"Green bean" yield and other characteristics of cowpea cultivars

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is widely cultivated in the Brazilian Northeast for both grain and "fresh bean" production. "Fresh bean", that is, grains of cowpea with moisture content varying from 60% to 70% is very much appreciated by the people of that region, but not much study has been done on "fresh bean" production. Six cultivars of cowpea, including cultivar Pitiúba as control, were evaluated for yield and yield components of "green bean" ("fresh bean") at Mossoró, RN, Brazil. The control yielded 1,890 kg of grain/ha and did not differ significantly from 'CNCx-24-015E', 'EPACE-6' and 'CNCx-27-2E', which were the most productive cultivars. However, these cultivars overcame that one in 8%, 18% and 35%, respectively.