Leguminous Vegetable Cultivation and Seed Production S ...

ean, snake bean, and yard-long bean. Cowpea belongs the family Leguminoseae, subfamily
Fabaceae.
Soil and Climate
Cowpeuoan be grown in almost all types of soils. It is a warm-season
crop and thrives best between 21 and 350C. It can be grown successfully in spring summer and
rainy season in the North Indian plains. It cannot withstand heavy rainfall and water-logging.
D ifferent cultivars respond differently to temperature and daylength and thus these are distinct
cultivars for spring summer and rainy season.
Seed Production Techniques
Season and Sowing Cowpea can be grown in spring summer and rainy season. In
locations where the climate is mild, it can be grown almost throughout the year, but otherwise
photo-insensitive cultivars are grown. In India it is usually sown in February/March in the
Northern plains and in December/January in the South for spring summer crop; for rainy season
crop, sowing is done in June/July all over the Indian plains.
Sowing is done in well prepared fields by broadcasting seeds or in line sowing. Usually
15-20 kg of seed is required for sowing on 1 hectare depending on cultivar and season. Sowing in
lines facilitate better interculture operations and after care. Line sowing can be done by a drill
operated by a tractor, bullocks or manual labor. Spacing between rows should be 45-60 cm and
between plants 10-15 cm. In case of seed crop, land in which one cultivar of cowpea was grown
the previous year should not be used for growing another cultivars the following year to avoid
contaminations.
Interculture Being a leguminous crop cowpea does not require heavy fertilization. Inoculate
seed with Rhizobium culture before sowing. Application of 10-20 kg N, 50-70 kg phosphorous,
and 50-70 kg potash has been recommended by Chauhan (1972 ) .
Cowpea is a shallow-rooted crop and requires less moisture and light irrigation for proper
growth, as it is sensitive to waterlogging. Irrigation prior to flowering helps in pod setting; another
irrigation should be given after the pods have set. At least one hoeing/weeding after 4 weeks helps
control weeds and in root nodulation. Spraying Maleic hydrazide ( MH) at 50-200 ppm just before
flowering was reported to increase the yield of pod ( Choudhury and Ramphal 1960 ) .
Maintain an isolation distance of 50 nuDor foundation seed and 25 nu for the production of
certified seed between two cultivars ( Anon. 1971). Ripe and dry pods are harvested by hand
picking or by cutting the plants in case of last flush. To avoid shattering of the seeds, harvest when
half to two-thirds of the pod has matured. Some cultivars shatter more than others. This problem is
not encountered in ouldvacuwith flashy inflated pods. Threshing is done by beating widha stick or
by a thresher. Extreme care should be taken during threshing to prevent injury l to1heueod.Tbe
seeds maintain viability for two years under normal storage conditions.
Labial) Beans
Lablab beans are self-pollinated and partially cross-pollinated by insects. Different cultivars
should be grown 50 roapart in case of foundation seed ud25roapart in case of certified seed.
Lablab beans are indeterminate in response ionho1operiod and there are some short-day and longd
types. Lablab bean is a relatively cool season crop adapted to tropical and subtropical regions.
Drought-resistant strains are available and grown as a dry land crop in regions with minimum
rainfall. Fruiting starts at the onset of winter and continues throughout the year. Lablab beans are
grown both for green pods as well as dry seeds. Heterosis may not be of much use in this crop but
cross-combinations showing heterosis vigor can be used to develop high-yielding purelines.
Seed Production Techniques i~ahlabbeans are annuals of bushy or vining type. When the
vines are supported they may grow as high as 6-10 m. They are usaully grown as oso{e crop with
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