Effect of Cow-based Liquid Manure and Spraying Schedule on Growth and Yield of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) under Natural Farming

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during Zaid (summer), 2021 at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P), India. The soil of the experimental plot was sandy loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.1), organic carbon (0.75%), available nitrogen (269.96 Kg/ha), available phosphorus (33.10 Kg/ha), and available potassium (336 Kg/ha). The treatments comprised of Panchagavya (3%), Jeevamrutha (500 lit/ha), cow urine (2500 lit./ha), and spraying schedule on (7, 10 &15) different days. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with nine treatments each replicated three times. The results showed that; Plant height (91.36 cm), number of branches per plant (5.47), number of nodules per plant (15), plant dry weight (20.31 g/plant) were recorded significantly higher with Panchagavya (3%) + at an interval of 7 days. Whereas, the number of pods per plant (7.27), number of seeds per pod (12.33), seed yield (1.28 t/ha), and stover yield (4.02 t/ha) was recorded significantly higher with the application of Panchagavya (3%) + at an interval of 7 days. Thus, foliar application of cow-based liquid manure with a different spraying schedule could be a promising option for yield enhancement in cowpea.