ABSTRACT
An experiment was carried out to determine the pathogenic response of three cowpea varieties to
mixed infection with Cowpea mottle virus (CMeV) and Soya bean mosaic virus (SBMV)
between January and April 2011 at the screenhouse in the pavilion of Faculty of Agriculture,
University of Ilorin in Kwara State. The varieties were obtained from the Grain Legume
Research Unit of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. The viral
inoculum was obtained from the Virology Laboratory of the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria. The plants were raised in plastic buckets arranged in completely
randomized version in the open pavilion. They were inoculated with the viral inoculums at 4
weeks after planting. The cowpea varieties showed differential responses to infection as
measured by symptom, growth and selected yield attributes. The cowpea varieties that were
inoculated started manifesting mild symptoms a week after inoculation. Symptoms manifested
included light green to dark green colorations on the leaves. There were however a higher
severity of disease at the latter stages of growth. Variety IT00K-898-5 did not pod at all within
the duration of the experiments.