A high yielding short duration cowpea (Vigna unguiculata.L) variety ‘Hridya’

Breeding experiments was conducted at Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam,Kerala AgriculturalUniversity to evolve a high yielding cowpea variety with synchronized maturity during 2000-09. Local cultivars and releasedvarieties like V-2, CO-3, COVU-358, COVU-8456, V-118 and COVU-623 were used as parents in the programme. A shortduration cowpea variety with synchronized maturity was identified and released as ‘Hridya’ at the state level variety releasecommittee during 2010. This variety was developed by mass selection of the lacal Kuttipayar.The important charecteristics of thevariety are the height is 45 cm, pod colour is green, seed colour is straw, and the 100 seed weight is 4.67g. The productivity ofthe variety is 9.5 q ha-1and the duration is 55 days.