Cowpea is a grain legume cultivated locally in sub-Saharan Africa, holding promise as an economical protein source. However, its utilization and productivity remain limited. Thus, it's crucial to evaluate the present diversity and screen farmer preferred traits for effective management and exploitation of cowpea in breeding programs. In this study, 70 cowpea genotypes from Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique were evaluated for disease resistance, agronomic characteristics, yield potential under resolvable incomplete block design, and nutritional variability. A comprehensive analysis of 40 traits was conducted to characterize the germplasm. The results revealed a notable diversity among cowpea varieties. Through cluster analysis, they were grouped into 3 distinct categories that did not correspond to their geographical origins. Various features showed positive corelations, indicating they rely on each other. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) highlighted several genotypes, including MZcp015, IT13K-1079-3, IT07K-299-6, VULI-AR1, VULI-1, and TZcp95 exhibiting high grain yield, and good nutritional characteristics. Disease and pest assessments identified common infections like aphids, alectra, and pinkspot. Significant variability was observed across genotypes for zinc (0.163-0.872ppm), iron (0.441-8.587 ppm), calcium (0.267- 2.103 ppm) and molybdenum (0.475-3.320 ppm). The study selected the top 10 genotypes for each assessed trait based on their Best Linear Unbiased Estimation (BLUE) values.

Keywords: Cowpea, Multivariate analysis, morphological diversity, mineral content, protein content, genetic variability.