INTRODUCTION

The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is one of several species of the widely cultivated
genus Vigna. Four subspecies are recognised, of which three are cultivated (more exist,
including V. textilis, V. pubescens, and V. sinensis):
Cowpeas are one of the most important food legume crops in the semiarid tropics
covering Asia, Africa, southern Europe, and Central and South America. A droughttolerant and warm-weather crop, cowpeas are well-adapted to the drier regions of the
tropics, where other food legumes do not perform well. It also has the useful ability to fix
atmospheric nitrogen through its root nodules, and it grows well in poor soils with more
than 85% sand and with less than 0.2% organic matter and low levels of phosphorus. In
addition, it is shade tolerant, so is compatible as
an intercrop with maize, millet, sorghum, sugarcane, and cotton. This makes cowpeas
an important component of traditional intercropping systems, especially in the complex
and elegant subsistence farming systems of the dry savannas in sub-Saharan Africa. In
these systems the haulm (dried stalks) of cowpea is a valuable by-product, used as
animal feed.
OBJECTIVES
As a student; we should be able to:
1. Grow one of several varieties of cowpea
2. Gather data weekly from the start of growing up to harvesting
3. Monitor collect insect pests of cowpea and its natural enemy
4. Know the proper management of growing cowpea

COWPEA CULTURAL MANAGEMENT

1. Prepare the land thoroughly. Plow and harrow the field 3 times. If the field is a
clay soil, plow and harrow more than 3 times.
2. Plant cowpea in rows with the measurement of 75 cm apart each other, 20 cm
apart within the row. Plant 1 seed per hill.

3. Apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14) of 50 kilos per hectare each of nitrogen,

potassium and phosphorus equivalent to 7 bags of fertilizers. During the
application, cover the fertilizer with 2.5 cm pulverized soil. In case of nitrogen
deficiency, side-dress with 20 kilos nitrogen per hectare.
4. In planting with the seeds, drill a hole in furrows. Put 20 seeds per meter row.
Cover it with fine soil. After emergence within 10 days, thin out to one plant per
hill.
5. Weed the plants 2 weeks after planting. Hill-up 3 to 4 weeks after planting.
Continue spot weeding even after flowering for effective weeds control.
6. Cowpea needs enough moisture during pod development. Irrigate 3 to 5 cm of
water at weekly intervals from flowering to harvesting. Support the clinging vines
with enough bamboo trellis 2 meters in height. Additionally, put vertical single
support trellis of wood or bamboo with height of 2 meters.
7. Harvest the green pods 8-10 days after flowering. Thereafter, you can pick pods
every 2 days.

COMMON PESTS AND DISEASES, CAUSE AND ITS PROPER MANAGEMENT

1. Bacterial blight
Xanthomonas campestris
Symptoms
Water-soaked spots on leaves which enlarge and become necrotic; spots may be
surrounded by a zone of yellow discoloration; lesions coalesce and give plant a burned
appearance; leaves that die remain attached to plant; circular, sunken, red-brown lesion
may be present on pods; pod lesions may ooze during humid conditions
Cause
Bacterium
Management
Plant only certified seed; plant resistant varieties; treat seeds with an appropriate
antibiotic prior to planting to kill off bacteria; spray plants with an appropriate protective
copper based fungicide before appearance of symptoms
2. Anthracnose
Colletotrichum spp.
Symptoms

Tan to brown sunken lesions on leaves; lesions merging to girdle stems and petioles;
lesions may become covered in pink spore masses during periods of wet weather
Cause
Fungi
Management
The best method of controlling the fungus is to plant resistant varieties if available; plant
only certified disease-free seed; practice good field sanitation such as removing crop
debris from field after harvest to reduce levels of inoculum
3. Asochyta blight
Asochyta phaseolorum
Symptoms
Severe defoliation of plants; extensive lesions on stems and pods; if infection is severe
then plants may be killed
Cause
Fungus
Management
Plant disease-free seed; applications of appropriate foliar fungicides, where available,
may help to control the disease
4. Brown blotch
Colletotrichum capsici
Colletotrichum truncatum
Symptoms
Seeds not germinating; death of seedlings; post emergence symptoms include sunken
oval lesions on stems, red-brown lesions on leaves, flowers aborting and/or mummified
pods; severe defoliation can occur during prolonged periods of wet weather
Cause
Fungi
Management

The best method of controlling the fungus is to plant resistant varieties if available; plant
only certified disease-free seed; practice good field sanitation such as removing crop
debris from field after harvest to reduce levels of inoculum
5. Brown rust
Uromyces spp.
Symptoms
Raised brown to black pustules on both sides of leaves; wilting plants; drying leaves
dropping from plant
Cause
Fungi
Management
Sprays of sulphur or potassium carbonate can help to control the disease
6. Cercospora and Pseudocercospora leaf spot
Cercospora canscens
Pseudocercospora cruenta
Symptoms
Chlorotic spots on upper surfaces of leaves; necrotic spots on leaves; masses of spores
on lesions which resemble black mats on lower leaf surface; defoliation of plants;
yellowing of leaves; circular, red lesions on leaves
Cause
Fungi
Management
Remove all crop residue from field after harvest; plant disease-free seed
7. Powdery mildew
Erisyphe polygani
Sphaerotheca fuliginea
Symptoms
White powdery fungal growth on upper surfaces of leaves; chlorotic or brown patches
on leaves; leaves dropping from plant

