Nucleotide sequences from the genomes of diverse cowpea accessions for discovery of genetic variation as part of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Climate Resilient Cowpea

Nucleotide sequences were generated from 37 cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) accessions relevant to Africa, China and the USA to discover at type of genetic variation called single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). These accessions were chosen to represent the geographic, phenotypic and genetic diversity of cultivated cowpea. Approximately 1 million SNPs were identified, from which a research tool was developed for genetic fingerprinting using 51,128 of these SNPs. This tool is call the Cowpea iSelect Consortium Array and is available from the US company Illumina (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA; http://www.illumina.com/areas-of-interest/agrigenomics/consortia.html)