Abstract

Pot experiment was carried out during 1995-96 with vegetable cowpea (CO-2) to study the effect of potting mixtures (100% soil, 100% coirpith, 75% coirpith+ 25% soil, 50% coirpith+ 50% soil and 25% coirpith+75% soil) and methods of fertilizer application (full dose of N and P as basal and 50% of N and P through fertigation + spraying) on physico chemical properties of the potting medium, yield and uptake of nutrients by vegetable cowpea. Incorporation of coirpith in the potting medium improved the physico-chemical properties of the potting medium. The number of root nodules in 100% and 75% coirpith medium were approximately 20 times than that of medium containing 100% soil. An yield increase of 83% and 50% were recorded in the treatments of soil + coirpith 25:75 and 50:50 respectively over 100% soil medium. the yield increase due to the fertigation+ spraying method was 8.12% as compared to basal application alone. Fertigation + spraying method also improved the crude protein content of the pods.

Keywords: Potting medium, coirpith, fertilizer application, physico-chemical properties, cowpca