₦airaland Forum

Question:

Oga, I no get money for SUPA (this is for phosphorus) fertilizer (a bag costs close to 15k here) and I really wan do this beans farming ,see na, the bag still dey cost well well

Response: phosphorus can be supplemented organically or let me say semi organically. Look at the animal bones, like what percentage of it are phosphorus?

Let's leave it here today. It is a topic for another day, I wan sleep, abeg.

4. Phosphorus

Although all nutrients are very important for fruiting in their adequate amount but for legumes like cowpea, phosphorus is a big problem. Why?

You see phosphorus is very important for photosynthesis and respiration in crops. No matter the brightness of the sun, if phosphorus is not adequate, expect delay flowering, fruiting and and fruiting that produces small seeds/grains

It is what they make during photosynthesis (the process where plants make food from simple substances of carbon dioxide (most of the air you breathe out) and water) that they will store, if there are now hindrances to this, what do you expect?

The problem of phosphorus

The south soil contains more phosphorus than the north soil but the problem here is that it is easily fixated (quickly combine with other nutrients in the soil, thereby not readily to use). Therefore, in reality, the north soil may contain more easily used phosphorus than the South's.

Another advantage, is the heat or the high temperature. This encourage more that are fixed in their soil to breakdown relatively faster than South's through the effect of weathering.

This is why for your cowpea to do well in the south, you need high but adequate temperature, and cowpea will not fruit well or early, until such temperature is present and that is only possible in the south when the rain is going!

3. pH

Loosely put, the degree of how acidic or basic your farmland is.
Have you ever wondered why most crops do well around pHes that are near neutral acidic soils? The answer is just metal ions solubility (how quickly those your soil nutrients will dissolve in the water of your soil). At those pHes, they will not dissolve quickly and be transported away from crops so fast (nutrient mobility). Cowpea is not left behind in this.

Have you seen fertilizers that they put humic and flavic acids as their components? This is what exactly they do, they just make what is available but not acquirable to be easily acquirable (forget the chemistry) hence their employment in back side growth booster in poultry keeping

The humus, that black rich soil thing is also important

2. Water/ rainfall

Cowpea is a drought crop. It does not need too much water, but adequate water for its establishment. Water and nitrogen excesses results are almost the same in cowpea. The similarities are (i) they will cause it to have excess leaves and crawls (ii) they will delay flowering, fruiting and maturity. Now, water will cause your seed to rot, the plant to decay, the legume to rot. Therefore, a good agric expert backdates the onset of dry season to plant cowpea.

For example, if you're planting a 70-75days maturity cowpea and you're expecting onset of dry season (very scanty rainfall) around November ending, it takes 15-20days for a cowpea flower to mature to a harvestable brown coloured fruit, if you substract this from the above, it gives 55days which means you should except flowering by 45-55days (±10days), if you back date well, it means you should be thinking of planting around mid-early to mid-late September.

Water is very important for fruiting in cowpea, this means, it will enjoy a two week scanty rainfall and the residual moisture(water reserve) in the soil will be enough for the remaining days of fruiting. Cowpea root could extend close to 0.63-1m and there will also be sun to dry your produce!

What could make cowpea flower quickly?

Previously, as common now with soya bean, cowpea usually respond to the length of daylight (the duration of the day eg shorter night ,longer day or vice versa) termed photoperiodic sensitivity. In respective of when you plant them, they would surely flower and fruit around November.

This is not the case for cowpea again due to breeding by crop scientist. Cowpea is no longer photoperiodic except the old varieties. Cowpea need good understanding to manipulate and it is responsive to bending.

What then could be responsible?
The answers are:

1. Sunlight intensity: This is how bright the sun is. Cowpea is a light loving crop and the intensity received goes a long for it. You would remember I wrote I had to wait till September to plant the seeds to be sure of adequate weather regimes.

Someone we both planted the same variety, told me last week that his, which he planted some days before August 15th has started flowering and fruiting, while I told him I was expecting same for mine this month ending or early next month, unknown to me that mine on the field too are in this stage

One thing a good agric expert will tell you about cowpea is your planting date to avoid stress and workload of having to maintain the farm. Cowpea seed/grain contains about 63% of carbohydrates and 24% of proteins e.t.c. The crop need enough light to make them through photosynthesis and will have to wait for the right amount of sun brightness.

I just received messages from my good friend that the beans are fruiting already! Not just flowering alone but fruiting! In less than 39 days! That's just a month and 6 days.

I will comment later with the pictures he sent and how this was possible. This, when I'm done with what I am doing here

Once again, welcome on board

We will look at water, rainfall, temperature and sunlight effects next time. I'm sorry, I need to rest small, I had a hectic day

Now let's talk about the soil type and soil fertility for cowpea (beans)

1. Cowpea enjoys well drained Sandy loam soil. That kind soil wey dey good for maize. You don't need nitrogen fertilizer as such except places with issues with rhizobium (check up for its work). In fact, cultivating it with fertilizer will reduce its own ability for make nitrogen for itself. If you use fertilizer with nitrogen, the leaves will be much (check previous post for disadvantages) , it will crawl well and no go produce on time. If you wan sell the leaves to livestock farmers, abeg go ahead.

