Vegetable Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.)
Fabaceae

Varieties CO 2, VBN 2, Pusa Komal , PKM 1 and Arka Garima. Soil Well drained soil with high organic matter is required. It is a warm season crop, it can not tolerate very low temperature.. Season June – July (Rainfed), February – March (irrigated)
	PKM 1

Seed rate
20 kg/ha. Treat the seeds with 600 g of Rhizobium bacterial culture before sowing as in cluster beans. Dibble the seeds on both sides of the ridges or in lines in the beds.

Seed treatment
Treat the seeds with Rhizobium bacterial culture 600 g before sowing.

Preparation of field
Plough the field to fine tilth. Form ridges and furrows at 45 cm apart or beds of convenient size.

Spacing
45 x 15 cm.

Sowing
Dibble the seeds on both sides of the ridges or in lines in the beds at 45 x 15 cm spacing.

Irrigation
Give irrigation immediately after sowing and on 3rd day, thereafter once a week.

Application of fertilizers
Apply FYM 25 t/ha, Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria 2 kg /ha and N 25 kg and P 50 kg/ha for irrigated crop. Apply FYM at 12.5 t/ha and N 12.5 and P 25 kg/ha for rainfed crop.Fertilizers can be applied in several split doses at fortnightly intervals.Apply 25kg Zn SO4 , 10kg borax as soil application basally.

Pinching
Before flowering, the tendrils should be pinched thrice for getting bushy plants.

After cultivation
Give one hoeing and weeding on 25th day after sowing.

Plant protection
Pests
Aphids
Aphids can be controlled by spraying Dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/lit or Methyl demeton 25 EC 1 ml/lit.

Pod Borer
Pod borer can be controlled by spraying Quinalphos 25 EC 2ml/lit.

Diseases
Powdery mildew
Dust sulphur @ 25 kg/ha or spray wettable sulphur @ 2 g/l.

Yield
The tender pods can be harvested from 40-50 days after sowing. Yields is2,500 kg (rainfed) and 5,000 kg (Irrigated) in a crop duration of 75 to 90 days.