Anatomical Basis of Cowpea Resistance to the Pod Borer, Maruca Testulalis (Geyer)

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Abstract
The anatomy of damaged and undamaged young stem, peduncle and young pods were examined from transverse sections in three varieties of cowpea in order to evaluate the anatomical basis of resistance to the pod borer Maruca testulalis. While tissue development in the stem, peduncle and pods of the three varieties of cowpea were similar, the relative thickness of the various tissues were different in the order Vita-1>ICV-2>TVu 946. The small diameter and the relative abundance of strengthening tissues in the stem and peduncle of TVu 946, by limiting total ingestible biomass, might be restricting the damage to these organs by the pod borer. Pod damage, on the other hand, was concentrated on the parenchymatous tissue of the pod wall lining and inter-seed spaces and the sizes of this tissue were also different among the varieties in the order Vita-1>ICV-2>TVu 946, the same order of susceptibility to attack by M. testulalis.