Cause
Fungi
Management
Plant resistant varieties if available; use adequate plant spacing to avoid overcrowding
and promote good air circulation around plants
8. Soft stem rot
Pythium aphanidermatum
Symptoms
Gary to green water-soaked rot girdling stem; plant death; white mycelial growth on
stem during high humidity
Cause
Fungus
Management
Plant in well-draining soils or raised bed to reduce soil moisture content; solarizing soil
can help reduce levels of inoculum in the soil; soil drenches or seed treatment with
appropriate fungicides can help to control the disease
9. Rhizoctonia seedling blight
Rhizoctonia solani
Symptoms
Water-soaked sunken, red-brown lesions on hypocotyls (germinating shoot below seed
leaves) and epicotyls (shoot above seed leaves); small, circular brown spots on leaves;
large irregular lesions with zonate banding on leaves; lesions with water-soaked
borders; leaves that look like they are covered in sand (sclerotia)
Cause
Fungus
Management
Crop rotation helps to reduce the build up of the fungus in the soil; reduce soil
compaction; do not plant seeds too deep

10. Aphids (Cowpea aphid, Pea aphid, etc.)

Aphis craccivora
Acyrthosiphon pisum
Symptoms
Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or stems of plant; usually green or
yellow in color, but may be pink, brown, red or black depending on species and host
plant; if aphid infestation is heavy it may cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted,
necrotic spots on leaves and/or stunted shoots; aphids secrete a sticky, sugary
substance called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mold on the plants
Cause
Insect
Management
If aphid population is limited to just a few leaves or shoots then the infestation can be
pruned out to provide control; check transplants for aphids before planting; use tolerant
varieties if available; reflective mulches such as silver colored plastic can deter aphids
from feeding on plants; sturdy plants can be sprayed with a strong jet of water to knock
aphids from leaves; insecticides are generally only required to treat aphids if the
infestation is very high - plants generally tolerate low and medium level infestation;
insecticidal soaps or oils such as neem or canola oil are usually the best method of
control; always check the labels of the products for specific usage guidelines prior to
use
11. Armyworms (Beet armyworm, Western striped armyworm)
Spodoptera exigua
Spodoptera praefica
Symptoms
Singular, or closely grouped circular to irregularly shaped holes in foliage; heavy feeding
by young larvae leads to skeletonized leaves; shallow, dry wounds on fruit; egg clusters
of 50-150 eggs may be present on the leaves; egg clusters are covered in a whitish
scale which gives the cluster a cottony or fuzzy appearance; young larvae are pale

green to yellow in color while older larvae are generally darker green with a dark and
light line running along the side of their body and a pink or yellow underside
Cause
Insect
Management
Organic methods of controlling armyworms include biological control by natural enemies
which parasitize the larvae and the application of Bacillus thuringiensis; there are
chemicals available for commercial control but many that are available for the home
garden do not provide adequate control of the larvae
12. Corn earworm
Helicoverpa zea
Symptoms
Larvae damage leaves, buds, flowers, pods and beans; young caterpillars are creamwhite in color with a black head and black hairs; older larvae may be yellow-green to
almost black in color with fine white lines along their body and black spots at the base of
hairs; eggs are laid singly on both upper and lower leaf surfaces and are initially creamy
white but develop a brown-red ring after 24 hours and darken prior to hatching
Cause
Insect
Management
Monitor plants for eggs and young larvae and also natural enemies that could be
damaged by chemicals;Bacillus thuringiensis or Entrust SC may be applied to control
insects on organically grown plants; appropriate chemical treatment may be required for
control in commercial plantations
13. Charcoal rot
Macrophomina phaseolina
Symptoms

Discoloration of stem at soil line; cankers on stem may spread upwards; leaves may wilt
and drop from plant; numerous small black sclerota (fungal fruiting bodies) develop in
affected tissues and can be used to diagnose the disease
Cause
Fungus
Management
Organic soil amendments such as the addition of manure or neemcake can be used to
reduce levels of inocuum in the soil
14. Southern blight
Sclerotium rolfsii
Symptoms
Sudden wilting of leaves; yellowing foliage; browning stem above and below soil;
browning branches; stem may be covered with fan-like mycelial mat
Cause
Fungus
Management
Remove infected plants; avoid overcrowding plants to promote air circulation; rotate
crops with less susceptible plants; plow crop debris deep into soil; provide a barrier to
infection by wrapping lower stems of plant with aluminum foil covering below ground
portion of stem and 2-3 in above soil line
15. Root knot nematode
Meloidogyne spp.
Symptoms
Galls on roots which can be up to 3.3 cm (1 in) in diameter but are usually smaller;
reduction in plant vigor; yellowing plants which wilt in hot weather
Cause
Nematode
Management

Plant resistant varieties if nematodes are known to be present in the soil ;check roots of
plants mid-season or sooner if symptoms indicate nematodes; solarizing soil can reduce
nematode populations in the soil and levels of inoculum of many other pathogens
16. Fusarium wilt
Fusarium oxysporum
Symptoms
Stunted plant growth; yellowing, necrotic basal leaves; brown-red or black streaks on
roots that coalesce as they mature; lesions may spread above the soil line
Cause
Fungus
Management
Control relies on cultural practices e.g. do not plant in same area more than once in any
5 year span or treating seeds with an appropriate fungicide prior to planting