Cowpea as an alternative crop for sustainable crop production in the Delmarva region of the United States
2005
Dadson, R.B. | Hashem, F.M. | Javaid, I. | Joshi, J.M. | Allen, Alan A.
Field experiments were conducted to determine the possibility of growing cowpea as an alternative crop in the cropping system of the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia (Delmarva) region of the United States. Cowpea genotypes were grown for two seasons and the parameters evaluated mostly included grain yield, biological yield, flowering and maturity dates. Results showed significant differences in grain and biological yields of various genotypes. Genotypes Colossus, Mississippi Silver and California Blackeye 5 gave significantly higher seed yields. The highest biological yield was provided by genotypes Champion, White Acre and California Blackeye 5 making these genotypes good candidates to be used for green manuring or as cover crops in the region. Genotypes Quickpick Pinkeye and Elite were found to be early maturing and might escape the terminal drought. Soils in the Delmarva region are sandy, prone to drought but support corn and soybean which are the major crops in the region. The results indicate that introduction of cowpea in the Delmarva region could play an important role in replacing some of the areas currently being used for corn and soybean production, an important source of vegetable proteins to many ethnic groups in the area, play an important role as an alternative crop, improve soil fertility to sustain crop production, and also to serve as an insurance crop, especially during drought years in the Delmarva region.
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