/100 g dw(IT97K-573-1-1) for tannins, 60.90 mg/100 g dw (24-125B) to 557.91 mg/100 g dw (BR1) for phytates and 363.64 mg RE/100 g dw (24-125B) to 453.93 mg RE/100 g dw (BR1) for flavonoids. Broad-sense heritability values (0.86 to 0.99), narrow-sense heritability values (0.06 to 0.50)andanalysis of gene effects suggested that the antinutrients studied were controlled by additive and non-additive genes. Significant epistatic effects were found in several crossesand a duplicate type of epistasis was observed. These results suggested that breeding for increased tannins, flavonoids and phytates contents in cowpea seeds would be quite efficient through recurrent selection and selection in advanced generations.