Registration of ‘giant’ Forage Cowpea

'Giant' (Reg. no. CV-348, PI 701902) is a southern root-knot nematode (Meloidgyne incognita race 3 and race 4)-resistant forage cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Overton, TX. Giant is intended for use as a warm-season cover crop, a forage and hay crop, and supplemental browse for white-tailed deer. Giant is an indeterminate, forage type cowpea that produces biomass from May through September in northeast Texas but also flowers 25 days earlier than 'Iron & Clay' cowpea, allowing seed production in northeast Texas before the first average frost date. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis confirmed the variety mix Iron & Clay as the parental source population for Giant. Forage production of Giant at Overton, TX, in 2019 and 2020 was 5.3 and 6.0 Mg dry matter (DM) ha(-1), respectively. Forage production of Giant in 2019 at Prairie and Starkville, MS, was 2.8 and 2.9 Mg DM ha(-1), respectively. Protein content of Giant in 2019 at Prairie and Starkville was 21.1 and 21.2%, respectively. Forage production of Giant in 2019 at Chillicothe, TX and Lockett, TX, was 2.6 and 3.6 Mg DM ha(-1), respectively. Top growth nitrogen (N) yield of Giant in 2019 at Chillicothe, TX, and Lockett, TX, was 67 and 65 kg N ha(-1), respectively. Based on very low nematode reproduction, Giant is rated resistant and partially resistant to southern root-knot nematode race 3 and race 4, respectively.