Cereal Chem 56:367 - 370.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Microstructure of Cowpea Variety Adua Ayera.

S. Sefa-Dedeh and D. W. Stanley. Copyright 1979 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), variety Adua Ayera, grown in Ghana, showed all the major anatomical characteristics of legume seeds under the scanning electron microscope. Structures identified include an external cuticle, palisade and mesophyll cells, a double layer of hour-glass cells, and distinct vascular bundles. The seed was characterized by predominant cotyledon with parenchyma cells containing reverse materials in the form of elliptical starch granules embedded in protein matrix with protein bodies. Sample preparation was critical. Fixation of the seed in 2% glutaraldehyde prior to sectioning for observation preserved the cotyledon structure with minimal alteration and yielded reproducible results.