RIVERSIDE, Calif., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a genetic map of the cowpea -- a protein-rich legume vital in the diet of such places as South America, Africa and Asia.
Although cowpeas and other grain legumes complement corn- and rice-based diets, breeding new cowpea varieties with desirable traits is a time-consuming and laborious process that can take a decade from concept to release, scientists said.
But University of California-Riverside scientists say they've developed a high-density "consensus genetic map" of the cowpea that significantly accelerates the production of new varieties of not only cowpeas, but also other legumes, particularly soybeans and the common bean -- both near relatives of cowpeas.
"The consensus map is a consolidation of six individual genetic maps of cowpea, and is far more representative of the cowpea genome than earlier maps," said Professor Timothy Close, who led the research. "We now have a reliable, powerful tool that marks a paradigm shift in crop-breeding technology."
The research is reported in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
