Vol. 12, Issue 12 (2023)

Author(s):
MR Faldu, KM Bhedarada and SP Kachhadiya

Abstract:
A field experiment was conducted on medium black calcareous soil at Junagadh (Gujarat) during summer season of 2019 to study the effect of different levels of potassium and sulphur on growth, yield and quality of summer cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp). The experiment comprising of 9 treatment combinations with three levels of potassium (0, 20 and 40 kg K₂O/ha) and three levels of sulphur (0, 10 and 20 kg S/ha) was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications. The results of experiment revealed that application of 40 kg K₂O/ha and 20 kg S/ha promoted growth parameters viz., plant height, dry matter per plant, number of branches per plant, number of root nodules per plant, yield attributes viz., number of pods per plant, length of pod, number of seeds per pod, 100-seed weight and ultimately gave higher seed yield and stover yield. Which remained statistically analogous to application of 20 kg K₂O/ha and 10 kg S/ha in most of cases. Combined application of potassium @ 40 kg/ha and sulphur @ 20 kg/ha resulted significantly the highest no. of pod per plant, 100-seed weight and seed yield of cowpea. On the other hand, in all the cases the minimum response was found from the control treatment. However, maximum net realization and BCR were also realized with basal application of 20 kg K₂O/ha and 10 kg S/ha along with 20 kg N/ha and 40 kg P₂O₅/ha (basal) on clayey soil having medium status of available N, P, K and S under South Saurashtra Agro-climatic Zone.