Description

Crop Production:

1.	Preparatory cultivation	:	Plough 2 to 3 times to obtain a good tilth and form ridges and furrows of 6 m length and 60 cm apart.
2.	Seed rate	:	25 kg/ha
3.	Spacing	:	30 x 15 cm in lines
4.	Manures and fertilizers	:	Manured for irrigated crop only Basal: FYM : 12.5 t/ha NPK: 25 : 40 : 20 kg/ha
5.	Weed Management	:	First weeding at 25th DAS. Subsequent weeding based on necessity
6.	Water Management		Immediately after planting; life irrigation on 3rd day and thereafter once in 10 days.
7.	Harvest	:	At 50% flowering stage (50 – 55 days).
8.	Green fodder yield	:	25-28 t/ha

Crop Protection:

Aphid Aphis craccivora
Symptoms of Damage

• Stunting and distorting growth.
• Honeydew production and sooty mould.
• Vector: Cowpea Mosaic Virus

Identification of insect pest

• Shiny black aphid.
• Aphid groups on the under surface of the cowpea leaves, young stems and pods.

Management ETL: 20/2.5 cm shoot length

• Conserve important predators coccinellid beetles, e.g. Cheilomenes sexmaculata and Coccinella septempuncta, syrphid larvae, e.g. Ischiodon scutellaris, Neuropteran larvae, e.g. Micromus timidus, and a predatory dipteran, e.g. Aphidoletes aphidimyza.

Cowpea mosaic: Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) Field diagnostic symptoms

• Bright yellow mottling with dark green vein – banding, leaf distortion, blistering, stunting and reduced leaf lamina.

Causal agent

• Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) is a plant virus of the comovirus group.
• It is positive sense RNA virus

Survival and Mode of Spread

• Aphid – Aphis craccivora, A. gossypii, A. fabae and Myzus persicae .

Favourable Conditions

• High temperature

Integrated Disease Management

• Roguing out of diseased plants up to 30 days .

Seed Production Land requirement

• Land should be free of volunteer plants.
• The previous crop should not be the same variety or other varieties of the same crop.
• It can be the same variety if it is certified as per the procedures of certification agency.

Isolation

• • For certified / quality seed production, leave a distance of 5 m all around the field from the same and other varieties of the crop.

Seed rate : 20 kg/ha
Spacing : 60 x 20 cm
Fertilizer : Apply NPK @ 25:40:20 kg / ha as basal for the first crop
Season : October to January
Seed grading : Grade the seeds using BSS 16 x 16 wire mesh sieve.Storage

• Short term storage in gunny/cloth bag (8 – 9 months) with 9-10% moisture content .
• Medium term storage in polylined gunny bag (12 – 15 months) with 8 – 9 % moisture.
• Long term storage in 700 gauge polythene bag (more than 15 months) with 8% moisture.