Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) Is one of the most important grain legumes grown in Mali. But its production is strongly limited by the SG2 strain of Striga gesnerioides (Willd.) Vatke which constitutes one of the major biotic constraints. The F2 populations resulting from the crossing between the variety IT97K-499-35 (Resistant parent) and the variety M'Barawa elites (susceptible parent) and seeds of Striga gesnerioides strain from Koporo were used. Thus, 100 individuals were characterized using five markers CP333/334, CP743/744, CP115/ 116, SSR-1 and MA 62 which were polymorphic out of the 159 markers used on the parents. This study shows that the dominant microsatellite marker SSR1 (6.5 cM) strongly linked to the Striga resistance gene present in the cowpea variety IT97K-499-35 (Djiguiya). Linked to the gene by the 150 bp allele, the dominant SSR-1 marker consistently segregated with the Striga gesnerioides SG2. The identification of the SSR-1 marker related to Striga resistance Race 2 in Mali is an excellent opportunity for the national breeding programs to develop a marker-assisted breeding (MAS) strategy for Striga gesnerioides resistance to the SG2.

Cowpea, Marker-assisted selection, Striga, SSR markers