Cowpea bean cultivars biofortified plants with high commercial value, with production potential for green beans and snap beans, define a plant ideotype for green bean production, and select strains of rhizobia and actinobacteria to promote increased productivity of selected cowpea genotypes .

Considering that the development of low-cost technologies such as the biofortification of cowpea bean cultivars and the co-inoculation of cowpea bean with rhizobium and other growth-promoting microorganisms is of fundamental importance, the team will act in the selection of cultivars of cowpea bean biofortified , with special attention to protein content and the minerals iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), as well as selecting compatible and efficient combinations of cowpea bean cultivars , rhizobium and actnobacteria strains .

In Brazil, between 2010 and 2020, it was observed that the area planted with cowpea bean was reduced by 200,229 ha and production increased by 96,879 tons. This increase in production with simultaneous area reduction was possible through the increase in productivity, which jumped from 320 to 466 kg ha-1 in the same period. According to a survey by the IBGE, in the State of Amapá in 2017, 353 producers were responsible for the harvested area of 215 ha of black-eyed peas and green beans. Although the area planted with cowpea bean has been reduced in the State over the last few years, it is observed that cowpea bean is still a highly relevant crop both for feeding the populations that live in the countryside and for generating income.

As the first goal of the project, an experiment will be carried out in Amapá, to identify varieties with productive potential for green beans and that can meet the requirements of the distribution sector of green cowpea beans . The project has financial support from the Cearense Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development, and will run from 2022 to 2024.