Download: How Long Does Cowpeas Take To Grow? – Now Answered
Have you ever heard, seen, or tasted cowpeas before? Vigna Unguiculata is the botanical name for this annual leguminous crop that thrives in arid and semi-arid lands. It’s also known as blackeye pea, southern pea, lubia, etc. It’s an edible crop for humans and animals.
History of Cowpea
Cowpea is a plant that originated in Africa and is now widely farmed throughout the continent, as well as in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the southern United States. Around 5 to 6 thousand years ago, the crop was associated with the cultivation of sorghum and pearl millet in ancient West African cereal farming.
Read also: Learn about the types of cowpeas
Benefits of Cowpeas
If you are having doubts about trying Cowpeas as part of your diet, then you better take notes of the following benefits. There are many health benefits attached to cowpeas, however, these are some of them.
- They’re high in dietary fiber and are proven to help with gastrointestinal issues including diarrhea and constipation.
- It prevents anemia and restores red blood cell count due to a significant amount of iron.
- It’s low in calories and cholesterol, which is crucial for weight loss.
- It has a high content of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps to keep the impacts of free radicals, which cause cancer and other chronic diseases, at bay.
Read also: How To Grow Cowpeas In South Africa
Conditions For Growing Cowpeas
The following are a few conditions to be met in growing Cowpeas.
Climate: Cowpeas are drought-tolerant crops i.e they won’t thrive during frost seasons. At temperatures above 65°F, germination is quick; at lower temperatures, germination takes longer.
Soil: Cowpea thrives in well-drained sandy loams or sandy soils with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Though it can also be cultivated in a range of soils and circumstances.
Prepare the seedbed: Soils should be farmed deeply enough to remove any obstacles to taproot penetration (such as a hardpan). Under certain soil and weather circumstances, cowpea may be negatively impacted by soil crusting.
Fertility: Cowpea forms a symbiotic association with a specific soil bacterium, as do all legumes (Rhizobium spp.). Rhizobium uses a process called nitrogen fixation to make atmospheric nitrogen available to plants.
Read also: How To Grow Cowpeas In Zambia
How long Does Cowpeas Take To Grow?
Green snaps, green-mature, and dried cowpeas can all be harvested at varying stages of maturation. Fresh-market (green-mature) peas are ready to harvest 16 to 17 days after blooming, depending on the weather (60 to 90 days after planting).
The processor usually specifies the harvest date for green snap pods. A snap bean or green pea harvester is required for mechanical harvesting. Generally, mature green cowpeas are harvested mechanically using a mobile Viner.
The majority of domestic cowpea production is mechanically harvested; however, hand-harvested cowpeas sustain less damage and can be collected for up to three weeks. Each day, a single individual can pick 12 to 20 bushels of cowpea pods by hand.
Cowpea pods are wrapped in bushel hampers or mesh bags, weighing 25 pounds net (not burlap sacks). Cowpeas can be windrowed to help them dry faster, or they can be straight combined with a small grain or soybean combine.
Read also: How To Grow Cowpeas In Uganda
Conclusion
I hope you find this article helpful. I would like to hear from you. So, let me know if you have any questions about how long Cowpea takes to grow. Also, learn how to grow Cowpeas in containers.
