Augmentation of seed production of forage cowpea in different regions of India: Influence of cultivars and crop geometry

A network field study was conducted to find out the seed yield potential of promising forage cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) cutivars with variable row spacing for augmenting the seed production at seven locations in different agro-climatic situations of India. Three year pooled results indicated superiority of semi-spreading type forage cowpea cultivar viz. Bundel lobia-1 over other cultivars on location mean basis. Location wise, the performance of genotype was variable. Bundel lobia-1 at Rahuri, Jabalpur, Jhansi and Hisar; UPC-9202 at Pantnagar and Hyderabad; UPC-4200 at Bhubaneswar were superior. In central, eastern and southern zone, narrow spacing of 30 cm and in north west, spacing of 60 cm was superior for seed yield of forage cowpea. In central zone due to less variation in minimum and maximum temperature and less intense rainfall, higher seed yield of cowpea was recorded as compared to other zones. Zone wise potential seed production sites for forage cowpea identified are: North West (Pantnagar) - UPC- 9202, Bundel lobia-1; Central (Rahuri) - Bundel lobia-1 and IGFRI-95; East (Bhubaneswar) - UPC- 4200; South (Hyderabad) - UPC- 9202.