scholarly journals Role of Variety and Fertilizer Practices on Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) Yield and Field Incidence of the Parasitic Weed Alectra vogelii (Benth) in Central Malawi

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Vernon H. Kabambe ◽  
James M. Bokosi
Keyword(s):  
Vigna Unguiculata ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Cattle Manure ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Parasitic Weed ◽  
Arachis Hypogea ◽  
Cowpea Varieties

Grain legumes are an important component of the food systems in Malawi. The parasitic legume witchweed species Alectra vogelii (Benth) is among the problem pests with serious infestations in groundnuts (Arachis hypogea), soybeans (Glycine max), cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and other legumes. A study was conducted in 2013/14 and ‘14/15 seasons to evaluate the effects of three cowpea varieties (IT82E-16, Sudan 1 and Alectra-resistant Mkanakaufi) and fertilizer practices (no fertilizer applied, 5 t ha-1 cattle manure and 100 kg ha-1 of inorganic 23:21:0+4S on cowpea grain yield, yield components and Alectra emergence at three sites in central Malawi. Cowpea grain yields ranged 400-2400 kg ha-1. There were significant (P < 0.05) variety effects on yield in 4 of 6 site-years, with variety IT82-16 consistently giving the highest yields (range 1200-2400 kg ha-1). There were significant variety effects on A. vogelii emergence with Mkanakaufiti having no Alectra throughout. Application of cattle manure strongly suppressed A. vogelii in 6 site-years all at 60 days after planting, while inorganic fertilizer suppressed Alectra in 3 of the 6 site-years. Cattle significantly but marginally (about 250 kg ha-1) increased yield in 2 of the 6 site-years. The results show potential to suppress A. vogelii with cattle manure application. However, further studies are required to understand the causes of the limited yield response under manure or fertilizer application to make the practices attractive to farmers. More variety improvement studies to produce a range of varieties with better local adaptability and response to fertility amendments are recommended.

scholarly journals Yield Response of Cowpea to Phosphorus Fertilizer Application

2020 ◽  
pp. 125-135
Author(s):  
Alhassan Bawa
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Phosphorus Deficiency ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilizer ◽  
Dry Biomass ◽  
Cowpea Varieties

Phosphorus fertilizer application plays a major role in nodulation and grain yield production of cowpea. However, phosphorus is a major limiting nutrient in soils in Ghana. Selection of cowpea varieties that produce good biomass and grain yield under low soil phosphorus or those with high phosphorus response efficiency could be a cost-effective approach in solving the phosphorus deficiency problem in Ghana. This study was therefore conducted to determine the appropriate levels of phosphorus fertilizer application for improved nodulation and grain yield of four cowpea varieties. Two-season experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of phosphorus (P) fertilizer on growth, nodulation, biomass and grain yield in cowpea. Each of the two experiments comprised of 16 treatment combinations of 4 cowpea varieties and 4 levels of P2O5 application laid out in 4×4 factorial experiments in RCBD with three replications. The cowpea varieties were IT × P 148, Valenga, Bengkpla and DPC. The levels of P were 0, 20, 40 and 60 kg P2O5 ha−1. The study revealed that varieties DPC and Valenga performed relatively better with respect to grain yield, shoot and root dry biomass production, nodulation, nodule dry biomass production, plant height, number of branches produced and number of days to 50% flowering across all levels of phosphorus fertilizer application. The study further established that P level of 60 kgha−1 also produced significantly higher quantities of yield and vegetative parameters such as grain yield, 100-grain weight, number of pods and branches, shoot and root dry biomass, nodulation and nodule dry biomass, as compared to P levels of 0 kgha−1, 20 kgha−1 and 40 kgha−1. Phosphorus fertilizer application level of 60 kgha−1 should be used for increased grain and biomass yield. For the purpose of producing grains for human consumption and leguminous fodder crops for feeding livestock, it is recommended that varieties DPC and Valenga should be cultivated for increased yield.

Short durartion cowpea varieties for cultivation as a niche crop in various cropping systems for enhanced pulse production

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. V. Singh ◽  
B. B. Singh ◽  
Preeti Massey ◽  
P. K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Food Legumes ◽  
Food Legume ◽  
Cowpea Varieties

Agriculture must become nutrition-smart. Food security without nutrition security is not enough. Our basic food systems have to be optimized to provide the greatest amount of nutrients per square meter per unit time, especially in the face of climate change. Majority of the Indian people are vegetarian and they depend primarily upon grain legumes for dietary protein. Unfortunately the production of grain legumes in India has remained stagnant since 1950 causing declining per capita availability and widespread malnutrition. This is because most of the good lands have gone to the green revolution led ‘wheat-rice’ and ‘rice-rice’ cropping systems and food legumes have been pushed to marginal lands. Also, the traditional food legume varieties are late in maturity with low yield potential. This has led to inadequate protein and minerals in the diets of rural and urban masses on one hand and imbalanced soil fertility due to cereal-cereal rotation on the other hand. Therefore, increased cultivation of pulses is urgently needed. How can this be achieved with the limited land is one of the major challenges of agricultural research. The only answer is to breed and cultivate short duration food legumes in the existing niches between cereal-cereal systems. Wheat is harvested in March–April and rice is transplanted in July leaving about 80-90 days gap in which a short duration food legume can be grown. A number of photo-insensitive and heat tolerant ‘60-day cowpea’ varieties have been recently developed by Pantnagar University which were tested under farmer participatory on-farm trials and All India Multi-location Coordinated Trials with the support from Harvest Plus Project of CGIAR. These varieties can be grown as a niche crop in the wheat-rice cropping system of northern India which has a potential area of over 10 million ha. and also fit well in rice fellows in southern India.

The Role of Research and Innovation in the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-63
Author(s):  
Mariana Sandu ◽  
Stefan Mantea
Keyword(s):  
Technological Progress ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Determinant Factor ◽  
Rapid Transformation

Abstract Agri-food systems include branching ramifications, which connect in the upstream the input suppliers with farmers, and downstream farmers, processors, retailers and consumers. In the last decades, at the level of the regions, food systems have undergone rapid transformation as a result of technological progress. The paper analyzes the changes made to the structure, behavior and performance of the agri-food system and the impact on farmers and consumers. Also, the role of agricultural research as a determinant factor of transformation of agri-food system is analyzed. The research objective is to develop technologies that cover the entire food chain (from farm to fork) and meet the specific requirements of consumers (from fork to farm) through scientific solutions in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture and ensuring the safety and food safety of the population.

Agronomic, breeding, and biotechnological approaches to parasitic plant management through manipulation of germination stimulant levels in agricultural soils

Botany ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 813-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernández-Aparicio ◽  
J.H. Westwood ◽  
D. Rubiales
Keyword(s):  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Host Recognition ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Parasitic Weed ◽  
Germination Stimulant ◽  
New Class ◽  
Agronomic Practices ◽  
Number Of Plant Species

A number of plant species have adapted to parasitize other plants, and some parasitic species pose severe constraints to major crops. The role of strigolactones and other metabolites present in host root exudates as germination stimulants for weedy root parasitic weed seeds has been known for the last 40 years. Recently, the ecological and developmental roles of strigolactones have been clarified by the discovery that they are a new class of plant hormone that controls shoot branching and serve as host recognition signals for mycorrhizal fungi. Parasitic plants also recognize these chemicals and use them to coordinate their life cycle with that of their host. Here we review agronomic practices that use parasitic germination stimulant production as a target for manipulation to control parasitic weeds.

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