Hayes and Garber - Cucurbit Breeding

COWPEAS, SOYBEANS, AND VELVET BEANS 145
Mendelian way and hence is relatively easy to transfer and isolate
by crossing and selection.
Some Results of Selection and Crossing.
The characteristics
of an ideal cowpea are resistance to nematodes and wilt, upright
habit of growth with pods borne high, and high yielding ability.
With this ideal in view the United States Department of Agriculture
has conducted extensive investigations.
Attention was first called to the Iron cowpea by T. S. Williams
of Monetta, S. C. He found it would thrive on "pea-sick" soil
where other varieties were a complete failure. On learning of
this resistant variety, Orton gave it
it possessed resistance.
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a thorough trial and found
Measures were immediately taken to in-
FIG. 33. Iron cowpea vs. Black and Taylor, showing comparative resistance
to the wilt and the root-knot. Iron in center and Black and Taylor at right
and left respectively. (After Orton.)
crease and disseminate the Iron cowpea generally throughout the
southern United States. Because the Iron variety did not produce
as large yields of seed and forage as some other varieties
such as Unknown, breeding was resorted to for the purpose of
producing a high-yielding resistant strain
(Webber and Orton,
1902; Orton, 1902).
In addition to disease resistance this variety has a relatively
upright, bushy habit of growth but the seed production is low.
At first a large number of sprawly forms, 4 such as Red Ripper,
Clay, Black, and Unknown were crossed with Iron. None of
the segregates from these crosses proved particularly desirable.
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