BACKGROUND The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Wap.) is an excellent source of iron and zinc. However, iron from plant sources is poorly absorbed compared with iron from animal sources. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate iron and zinc bioaccessibility in cowpea cultivars after processing. METHODS Zinc and iron bioaccessibilities in cowpea samples were determined based on an...

The existence of a hydrogen uptake host-regulated (Hup-hr) phenotype was established among the soybean bradyrhizobia. The Hup-hr phenotype is characterized by the expression of uptake hydrogenase activity in symbiosis with cowpea but not soybean. Uptake hydrogenase induction is not possible under free-living cultural conditions by using techniques developed for uptake hydrogenase-positive (Hup)...

Griffonia simplicifolia leaf lectin II (GSII), a plant defense protein against certain insects, consists of an N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-binding large subunit with a small subunit having sequence homology to class III chitinases. Much of the insecticidal activity of GSII is attributable to the large lectin subunit, because bacterially expressed recombinant large subunit (rGSII) inhibited gro...

Nematode egg hatch is an important phase in the life cycle (1). Factors that influence this process may have a highly significant effect upon the survival of the nematode, its generation time, and its ability to incite disease. Root diffusates and seasonal changes in environmental, physical, and chemical factors that are related to diapause in unhatched larvae affect the hatching of plant-paras...

The effect of nitrate on symbiotic nitrogen fixation by root nodules of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L., Walp., cv. California Blackeye) and lupine (Lupinus augustifolius L., cv. Frost) plants inoculated with nitrate reductase-expressing and nitrate reductase-nonexpressing Rhizobium strains were examined. Nitrate reductase of Rhizobium bacteroids in the nodules of cowpea and lupine reduced nitrate...

The cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus Fabr.) is the most destructive pest of the cowpea bean; it reduces seed quality. To control this pest, resistance testing combined with genetic analysis using molecular markers has been widely applied in research. Among the markers that show reliable results, the inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) (microsatellites) are noteworthy. This study was pe...

Genetically modified (GM) cowpea seeds expressing αAI-1, an α-amylase inhibitor from the common bean, have been shown to be immune against several bruchid species. Effective control of such pests by growing GM cowpea could promote the spread of bruchid species that are αAI-1 tolerant. Consequently, the sustainability of bruchid pest control could be increased by combining GM seeds and hymenopte...

Viral attacks on natural populations of herbaceous forage legumes might have adverse effect on seed and herbage production, hence this study was carried out to investigate the type and incidence of viruses occurring on these plants in Nigeria. Protein A-sandwich (PAS) and antigen-coated plate (ACP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to detect ten legume viruses from 100 leaf s...

Field experiment was conducted to investigate the combine use of animal manure and inorganic fertilizer on growth and yield performance of vegetable cowpea. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments. Poultry manure, cattle manure and goat manure were evaluated with recommended level of inorganic fertilizer for vegetable cowpea. The highest cr...

It is often claimed that programmed cell death (pcd) exists in plants and that a form of pcd known as the hypersensitive response is triggered as a defense mechanism by microbial pathogens. However, in contrast to animals, no feature in plants universally identifies or defines pcd. We have looked for a hallmark of pcd in animal cells, namely, DNA cleavage, in plant cells killed by infection wit...