Effect of foliar spray with urea and some micronutrients on mungbean [Vignal radiata [l.] wilczek] growth, yield and seed chemical composition

The objective of the experiments was to study the effect of foliar spray with some nutrients on growth, yield and seed chemical composition of Kawmy-1 variety mung bean [Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek]. The foliar treatments were urea [1%], and four key micronutrients, Fe [0.5%] Zn [0.1%], Mn [0.2%] and CuSO4 [0.05%]. Micronutrient treatments were spray either alone or combined with urea at early pod-setting. The obtained results showed that foliar spray with either Fe and Zn alone or urea in combination with Zn or Cu gave the tallest plants. Application of urea or Zn increased the number of branches per plant, while the greatest number of leaves per plant was produced from the combined application of urea with Mn, Zn and Cu. The heaviest dry weight of mung bean plants was recorded when the plants were treated with Fe alone or combined with urea

Cowpea [vigna unguiculata L. walp] yield and seed macronutrient content as affected by combined nitrogen and sulphur applications

Pot experiments were performed in greenhouse to study the response of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp] to different nitrogen fertilizer levels when combined with sulfur on yield and seed NPK contents. The plants were fertilized with 0, 0.7, 1.4 and 2.1 g/pot and combined with sulfur at 0, 5, 10 and 15 g/pot. The results showed that cowpea dry weight/plant positively responded to combined nitrogen at 2.1 g and sulfur at 15 g/pot. Cowpea pod number and weight/plant as well as seed yield/plant showed significant positive responses to nitrogen and sulfur application. Meanwhile, the interaction between nitrogen and sulfur showed more beneficial effects on yield characters than each element applied alone. The data on N, P and K concentrations in cowpea seeds indicated that the application of nitrogen levels alone did not induce increases in P or K concentrations. However, such tendency changed when sulfur was combined with nitrogen

Soybean varietal tolerance to inter cropping with semi-dwarf grain sorghum

Two soybean [Glycine max [L. Merrill] varieties; viz. Clark-63 and Cuttler-71 were intercropped with the grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor Moenc] variety Dorado in a 2 + 2 row intercropping pattern. Both soybean varieties and the grain sorghum variety were also separately planted with the solid recommended plant densities [Solid I] as well as in comparative treatments where the same plant densities were applied under intercropping [Solid II]. Sorghum grain yield per plant was increased by 47 and 35 percent from the comparative monoculture treatment yield due to the intercropping with Cuttler and Clark varieties respectively. On the other hand, soybean pod-set, seed yield per plant and seed index were reduced under intercropping, the reduction in these yield components was greater for Cuttler than for Clark variety. Land Equivalent Ratio [LER] values increased in efficiency by 17 and 7 percent when grain sorghum was intercropped with Clark and Cuttler varieties, respectively. The competitive Ratio [CR] values indicated that one grain sorghum plant was equivalent to 2.45 and 1.60 soybean plants of Cuttler and Clark varieties, respectively. Choice of a suitable soybean variety under this intercropping pattern may play an important role for increasing land equivalent ratio under conditions of the experiment