Inheritance of Resistance to Blackeye Cowpea Mosaic Virus in White Acre-BVR' Cowpea

Abstract

Reciprocal crosses were made between `White Acre-BVR', resistant to blackeye cowpea mosaic virus (BICMV), and the susceptible `California Blackeye No. 5' cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]. Seedlings from `California Blackeye No. 5', `White Acre-BVR', F 1 , F 2 , and backcrosses were mechanically inoculated with BICMV, and evaluated 4 weeks later for symptom expression in the greenhouse. Plants were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The resistance observed in the F 1 and progeny from the backcross to the resistant parent indicated that resistance to BICMV in `White Acre-BVR' was dominant. Furthermore, a 1 resistant: 1 susceptible segregation of progeny from the backcross to the susceptible parent and a 3 resistant: 1 susceptible segregation of the F 2 progenies suggested that the resistance to BICMV in `White Acre-BVR' was conferred by a single dominant gene.