COWPEA(beans)

Muhammed Alhassan

Cowpea production Nigeria has the potential to improve food security, increase farmers' income, and contribute to rural development.

Introduction

Cowpea is a legume crop widely in Nigeria and other African. It is also known as black-eyed pea, southern pea or niébé. Cowpea is highly valued for nutritional benefits, economic value and soil fertility improvement. In this article, we’ll explore state of cowpea production Nigeria, its challenges, and opportunities.

cowpea

Benefits of Cowpea Production in Nigeria

Cowpea is a highly nutritious food crop. It is rich in, vitamins, and minerals, such as iron, calcium, and potassium. It is an affordable of protein for millions of, especially in rural areas, where meat is expensive or unavailable Cowpea is also an essential source of income for smallholder farmers. The crop is easy cultivate, requires minimal inputs, and has a short maturity, making it an attractive option subsistence farmers. Furthermore, cowpea contributes to soil fertility improvement due to its ability fix nitrogen.

Challenges of Cowpea Production in Nigeria

Despite the benefits of cowpe production in Nigeria, the sector faces several challenges. One of the key challenges is pests and. Cowpea is susceptible to different pests and diseases, such as aphids, pod borer, and bacterial blight, which can cause significant yield losses. Another challenge is poor access to inputs, such as high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Additionally, the lack modern storage facilities leads to post-harvest losses, especially during the rainy season. As a, many smallholder farmers struggle to sell their produce at fair prices due to the low quality of their crops.

Opportunities for Cowpea Production in Nigeria

Cowpea production in Nigeria presents several opportunities for farmers, agribusinesses, and the economy as a whole. crop has huge export potential, as it is in high demand in other African countries and beyond Furthermore, cowpea can be processed into different value-added products, such as flour, snacks and beverages, which can increase profits for farmers and processors. The government can also support the by investing in research and development, improving access to inputs, and building storage and processing facilities., private sector investments in seed production, mechanization, and marketing can help to increase productivity reduce post-harvest losses, and create employment opportunities.

Cowpea is an annual herb which has a growth form that varies; it can be bushy, trailing, erect or climbing. Its root is a taproot which is quite strong and with many spreading lateral roots in surface soil. The stems of cowpea are striated, smooth or slightly hairy. Its leaves are in alternate pattern and are trifoliate, the colour of the leaves is dark green and shape varies from linear-lanceolate to ovate. Cowpea seeds also vary in size, shape and colour and the number of seeds per pod also varies.

Importance

Cowpea is an important economic crop, because of its various attributes such as the ability to adapt to a different type of soils and suitability for intercropping, it grows and covers the topmost soil which in turn prevents erosion, all parts of Cowpea are useful even the leaves which can produce 9 times the calories, 15 times the protein, 90 times the calcium and thousands of times more vitamin C and beta-carotene of cowpea seed. Cowpea also complements a lot of cereal crops.

Cultivation

Climatic condition requirements for cowpea– During growing season the temperature range for cowpea is between 280C-300C, its rainfall range is between 500-1200mm/year but some variety can thrive in areas with less than 500mm, in a nutshell this means cowpea will still survive in areas with low rainfall, although Cowpea requires enough moisture during the germinating period.

cowpea

Soil Requirements

Cowpea does well on any soil but the best soil for cowpea is well-drained Sandy loam soil or Sandy soil with a soil pH in the range of 6 to 7, although its sensitive to water-logging conditions.

Propagation

Cowpea is propagated by seeds.

Pre-Planting Operations

Land Preparation

The farm land should be cleared, removing shrubs and especially stubble; it can be sprayed with herbicide to stop the emergence of weed on the land, it should be plowed or harrowed for good root growth, you can also make ridges if you want. In a situation where the soil is fragile and prone to erosion one can make use of Zero tillage (this a process whereby one uses herbicides to control weeds and maintains crop residue on the soil surface)

Seedbed Preparation

The soil should be well tilled or pulverized (act of grinding to powder or dust) to ensure that the root of the Cowpea which is a taproot does not encounter any obstacle such as hardpan (a hardened layer, which happens in the soil and impairs drainage and affects plant growth), for easy penetration into the soil. The topsoil can either be ridged or left flat as seedbeds.

