Background:
In Cowpea, varieties like C152, is the most popularly cultivated variety in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. But it is late maturing (95-100 days) and produce more foliage, with less number of flowers/pods per plant in soils having high moisture holding capacity and turns to indeterminate growth realizing low yield. Crop maturity is not uniform, that demands multiple pod pickings increases labour cost. Further, it has become highly susceptible to rust and low yielding. In this context, there was an urgent need to develop high yielding Cowpea variety that matures early and uniformly suitable for single time harvest/ mechanical harvest.:
Technology Details:
DC15, is a high yielding early maturing Cowpea variety with Uniform pod maturity. It has resistance to rust and tolerance to pod borer. It bears extra-long straight creamy white pods (up to 22 cm length) that mature uniformly enables complete harvest in a single picking; saves labour cost, suitable for mechanical harvest. It bears a greater number of pods per plant (25-30 pods per plant) and medium bold brown seeds (test weight 11.50 -12 g) with high seed protein content 25-27%. It is released for cultivation under red and sandy loamy soils during Late kharif (August I week – II week) in rain fed situations; Rabi-Summer (November 15 – December 15) in limited irrigated situations in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. Name of crop DC 15 (Cowpea) Parentage C152 x GL Year of release (CSC on CSN & RVAC) 2016 Gazette Notification Details Notification S.O. 1007(E), dtd. 30-03-2017, published in “The Gazette of India” REGD. NO. D. L.-33004/99 No. 898 dated 30.03.2017 Yield (q ha -1 ) Avg. Grain yield: 13 q ha -1 Avg. Fodder yield: 30 q ha-1 Season Late kharif under assured rainfall conditions (August I week – II week); Rabi-Summer under Irrigated condition/ draw dawn cultivation on River basins (November 15 – December 15) Maturity Group 75 to 78 days (early uniform maturity) Reaction to major diseases and insects tolerant to pod borer and aphids Other remarks Early and Uniform pod maturity at a time enables complete harvest in a single picking, saves labour cost, suitable for mechanical harvest, medium bold brown seeds with 25-27% protein content Special features ➢ Early and Uniform pod maturity at a time enables complete harvest in a single picking; saves labour cost, suitable for mechanical harvest ➢ Extra-long creamy white straight Pods at maturity (up to 22 cm long) ➢ Test weight: 12.50 g; Medium Bold brown seeds, high seed protein content 25 % - 27 % ➢ Wide adaptability- suitable for red loamy to low fertility sandy soils and also wide climatic conditions.