Ethylacetate-soluble fraction of methanol extract of the stems of two cowpea cultivars TVu 946 and Vita 1 were examined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tested for antifeedant properties for larvae of Maruca testulalis by applying the extract on the leaf discs from the susceptible cowpea variety Vita 1. Extracts derived from TVu 946 showed significantly greater feeding inhibition than extracts from Vita 1 in all the tests. HPLC analysis gave different elution profiles for the two extracts. Together, these observations implicate allelochemical factors in general, and feeding deterrents in particular, as a basis of TVu 946 stem resistance to Maruca.