Response of vegetable cowpea to intra-row spacing and defoliation

The response of vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] walp) to intra-row spacing and defoliation was investigated at Plateau State College of Agriculture, Garkawa, (latitude10011 'N and longitude 8021 E) in the southern guinea savanna ecological zone during the 2008 and 2009 wet seasons. The treatments consisted of four intra-row spacings (20, 30, 40 and 50 centimetres) and four defoliation rates (0, 25, 50 and 75 percentages). These treatments were factorially combined and laid out in a randomized complete block design, with three replications. Results obtained showed that vegetable cowpea growth parameters (plant height, shoot fresh weight per plant and shoot dry weight per plant) increased significantly with close intra-row spacing. Similarly green pod yield increased significantly with decreasing levels of intra-row spacing. The intra-row spacing of 20cm yielded 5.7g edible leaf yields per plot which was significantly higher than 5.1g at 30cm in 2008.