Cowpea response to nutrient application in Burkina Faso and Niger

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is important in semi-arid West Africa. Yields are low due to inadequate water and nutrient availability and other constraints. Grain and fodder yield responses to nutrient application were determined from 21 site-years of research conducted in the Sahel and Sudan Savanna. The incomplete factorial treatment arrangement varied by country but included: Four levels each of P and K in 7.5 and 10.0 kg ha -1 increments, respectively; Mg-S-Zn-B package (Mg-S-Zn-B); and comparable with and without manure treatments. Yield increases due to P application always occurred with curvilinear to plateau or linear responses. The overall mean grain yield increase was 0.35 Mg ha -1and 47% due to application of 22.5 kg ha -1 P. Application of K resulted in a linear negative effect in 2014 and positive effect in 2015 for on-station trials in Niger, but had no effect in Burkina Faso and for onfarm trials in Niger. Yield was not affected by Mg-S-Zn-B in Burkina Faso but was increased by a mean of 0.085 Mg ha -1 in Niger. Manure application resulted in a mean yield increase of 0.1 Mg ha -1 in Niger but only with fertilizer P applied, and had no effect in Burkina Faso. Cowpea grain and fodder yields were responsive to fertilizer P up to 22.5 kg ha -1 but little affected by other applied nutrients.

Efficacy study on the influence of manure and Tillage on Cowpea performance in a Sahel Savannah region of Nigeria

“…The ZT (503.6 Kgha -1 ), ST (338.8 Kgha -1 ) and DT (464.3 Kgha -1 ) were all statistically insignificant. This conforms with the findings of a number of studies (Idriss et al, 2018;Mando & Vanlauwe, 2005;Meena et al, 2015). The interaction was significant in such a way that the grain yield produced is higher at PM plots in a succession of ZT, ST then DT plots from Figure 6.…”

“…Tillage X OM was highly significant as depicted by Figure 5. (Idriss et al, 2018) reported a significant increase in cowpea performance in both Niger and Burkina Faso due to OM. Mando and Vanlauwe (2005) also reported a significant long term interaction between tillage and manure on general crop performance and soil properties improvement in the dry Sahelian regions of West Africa.…”