
Season and Varieties
Zone District/ Season |
Month |
Varieties |
Irrigated |
Erode, Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai |
June-July |
CO 5, CO (FC) 8 and CO 9 |
Particulars of Fodder Cowpea Varieties
PARTICULARS |
CO 5 |
CO (FC) 8 |
CO 9 |
Parentage |
Gamma ray mutant of CO 1 |
Cross derivative from CO 5 x N |
CO 5 × Bundel Lobia 2 |
Duration (Days) |
60-65 |
55-60 |
50-55 |
Green fodder yield (t/ha) |
18-20 |
18-22 |
22-23 |
Seed yield (kg/ha) |
600 |
625 |
745 |
Morphological characters |
Plant height (cm) |
93.00 |
100-120 |
130-140 |
No. of branches |
2 - 3 |
3-4 |
4-5 |
No. of leaves |
12 |
13-15 |
15-17 |
Leaf length (cm) |
12.1 |
10.5 |
12 |
Leaf width (cm) |
8.2 |
8 |
10 |
Leaf stem ratio |
0.83 |
0.95 |
0.95 - 1.00 |
Quality characters |
Dry matter content (%) |
14.64 |
15.5 |
16.86 |
Crude protein content (%) |
20.00 |
20.7 |
21.56 |
Special features of Fodder Cowpea CO 9
- High dry matter yield (3.85 t/ha)
- High protein content (21.56 %)
- Reduced fibre portions confer increased digestibility, palatability and intake
- Moderately resistant to yellow mosaic virus
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|
|
Fodder Cowpea CO 9 |
1. |
Season |
: |
June – July - Irrigated
September – October - Rainfed
January- February - Summer |
2. |
Duration |
|
|
(i). |
For fodder purpose |
: |
50 - 55 days |
(ii). |
For seed purpose |
: |
90-95 days |
3. |
Preparatory cultivation |
: |
Plough 2 to 3 times to obtain a good tilth and form ridges and furrows of 6 m length and 60 cm apart. |
4. |
Seed inoculation |
: |
Rhizobium treatment is beneficial. |
5. |
Manuring |
: |
Manured for irrigated crop only
Basal: FYM : 12.5 t/ha
NPK: 25 : 40 : 20 kg/ha |
6. |
Seed rate |
: |
25 kg/ha |
7. |
Spacing |
|
|
(i). |
For fodder purpose |
: |
30 x 15 cm in lines |
(ii). |
For seed purpose |
: |
60 x 15 cm in lines |
8. |
Inter cultivation |
: |
As and when necessary |
9. |
Plant protection |
: |
Generally not required for fodder purpose. In case of seed production, spraying of 0.05% Methyl Dematon (Metacystox) or Dimethoate (Rogor) required to control sucking pests if any. |
10. |
Harvest |
|
|
|
For fodder purpose |
: |
At 50% flowering stage (50 - 55 days). |
|
For seed purpose |
: |
90-95 days |
11. |
Yield |
|
|
(i). |
Green fodder |
: |
18-23 t/ha |
(ii). |
Seed yield |
: |
745 kg/ha |
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