Water restriction in cowpea plants [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]: Metabolic changes and tolerance induction

ABSTRACT Global climate change tends to intensify water unavailability, especially in semi-arid regions, directly impacting agricultural production. Cowpea is one of the crops with great socio-economic importance Brazilian region, cultivated mainly under rainfed farming and considered moderately tolerant restriction. This species has physiological biochemical mechanisms adaptation these stress factors, but there still no clear vision how responses can not only allow survival, also ensure yield advances field. Besides acclimation mechanisms, exogenous application abiotic (salicylic acid, silicon, proline, methionine, potassium nitrate) biotic (rhizobacteria) elicitors promising mitigating effects The present literature review discusses cowpea some cultivation techniques, elicitors, which contribute maintaining crop different scenarios. an alternative way increase sustainability production regions. However, use eliciting substances needs be carefully explored, given difficulties caused by genotypic edaphoclimatic variability field conditions.