Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. is the main legume crop in Africa. It is the main source of protein for half the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Nigeria is the most populous country in West Africa and also produces the largest quantity of cowpea. Its urban population is growing by leaps and bounds and hence it also imports a lot of cowpeas from all its neighbors. Cowpeas, also called beans, are consumed by approximately 400 million people in the tropics as part of their daily diet. . It is often called "poor man's meat" because beans are a very nutritious food, containing protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and micronutrients. Beans also provide income for millions of people, especially in Africa and Latin America. Cowpea is native to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and is grown on approximately 14 million hectares worldwide, more than 84% of which is in SSA. Between 1985 and 2007, the growth rate was 4.5% in the area planted with cowpea, 4.5% in cereal yields/ha and 5.9% in the quantity of cowpea produced. These data indicate that the increase in the quantity of cereals produced during the period resulted mainly from an expansion in land area and to a lesser extent from an improvement in yield/unit area. In well-managed experimental stations, yields of up to 2 t/ha can be obtained but overall the average yield is around 450 kg/ha. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is considered one of the market garden crops that are important for local consumption. Studies have shown that losses on legumes after harvest, during drying and storage are very high. This is due to pod bursting in the field, poor drying systems, insect damage, mold, insects and/or disease infestations which normally begin in the field and continue until to storage. Legumes may receive improper care on the farm or in temporary storage and be heavily invaded by fungi hidden in storage. When transferred to another warehouse, it can spoil more quickly than actually healthy legumes. Invasion by storage fungi can occur very soon after harvest. Conducive growth of mushrooms takes place during storage due to lack of storage facilities and good packaging materials. These factors provide a suitable environment for the successful establishment of fungi on food products. As fungi are serious pests of stored grains, their encroachment can cause serious damage such as decreased germination capacity, embryo discoloration, heating and moldiness, weight loss, etc. Additionally, fungi can degrade the tissues of foods, resulting in off-flavors and decreasing nutritional value. Cowpea storage has always been limited by pests and diseases leading to their deterioration. The main constraints in cowpea storage are insect pests and fungal diseases which cause various losses, including reduced germination capacity, discoloration, heating and moldiness, and change in taste. Examples of fungi responsible for this problem include: Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus. Fungi associated with stored foods and agricultural productshave been classified into two types, namely field mushrooms and storage mushrooms. Most storage fungi are molds. Although cereals naturally acquire a mold flora in the field and after harvest, they are normally of little importance unless environmental conditions favor fungal growth. Thus, poor storage conditions predispose grains to fungal deterioration, aggravated by insect damage. Climatic conditions in tropical countries often provide ideal conditions for heavy growth of mold that develops on or inside the seeds at the moisture content of the storage container. Therefore, for effective storage of cowpea, control measures should be adopted through the use of good storage containers, use of conventional chemicals and use of plant materials. People use different storage containers to store cowpea, the most common being polythene bags, sacks, plastic and tin cans. Additionally, most households add pesticides, such as phostoxin and fungicides, to stored cowpeas to control pests and diseases. Indiscriminate use of these chemicals can cause health and environmental hazards. Therefore, the use of environmentally friendly substances such as plant parts is necessary. Various plants are known for their antimicrobial properties and are used as promising biocontrol agents. Recently, Alkhail (2005) showed that aqueous extracts of plants, namely Allium sativum, Cymbopogon proxims, Carum carvi, Azadirachta indica and Eugenia caryophyllus, had strong antifungal activity against fungi, namely Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizoctonia solani. Most botanical pesticides are known to be general biocides or bioirritants. Therefore, any storage method aimed at preventing or delaying the invasion of these fungi and creating unfavorable conditions for their growth and multiplication will help improve quality. seeds.In this project work, the most effective storage equipment and/or container will