Stability analysis for yield and some of yield component traits in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] germplasm in hot arid climate

The present study carried out to identify cowpea genotypes suitable for summer season in arid and semi-arid zones of India appeared important for its sustained increase the cultivation. Thirty-eight accessions of cowpea including 3 checks (V-585, FTC-27, GC-3) were evaluated during five consecutive (2012 - 2016) kharif seasons to estimate stability of performance for nine quantitative traits. The G × E interaction variance was significant for all the observed characters except peduncle length and plant height, suggesting that yield was inconsistent in different years. However, the present study revealed that the genotype C-863 with higher mean performance with compared to check, non-significant deviation from regression line and regression coefficient less than unity was most suitable for favourable environments for the characters like seed yield per plant and number of clusters per plant. The genotypes C-863, C-1085, C-956 for seed yield per plant, C-1013 and C-1126 for number of pods per plant, C-1133 for number  of  clusters per plant and C-863 and C-1089 for number of peduncles per plant may be effectively used for future cowpea breeding programmes.