Abstract: Cowpea rust，a fungal disease caused by Uromyces vignae Barcl，is one of the major cowpea diseases worldwide. The main targets of the pathogen are leaves，the petioles and pods may be damaged in severe cases. The disease can dramatically influence the cowpea production by reducing the yields and the quality. In this paper， researching progresses on cowpea rust are reviewed， including pathogenic characteristics，disease epidemics，resistant germplasm resource evaluation and breeding，physiological and biochemical mechanism of plant resistance， and molecular genetics of rust resistance，also the author discusses the further direction in resolving this disease.

Key words: cowpea rust, disease epidemics, resistant germplasm resource, molecular genetics