Fertilization

Cowpea does not necessarily need nitrogen fertilizer, but in cases whereby the land has been used continuously for farming purposes, application of starter dose of Nitrogen up to 20kg/ha is good, especially when the organic matter is as low as 1%. For soils in Sudan and Sahel region in Africa, they are very low in phosphorous and potash and therefore phosphorous should be added as a single superphosphate, it does not only increase yield but also nodulation in Cowpea.

Planting

The inter-row and intra-row spacing depends on the type of variety of cowpea grown and the growing pattern, but generally for grain production, a plant population of 200,000 to 300,000/ha at 30 to 50cm inter-row spacing is preferred.

The seed should be planted at 3cm to 4cm deep. Planting should be timed in relation to the maturity period, such that the crop is harvested in bright dry weather.  It’s best to sow when the soil is moist or wet, i.e. when the rainfall is reduced. The date of planting should be timed in such a way that will allow the crop to escape from periods of high pest, and harvesting to coincide with the period of dry weather because harvesting under humid cloudy weather favours pod rot.

If the farmer is to plant cowpea twice in a year it is advised for the first crop be planted in April and the second in late July to mid-August, if planting the same variety the older seeds should be planted not the recently harvested seeds, because seeds that are not properly dried fail to germinate well and plant stands are reduced. Also, seeds that will be planted must be sorted to make sure that they are free from insect damage that is it has no holes or wrinkles and are disease free.

Weed Control

Weeds are unwanted plants which causes harm to a plant by competing for nutrients, lights, water and sunlight. Cowpea cannot easily withstand the competition of weed, especially at the early growing stage, if the weed is not well managed or controlled, it can accommodate pest and also reduce the yield and quality of the Cowpea. The type of control measure carried out, should be based on the nature of the weed. The weeding should be done 2 weeks after germination, but if a pre-emergence herbicide (this a chemical used to subdue weed) is used, the first weeding should be 4 weeks after. It is best to complete weeding by the 6th week, when the crop is already covering the ground. The two types of parasitic weeds that affect Cowpea are Striga and Alectra.

Disease Control

Cowpea is affected by a variety of diseases – fungal, bacterial and viral disease and these affects cowpea in different ways at different stages of growth.

Root Rot is caused by fungi, due to either damp weather or too much of moisture in the soil.

Stem Rot is caused by Phytophthora vignae, it occurs mainly in wetter coastal and sub-coastal areas, also occurs on waterlogged soils.

Mosaic virus affects leaves, the infected leaves are smaller than the healthy ones, and edges of the leaf are curly, generally the infected plants are more dwarfed and bushy, than non-infected plants. The disease also affects the formation of the pod.

Fusarium Wilt affects the leaves, it causes the lower leaves on one side of the plant to turn yellow, and plants infected are usually stunted and wilted. In order to control Mosaic virus and Fusarium Wilt it is s best to plant tolerant or resistant varieties. Although in the case of Fusarium Wilt root-knot nematode control practices should be followed since nematodes increase plant susceptibility to Fusarium wilt, and Cowpea is susceptible to nematodes, so it should not be planted consecutively on the same land. Other major and common diseases of cowpea are Anthracnose, Sclerotium stem, Damping off, Cercospora leaf spot, Septoria leaf spot, Scab, Bacteria blight (Xanthomonas vignicola) etc.

Some general control measures include:

  • Plant only unaffected seeds

  • Use a resistant variety

  • Remove and bury infected plants

  • Make use of Crop rotation

  • Apply chemicals (fungicide and herbicide)

  • Topsoil that have been contaminated should be ploughed to reduce the incidence of pathogens

  • Treatment of seeds

Pest control

Cowpea is attacked by various Insect pests, during different phases of its lifecycle even down to storage. This is a major constraint to Cowpea production especially in West Africa, because their damage can be as high as 80-100% if not well managed.

