Impact of cutting system and different application of potassium fertilizer on seed production and its quality of forage cowpea

Abstract EN

Two field experiments were carried out during two successive summer seasons of the years 2018 and 2019 at Kafr Al-hamam Agricultural Research Station Sharkia government, Agric.

Research Center (ARC).

the aim of this work, to study the effect of three cutting system i.

e.

(without cut, after one cut and two cuts) and six potassium fertilizer application (control, 100% K as soil, 50% K as soil + K as foliar spray at flowering stage, 50% K as soil + K as foliar spray at flowering and pods filling stages, 25% K as soil + K as foliar spray at flowering stage and 25% K as soil + K as foliar spray at flowering and pods filling stages) on seed production and seed quality parameters of cowpea crop.

The most important results are summarized as follows:
Seed production without cut of plants or after once cut generally, increased plant height, No.

of seed plant-1, No.

of pods plant-1, pod length, weight of pods plant-1, 100 weight seed, harvest index and seed yield.

The increases of seed yield after the first cut and the second cut compared by without cutting system reached 54.56 and 44.08 % , respectively.

Also, germination% , seedling vigor index 1 and 2, shoot and radical lengths as well as fresh and dry weight of seedling were decreased of seed obtained after twice cut of cowpea on basis combined data.