Determination of Suitable Variety and Plants per Stand of Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L.Walp) in the Sandy Soil, Sudan

The study was conducted to determine the effects of four different numbers of plants per stand on the performance of three cowpea varieties under rain-fed conditions. A field experiment was conducted for two successive rainy seasons (2007/08-2008/09) in sandy soil of North Kordofan State, Sudan. The three varieties of cowpea (BLedi, an old local cultivar and two recently improved cultivars, Haydoob and Eien Elgazal) were sown in four patterns (one, two, three and four plants per stand). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in four replications. The results showed that, plants/stand had a significant effect on most of the attributes measured. Increased plants/stand significantly increased grain yield per unit area and reduced the number of pods per plant, 100-grain weight, grain yield per plant and harvest index. The local cultivar was late in maturity and had heavier 100-grain weight, greater grain yield per plant, greater final grain yield (t/ha). The Ein Elgazal was earlier in maturity and scored the highest values of harvest index.