These are some of the major and important pests of cowpea :

Aphid (Aphis craccivora) – This insect pest does not just cause direct damage to the Cowpea, it also acts as a vector in transmitting of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus. It damages the plant by sucking sap from the under surface of young leaves and stem issues, and on the pods. Sometimes it is recommended, not to control the insect pest until it is considered large i.e.when its infestation is threatening the crop, but if its few they can be easily pulled out, burnt or fed to livestock. The decision to treat is based on visual counts and the stage of crop development. Commercial pesticides are used to control aphids and the most effective are systemic pesticides, also heavy rains do reduce aphids.

Thrips (Megalurothrips sjostedti) – This pest attacks the flowering stage of cowpea. It can cause complete crop loss and in some cases where infestation is severe plants do not produce flowers or flowers appear distorted and discoloured, flower buds and flower can fall prematurely in some cases without forming any pod. This insect pest can be controlled by using insecticide or recommended chemicals.

Pod sucking bugs (Anoplocnemis curvipes): This pest attacks the pods of Cowpea. It causes a yield loss which varies from 30% to 70%,.They suck the sap from the green pods, causing them to shrivel and dry prematurely, which results in seed loss. It can be controlled using pesticide during podding period.

Cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus): It’s a serious Cowpea pest  which affects it in during the storage period,. it can completely destroy the grain within 6 months, although it’s considered medically harmless to humans. Hermetic storage (process of removing oxygen present in the atmosphere) technologies can also aid in controlling the pest. Freezing also can help control the pest.

Harvesting

Cowpea should be intercropped or mixed cropped and also grown as a cover crop for average yields to be attained. Cowpea should be harvested when the pods are fully mature and dry, but these pods do not mature at the same time because of its staggered flowering period. Cowpea varies in its growth habit from erect to semi erect types. Cowpea that is grown for vegetable purposes are picked 4 weeks after planting. One can either use hand or combine harvester to harvest the crop. More than 11 million hectares are harvested annually worldwide, 97% is from Africa and Nigeria harvests 4.5 million hectares annually. After harvesting, it is best to sun dry the pods and then thresh them immediately. This is important because drying reduces the moisture content of the grains, before storage in order to avoid the seed getting mouldy.

Storage

After drying the seeds to about 10% or less and threshing the seeds, pods should be stored. It’ is advised to store the seeds using Hermetic storage techniques, the store should be cleaned before loading in new seed and also the seeds should be sorted before storing.

Economic Importance

IITA (2009) noted that there is a big market for the sale of Cowpea grains and fodders in West Africa and in Nigeria farmers who store Cowpea fodder for sale at the peak of the dry season have been found to increase their annual income by 25%. It also serves as income generating avenues for other value chain actors within the cowpea chain. Cowpea ensures returns for both the marketers and producers which in turn aids sustainability of the system.

Profitability

About 5.4 million of tons of dried cowpeas are produced worldwide from 11 million hectares, Africa produces nearly 5.2 million and Nigeria harvests 4.5 million hectares annually.

Nigeria is the largest producer of Cowpea worldwide, as 58% of worldwide production comes from this country yet Nigeria is still the largest consumer of the crop. To supplement our production, substantial amounts of Cowpea come into Nigeria from Cameroon, signifying that we are still not producing enough Cowpea to feed our nation.

In most parts of Nigeria Cowpea is been processed into other by products such as moin-moin, bean cake, bean soup etc. It contains 20%-25% of protein and 64% carbohydrate and has potential for poverty alleviation and malnutrition amongst the poor; also all parts of cowpea are useful, its vegetative part is good feed for cattle. This shows that all over Nigeria Cowpea is consumed in so many forms, thereby increasing the demand for cowpea.

cowpea

Conclusion

Cowpea production Nigeria has the potential to improve food security, increase farmers’ income, and contribute to rural development. However, the sector faces several challenges, such as pest and disease infestation, poor access inputs, and lack of modern storage facilities. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-stake approach that involves government, private sector, farmers, and researchers. With the right investments and policies cowpea production can become a viable and sustainable source of income for millions of Nigerians.

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REFERENCE

COWPEA: Post-Harvest Operations culled from https://www.fao.org/

https://www.iita.org/cowpea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpea

https://csirsavannah.wordpress.com (PRODUCTION GUIDE ON COWPEA)

https://www.prota4u.org/cowpea

Muhammed Alhassan