The Latest Fertilization Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Cowpeas

The cowpea is one of the most widely cultivated popular vegetables in our country, grown everywhere. It has strong adaptability, can be grown in the open field, and can also grow year-round, coming to market in all four seasons. However, when planting cowpeas, mastering fertilization techniques well affects their yield, so how should cowpeas be fertilized? The editor has summarized it below. Let's take a look at the detailed introduction.

1. Fertilizer Requirements

The cowpea has a well-developed root system, but its roots have weak regenerative capacity. Generally, the main root penetrates about 1 m into the soil, with few lateral roots, and most of the clustered roots are in the soil layer around 15 cm. Its roots have few nodules, so its nitrogen-fixing ability is also not strong. It is suitable for planting in fertile, loose, well-drained, and well-aerated soil, and is not suitable for planting in heavy clay soil. Its fertilizer requirements are not high. In the early growth stage, its nitrogen-fixing ability is weak, so nitrogen fertilizer should be supplied appropriately; after flowering and pod setting, the demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizer surges sharply. At this time, nitrogen-fixing ability increases, vegetative growth and reproductive growth advance together, and the demand for other nutrient elements also increases. According to research, for every 100 kg produced, 1.02 kg of nitrogen, 0.44 kg of phosphorus pentoxide, and 0.97 kg of potassium oxide are consumed.

2. Apply Heavy Base Fertilizer

According to the fertilizer requirements of cowpeas, fertilization should be scientific. Cowpeas are averse to continuous cropping, so it is best to choose a plot where cotton and leguminous crops have not been planted within three years. First, base fertilizer should be applied. The base fertilizer should mainly be decomposed organic fertilizer, combined with an appropriate proportion of compound fertilizer. For example, a compound fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium is quite suitable for cowpeas as a base fertilizer. One point to note is that when applying base fertilizer, the amount should be reasonably increased or decreased according to the soil fertility, so as to avoid improper fertilization management causing fertilizer burn to the seedlings.

3. Skillful Topdressing

In addition to applying base fertilizer, reasonable topdressing should be carried out during the growth period according to the growth status of the cowpeas. After transplanting, the main focus is on seedling control to prevent excessive stem and leaf growth, prompt the plant to shift to reproductive growth, and form more flower clusters. After pod setting, combined with watering, apply 100 jin of decomposed organic fertilizer or 5-8 jin of compound fertilizer per mu. After each harvest, topdress once as well, applying 5-10 kg of urea and 5-8 kg of potassium sulfate per mu. In the later stage, to avoid premature aging of the plants, after each peak yield period, strengthen fertilizer and water management to promote side branch sprouting and flower bud formation.

The above is an introduction to cowpea fertilization techniques. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.