Best Green Pea Fertilizer to Increase Yeilds

Green peas ready for cookingAre you looking for the best green pea fertilizer to increase your farm yields? A fertilizer you can trust and one that will not interfere with the environment? If yes, then this guide was created just for you.

We created this guide to help green pea farmers identify the best green pea fertilizer for their farm and the best way to plant green peas.

Best Green Pea Fertilizer

Organic Fertilizers

Legumes produce nitrogen. As a result, Excessive fertilizer leads to excessive vegetative growth, which reduces the number of pods produced. It is recommended to use at least 2 tons/acre of well-decomposed compost or farmyard manure, especially in areas with low soil nutrient content.

Farmers should apply green pea fertilizer during dry weather, and the organic fertilizer should be adequately mixed with the topsoil atleast 1 week before planting.

Macronutrients uptake (Kg/ha) at a yield of 7 T/ha

N

Cao

Mgo

K2O

P2O5

146

62

13

123

44

Nitrogen Application

N should only be applied after a soil test report recommends it if the soil test recommends it. Only use N during the planting stage.

Cow Pea planting

Cowpeas are the second most important source of protein after beans. You can consume its leaves or as a dried grain. 

Despite its importance, cowpea yields have remained low over the years. Low yields are caused by reduced soil fertility, poor agronomic techniques, pests and diseases, and inefficient post-harvest management practices. If farmers could increase their soil fertility and use modern storage techniques, they could significantly increase their profits.

In comparison to other grain legumes and vegetable crops, cowpea offers farmers several advantages. The most important being that it is more heat and drought-resistant. The second most important reason is that it takes up nitrogen from the environment and fixes it into the soil. This improves soil fertility. 

It is important to note that Cowpeas can be grown alongside other crops because it is tolerant to shade. 

Ecological Factors

The three main ecological factors affecting green peas are:

  • Soil Type
  • Rainfall
  • Altitude
  • Temperature

Soil Type

Green peas can grow in a wide range of soils, such as sandy and well-drained clay soils. It thrives in lighter soils because they are suitable for root development. Green peas do not perform well in waterlogged soils. It requires a soil pH of 5.6 to 6.5. 

If planted in soils below a pH 4.5, it will have impaired growth because soils with a PH of below 4.5 do not support the development of Rhizobium bacteria.

Rhizobium bacteria are responsible for fixing nitrogen into the soil.

Rainfall

Cowpeas will require a minimum rainfall of between 200 – 500 mm. Cowpeas will need rain during the vegetative and flowering stage.

Altitude

Cowpeas grow well when planted in areas 1500 meters above sea level.

Temperatures

Optimal temperatures are between 20 – 30 degrees celsius. If flowering happens with temperatures above 30 degrees celsius, the flowers will reduce, reducing the number of pods produced.

Land Preparation, Propagation, and Seed Rate

For every one acre of land you plan to plant, you need 8-10 kg of green peas. The yield potential will depend on several factors; one of them is ecological factors, and the second is the variety of seeds planted. Some of the popular cowpea varieties grown in Kenya are:

Machakos 66 

Developed for an altitude of between 1200 – 1,500m and have a maturity period of 80 -95 days.  The potential yield is 3.5 – 7.7 90 kg bags.

Kunde-Tumaini

Suitable for low to high altitude regions  { 5 -1500m above sea level} and have a maturity period of 70 -80 days. The expected yield per acre is 6.6 – 9.4 90 kg bags.

Kunde- Tamu

It has a maturity period of 70 – 80 days and is suitable for use in low – high altitude regions {5 -1500m}. The expected yield per acre is 2.5 – 8.8  90 kg bags.

Other varieties in the market include:

  • Kunde 1
  • ICV
  • KVU 27-1

How to Test for Germination

We recommend that farmers do a simple germination test at least 10 days before planting.

This is done by soaking around 50 cowpea seeds in water overnight. The soaked seeds are then wrapped in a soft cotton cloth and watered three times daily. 

On the third day, the seeds are examined to determine the percentage of germinated seeds. The farmer uses these results to determine whether or not to use the pack of seeds bought. 

If there are atleast 40 sprouts, then the seeds can be used for planting. Replace seeds that have fewer than 30 sprouts, resulting in low yields.

Land Preparation 

When preparing the land, ensure you do it early because delayed sowing might cause reduced yields or crop failure. We advise you use CATAPULT to kill grass weeds and broadleaf.

Secondly, plow the land to a fine tilth and mix the soil with the best fertilizer for cow peas. You can also use DAP to stabilize the soil PH or 1 tone of organic fertilizer.

Fertilizer Application

During planting, ensure you apply DAP or phosphatic fertilizers to boost root development. As the plants grow, use Lavender Super Starter to promote rapid growth. Another fertilizer you can use is the Safi Foliar fertilizer.Green pea fertilizer applied to this garden

You should use a fertilizer with less nitrogen during the top dressing stage because green peas fixate nitrogen into the soil. Also, too much nitrogen will reduce the number of pods, reducing pea nails.

Intercropping

Cowpeas can be intercropped with sorghum and maize crops because they are leguminous. 

Note: if you are going to use the leaves as a vegetable, they should be harvested when young and tender. We advise 12- 16 days after flowering. 

 

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