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Cowpea agronomic traits needed by producers and consumers should be considered in the breeding
programmes. They vary with the target zone. Among those indicated in tropical zone appear:
earliness, erect growth habit, resistance to the enemies (insect pests, pathogens, weeds), drought
tolerance, high and stable seed yield, high harvest index, and appropriate seed quality. The
importance, the inheritance, the heritability, and the possibility of improvement of those traits are
reviewed. The research results reported indicate that some of the traits are monogenic or oligogenic
whereas others are polygenic. Dissimilarities in the results, probably due to the materials and the
methods used, have been noted for some traits . Heritability estimates reported are low, moderate or
high depending on trait, population, environment, and computation method. Breeding for the traits
considered can be successful if adequate methods are used.
Key words: agronomic traits, breeding, cowpea, genetics, tropical zone.