What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to evaluate how integrated nitrogen management practices affect cowpea growth and yield after maize and barley cultivation.

April 18, 2026Plant Science Today0 citationsOpen Access

Residual effects of integrated nutrient management on the performance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in maize-barley-cowpea rotation in northwestern India

GSG Singh SWSS Walia SSSP Singh

Key Points

This research aims to evaluate how integrated nitrogen management practices affect cowpea growth and yield after maize and barley cultivation.
Conducted a two-year field experiment at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
Applied fourteen integrated nutrient management treatments to preceding maize and barley.
Measured growth parameters and yield attributes of cowpea.
Treatment T6 showed significantly higher growth parameters compared to other treatments.
T6 resulted in 54.56 and 55.76% more green pod yield than the control across the experimental years.
Statistically similar growth and yield were observed in treatments T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5.

Abstract

Efficient nitrogen management is vital for realising potential crop productivity. Hence, a two-year field experiment (2023–24 and 2024–25) was conducted at the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, to evaluate the residual effects of sustainable integrated nitrogen management (INM) practices applied to preceding maize and barley on growth, yield and profitability of the succeeding cowpea. Fourteen INM treatments T1 [100 % nitrogen (N) from farmyard manure (FYM), T2 (100 % N from FYM + residue), T3 75 % N from FYM + 25 % from chemical fertilizer (CF), T4 (75 % N from FYM + 25 % from CF + residue), T5 (50 % N from FYM + 50 % from CF), T6 (50 % N from FYM + 50 % from CF + residue), T7 (25 % N from FYM + 75 % from CF), T8 (25 % N from FYM + 75 % from CF + residue), T9 (100 % from CF + 25 % N extra from FYM), T10 (100 % from CF + 25 % N extra from FYM + residue), T11 (100 % from CF), T12 (100 % from CF + residue), T13 (Cowpea intercropping in maize without fertilizer + residue retention in barley) and T14 (Control)] were applied to previous crops (maize and barley). The results showed that being statistically at par with the treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5), the treatment T6 recorded significantly higher growth parameters plant height (95.1 and 95.8 cm), LAI (3.51 and 3.52) and dry matter accumulation (38.2 and 39.0 g/plant) and yield attributes pods/plant (21.3 and 22.4), pod length (20.1 and 20.7 cm) and seeds/pod (11.8 and 12.0) of cowpea over other treatments, consequently resulting in higher productivity (54.56 and 55.76 % more green pod yield over control) and economic benefits.

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