be evaluated.Aim/General objectiveTo determine the effects of different containers and plants in seed quality management of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L .)Walp).Specific ObjectivesEvaluate the effects of different storage materials on seed health and their preservation potential.Evaluate the potency of different plants as biopesticides on seed storage.Identify the appropriate storage container and plant for seed maintenance. the health of cowpea during the storage period. Compare the effects of plants with a standard synthetic fungicide on the incidence and severity of seed-borne fungi of cowpea stored in different materials/containers. Literature Review There is a great deal of morphological diversity found within the crop, and growing conditions and grower preferences for each variety vary from region to region (Padulosil and Ng, 1997). However, as the plant is mainly self-pollinated, its genetic diversity within varieties is relatively low (Egbadzor et al., 2014). Cowpea can either be short and bushy (as short as 20 centimeters (7.9 in)) or act like a vine by climbing up supports or trailing along the ground (up to a height of 2 meters (6 .6 ft)) (Sheehan 2012; National Research Council 2016). The taproot can penetrate to a depth of 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) after eight weeks (Davis, 1991). The size and shape ofLeaves vary considerably, making it an important characteristic for classifying and distinguishing cowpea varieties (Pottorff et al., 2012). Another distinctive feature of cowpea are the long 20 to 50 centimeters (7.9 to 19.7 inches) peduncles that hold the flowers and pods. A peduncle can support four or more pods (Davis, 1991). Flower color varies through different shades of purple, pink, yellow, white, and blue (National Research Council 2016). The seeds and pods of wild cowpea are very small (Davis, 1991), while cultivated varieties can have pods between 10 and 110 centimeters. (3.9 and 43.3 inches) long (Rawal, 1975). A pod can contain 6 to 13 seeds, usually kidney-shaped, although seeds become increasingly spherical the more restricted they are within the pod (Sheahan 2012; Davis 1991). Their texture and color are very diverse. They may have a smooth or rough coat and be speckled, mottled or spotted. Colors include white, cream, green, red, brown and black or various combinations (Davis, 1991). Africa has been suggested as the center of origin of cowpea (Richard, 1847). This hypothesis has not been challenged because wild cowpea plants have been found in tropical Africa and Madagascar (Steele, 1976), 1 where they were probably domesticated after the Neolithic (Vanderborght, 2001). Pasquet (1991) suggests that the most likely ancestor of the domesticated cowpea is V. unguiculata ssp. unguiculate var. spontaneous. To precisely determine the site of domestication and the centers of diversity of cowpea, several studies have been carried out over the last decades, although a conclusive result has been difficult to obtain. Several hypotheses have been proposed for the domestication of cowpea, such as in Ethiopia (Steele 1976; Vavilov 1926; Pasquet 2000), in West Africa (Murdock 1959; Faris 1965; Rawal 1975; Vaillancourt and Weeden 1992; Ng 1995) and in eastern and southern Africa ( Baudoin and Maréchal, 1985). Coulibaly et al. (2002), using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and morphological data, concluded that the wild species originated in East Africa. In this case, domestication should have taken place in Northeast Africa and the domesticated plant was then probably dispersed to West Africa. According to Ng and Padulosi (1988), West Africa appears to be the center of the diversity of cultivated forms. “Diffuse” domestication in the African savannah after the dispersal of cereals has also been hypothesized (Steele 1986; Garba and Pasquet, 1988). This last hypothesis was presented by Harlan (1971), who considered that the cowpea was domesticated in Non-Central Africa. Regardless of the location of domestication, cowpea is an ancient legume that was domesticated by African gatherers, cultivators and farmers from its wild forms in Africa dating back to the Neolithic (Ba et al., 2004). During the Neolithic, cowpea was first introduced into India, then considered a secondary center of cowpea genetic diversity (Pant et al., 1982). The spread of cowpea to Asia occurred in the late Neolithic period (third millennium BC), where the asparagus or yardlong subspecies (V. unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis) is still cultivated for its long, immature pods (Xu et al., 2011), as well as in America between the 16th and 17th centuries (AD) (Padulosi and Ng, 1997). Although some reports suggest that cowpea has been cultivated in Europe at least since the 18th century BC and perhaps since prehistoric times (Coulibaly et al., 2002; Tosti and Negri, 2002), others suggest that it does not 'was introduced to Europe only around 300. British Columbia, where it still remains a culture.