Production components of the cowpea under different doses of organic fertiliser

Abstract

The bean plant has a very high demand for nutrients, and as it has a short cycle, requires that the nutrients be readily available when needed, so as not to limit productivity. The use of organic fertiliser inbeans is efficient, since due to the short cycle, the crop displays a satisfactory response to this type of fertilisation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of organic fertiliser on the biometric parameters of the cowpea that reflect the productivity of bean plants. The experiment was carried out in the vegetable garden of the Federal University of Ceará, Pici Campus, and consisted of five treatments: control, mineral fertiliser, and organic fertiliser at doses of 100, 200 and 300% of the nitrogen recommendation for mineral fertilisation. At the time of harvest, 10 plants were collected from the working area of each plot to evaluate the number of pods per plant, grains per pod, 100-grain weight and mean pod length. The variables evaluated in the fieldexperiment were submitted to statistical analysis using the SISVAR 5.3 software (System for the variance analysis of balanced data). The mean pod length, number of pods per plant, and 100-grain weight responded to the organic fertiliser relative to the mineral. Organic fertilisation is essential to achieve production components that indicate good crop yield. The absence of any nutrient can cause metabolic and nutritional disorders that prevent this aim from being reached. Organic fertiliser is associated with an improvement in the commercial quality of the beans.