Full Length Research Paper

Plants regeneration from African cowpea variety (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)

Mamadou Saliou Diallo*, Aliou Ndiaye, Maurice Sagna and Yaye Kène Gassama-Dia

Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: mshdiallo@yahoo.fr.

Accepted 31 October, 2007

Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. plant was efficiently regenerated from cotyledonary node explants. The shoots multiplication rate was influenced by the presence or the absence of cotyledons. Explants with two entire cotyledons from 5-6-d-old seedling produced the greater number of shoots (8.30) after two weeks on B5 medium supplemented with 1 mg.l^-1 BAP.  Shoots elongation is optimal on media supplemented with kinetin. Rooting is improved after an induction phase on half strength MS, producing 95.83% of rooted plants. No confined atmosphere surrounding plantlets is essential for survival during acclimatization. The regenerated plants flowered and produced pods and viable seeds.

Key words:  In vitro regeneration, cowpea, cotyledonary node, B5, hypocotyl, cotyledon.