Yield and protein percentage in Cowpea cultivars harvested in Pinar del Río, Cuba

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is an important legume with agronomic potential for the grain production in soil and climatic conditions of Cuba, but little known and studied in agroecosystems of Pinar del Río. The research evaluated the yield and nutritional quality (percentage of proteins) in cowpea cultivars (INIFAT 93, INIFAT 94, IPA 206 and TITAN) harvested in the locality "San Juan y Martínez" during the spring season (April-July). The sowing was done manually at a distance of 0.60 m between furrows by 0.15-0.20 m between plants, in a leached yellow ferralitic soil dedicated to the tobacco crop (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Greater biological productivity and yield were obtained in the INIFAT 94 and TITAN cultivars which exceeded the production of INIFAT 93 by >32%. The latter reached a harvest index of over 50% and all expressed vain sheaths index of less than 30%. Protein percentage in cowpea cultivars had values between 22.1% and 26.9%, representing on average more than 93% and 67% of the content of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and soybean (Glycine max), respectively, used as a reference. The results suggest that cowpea may be considered an optimum alternative to grain production for crop rotation in tobacco agroecosystems of Pinar del Río.