Genotypic gain with simultaneous selection of production, nutrition, and culinary traits in cowpea crosses and...

The aim of this study was to estimate the genotypic gain with simultaneous selection of production, nutrition, and culinary traits in cowpea crosses and backcrosses and to compare different selection indexes. Eleven cowpea populations were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Fourteen traits were evaluated, and the following parameters were estimated: genotypic variation coefficient, genotypic determination coefficient, experimental quality indicator and selection reliability, estimated genotypic values ​​- BLUE, genotypic correlation coefficient among traits, and genotypic gain with simultaneous selection of all traits. The genotypic gain was estimated based on tree selection indexes: classical, multiplicative, and the sum of ranks. The genotypic variation coefficient was higher than the environmental variation coefficient for the number of days to start flowering, plant type, the weight of one hundred grains, grain index, and protein concentration. The majority of the traits presented genotypic determination coefficient from medium to high magnitude. The identification of increases in the production components is associated with decreases in protein concentration, and the increase in precocity leads to decreases in protein concentration and cooking time. The index based on the sum of ranks was the best alternative for simultaneous selection of traits in the cowpea segregating populations resulting from the crosses and backcrosses evaluated, with emphasis on the F₄BC₁₂, F₄C₂₁, and F₄C₁₂ populations, which had the highest genotypic gains.