What causes low cowpea yields?
Cowpeas are a regular on our dining tables, available all year round, and their market price is fairly stable. However, many vegetable growers find that cowpea yields drop year after year, which makes them very anxious. So what is behind low cowpea yields? Qinnong Web brings you several reasons for low cowpea yields.
1. Weather and climate reasons
Cowpeas grow and are harvested in summer, in June and July. If there is continuous long-term rainy weather during this period, causing temperatures to keep dropping, followed by continuous high temperatures once it clears up, this can very easily cause disordered physiological metabolism in cowpeas. And when cowpeas are flowering and setting pods, rainy and low-temperature weather will both make cowpeas grow slowly, causing flowers and pods to drop. The optimal growing temperature for cowpeas is 20-25 degrees; below 15 degrees, the flower buds of cowpeas cannot differentiate normally, appearing short and slender, which leads to low yields.
2. Improper planting management
Cowpeas grow quickly, taking only 2-3 months from sowing to harvest. When planting, pay attention to density: if the planting density is too high, ventilation and light penetration become poor, causing the plants to grow weakly and produce few flowers and pods. In addition, fertilization should be balanced; if only a single fertilizer is applied, it will cause nutritional imbalance in cowpeas and likewise lead to low yields. Also, when fertilizing, apply more organic fertilizer and as little chemical fertilizer as possible. Excessive chemical fertilizer application leaves the soil lacking trace elements and causes the soil to harden, with extremely poor permeability, which is unfavorable for cowpea growth.
3. Pest and disease control not done in time
When growing cowpeas, pest and disease attacks are unavoidable, and some are extremely harmful to cowpeas, such as root-knot nematode disease. It damages the cowpea root system, causing root knots so the roots cannot grow normally, which easily leads to plant wilting and premature aging, with no pods or poor pod set. And many pests outbreak in concentrated fashion, sucking the sap from young leaves and stems, causing them to wilt or stop growing, ultimately leading to reduced yields. When growing cowpeas, control must be timely and attentive.
4. Improper pesticide use
We mentioned pests and diseases above, and some vegetable growers control them very well, with cowpeas growing normally, yet low yields still occur. This situation may be due to excessive or improper pesticide use; using too large a dose or improper pesticides will cause cowpea plants to grow slowly, with short, small, deformed pods, and even dull-colored pods. Pesticides should be used scientifically and reasonably to keep cowpeas growing and setting pods normally and to improve yield and quality.
The above are the reasons for low cowpea yields brought to you by Qinnong Web. That is a rough introduction to the reasons for low cowpea yields. We hope it is helpful to you. For more agricultural knowledge, please stay tuned to Qinnong Web.