2. Beans is very very sensitive to aluminum. In fact it is toxic to beans. This is the reason beans don't do well in heavy and clay soil. Sometimes last month, a friend came to market on fertilizer product, although it was good and would give a good result but what turned we off was the fact that most of chelates of the fertilizer were aluminum ions based (please forget the chemistry) , I just explained to him why I couldn't use it.

3. Problem of beans is adequate phosphorus. If your soil have issues with phosphorus, common for most south soil (1 reason north dey alright for beans) (please forget the chemistry) , you might need to supplement it especially for farmland that has been cultivated before or many times. When this is important mostly is during that time wey hin won dey produce. SUPA fertilizer is well recommended.

Throughout my stay in the agric school at the university, my field exposure, I still haven't seen cowpea varieties with stronghead against insect pests as FUAMPEA 2. Milk beans coupled with some still dey try.

One of my bosses I respect so much planted SAMPEA 31-32 thereabouts and Ife Brown, she spent lot of money and effort in wadding off insects wey dey chop her beans last month beans wey still never dey flower o, if dem con start to they flower n ko? Although I tried to convince her about the FUAMPEA but her reason still stood on, the beans was made for the north and core north where rain is minimal. Although I had not had experience of the variety so o couldn't convince her further.

About the insect pests infestation

Planting early maturing varieties is good and those varieties with good characteristics of resistance to pest infestations is good.
Segmenting your farm too is good for example of you check your capital and time, instead of cultivation 2 or more hectares on a single farmland, you could plant them in acres on different farmlands in the same location. Try to do away with alternative hosts (crops) around you farm, examples include those ones mentioned in disease management. Crop wey still better na cassava, insects no dey worry am much,na wetin dey mainly around my farm segments be that, most of farms around are done with their crops, so mainly cassava is available as residual crop

About the diseases that affect beans

There are quite a lot of diseases that affect beans usually most come as a result of primary infestation or damage caused by insect pests. And these insects were the majorly challenges encountered in cowpea cultivation in the south of Nigeria primarily because the load of them were found naturally there. Therefore, proper pest management equals a lower disease load

Things you have to note is that beans is very susceptible to fungal and nematodal attacks, therefore the land you want to use could be a place where deep feeders e. g cassava have been planted or shallow feeders e.g cereals have been cultivated.

Places which have been used for vegetables production including tomatoes, potatoes, pepper, groundnut are not suitable for beans cultivation without not properly checked and treated for fungi and nematodes.

Beans cultivation is not also encouraged for monoculture over a farmland without thorough understanding of its mechanism

More. These pictures were taken close to two weeks now

Pics

I am having challenges posting pictures now. I will do, once it goes through

Stephenmoka4:
The beans must have good amount of leaves now. Any update?

Your post reminded me now that I've got some pictures on my phone I took from the farm. I think FUAMPEA 2 is worth all the hype after all. We have not sprayed the beans yet and we haven't had any serious issues so far with pests

Finnish:
What do you feed your goat? Or what's the easiest feed to make/give to goats?

Sorry for the late reply. I have put up there some if their feeding regiments. Thank you

Modernist:
Well then you shouldn't have messaged me then the topic says "treat as urgent" and you're telling me you don't like haste preparations.

Lol

'Haste preparations' : conceptualized above is relative to time and arrangement. 'Arrangement' as a logicalized sequence of events or occurrences.

Even when you have said 'treat as urgent' , then it should contain some elements of a logical sequence of plan as dictated by events or occurrences relative to a short time in execution.

This is business. Things could be discussed over and that is why boardrooms are equipped with comfortable chairs to sit, good tables to talk.

I'm always open to dialogue

Modernist:
okay just message me on the whatapp number where are you located?

We have been doing that for some time now. But how are our plans for tomorrow so as to know how to adjust my schedules too. I don't like haste of preparation at all, it could make me change my mind.

NOGRUDGES:
How are diseases that affect beans prevented? How soon can spraying of crops start?
I'm interested in farming beans soon.

I will give a breakdown of the diseases soon but I think one should worry about pest infestation and control as in, if you're planting in the south, and also climate manipulation. I will you post some pictures here and necessary manipulations you might need. I have not applied insecticides and we're planning even once or organic

Farm B

More

Weeded area

I was on farm today to see how well the cowpeas were doing. Weed was a major challenge on Farm A and we have started weeding today to complete that soon and on Farm B, while the weeds had been great reduced, the beans are coming up but will need proper weeding this month. Manual weeding is majorly done in cowpea as its selective herbicides are majorly on trial and scarce.

Modernist:
Please text me on this number, 08185092085 WhatsApp is down.

I'm on 1% now. I'll try to get my phone charged, once that is done, I'll contact you.

I was on farm today to get a look on amount of those products

Modernist:
Fellow nairalanders I'm in dire need of palm kennel shells, 500 bags upward, if you or someone you know wants to sell you can please, send me a mail, I'll ask for proof, and come to the location to come and carry them.

I've sent you a mail already

Izzy, never disappointing.

Thanks for the broilers today. The half carton extra wey I no get on those cartons pain me o. Keep the good services going bro.

Izzymore:
CHANGE OF PRICE!!!!!!!!!

Bro, I am waiting for the updates this morning

I will post more pics for clarification as time permits me.

To be continued later.......

Compare the thickness of the green layer with that of this TMS

See the green layer

Stem

TME 419 root branching