Aluminium tolerance: a determinant factor to cowpea Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabales: Fabaceae) productivity

Foluso Ologundudu , Oluwatoyin Ajayi , Oluwaseun Ajayi , Idowu Ajani and Seun Oladipupo

Abstract
Alternative approach to mitigate the negative consequences of aluminium toxicity on cowpea Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabales: Fabaceae) productivity cannot be overemphasized. The effects of aluminium toxicity on some morphological parameters of five cowpea accessions were investigated with the aim of determining the threshold of tolerance for the crop. Five cowpea accessions were collected from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. The seedlings were raised in perforated plastic pots filled with 10 kg of top soil and treated till maturity with 50 μm, 100 μm, 200 μm of AlCl₃ while those irrigated with tap water served as the control (0 μm). Variations were observed among accessions and treatments as plant height was accession dependent in contrast to stem girth, number of branches, root growth and shoot growth. Suppression of root growth among the accessions were attributed to more carbon allocation to the shoot at the expense of shoot growth leading to chlorosis, necrosis and reduced photosynthetic capacity among the accessions. Accession 5 was adjudged the best among the accessions based on the response to aluminium treatment. However, further research on the mechanism of tolerance especially at the molecular level is highly recommended.

Keywords
Tolerance; Productivity; Stress; Aluminium; Toxicity.

DOI
10.21472/bjbs.050911

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