Land Preparation

• Plough the land thoroughly 2-3 times and remove weeds and stubbles.
• Make channels of 30 cm breadth and 15 cm depth at 2 m apart to drain off excess rainwater.

Sowing

• Soaking seeds in 500 ppm thiourea solution, followed by two sprays of thiourea (one at vegetative and another at flowering stage) increased the yield of cowpea by 26 per cent and net return by 50 per cent

Seed inoculation and pelleting

• Cowpea seeds should be inoculated with Rhizobium and pelleted with lime.
• Rhizobium cultures are available from the Assistant Soil Chemist, Microbiological Laboratory, Soil Testing Centre, Pattambi 679 306, Palakkad District.
• The strains that are available at Pattambi are the two isolates (No.11 and No.12) developed by the Kerala Agricultural University.

Procedure for seed inoculation

• The content of each packet of Rhizobium inoculant is sufficient for seeds to be sown in the area indicated on the packet (250 to 375 g/ha).
• Use the inoculant only for the specific leguminous crop mentioned on the packet, before the expiry date.
• Do not expose the Rhizobium culture to direct sunlight or heat.
• Mix the inoculant uniformly with the seeds by using minimum quantity of water (instead of water, either 2.5 per cent starch solution or kanjivellam of the previous day can be used in order to ensure better stickiness of the inoculant with the treated seed material).
• Take care to avoid any damage to the seed coat.
• Dry the inoculated seeds under shade over a clean paper or gunny bag and sow immediately.
• The Rhizobium culture or the inoculated seeds should not be mixed with chemical fertilizers.

Procedure for lime pelleting

• Add finely powdered (300 mesh) calcium carbonate to moist fresh Rhizobium treated seeds and mix for 1-3 minutes until each seed is uniformly pelleted.
• Depending on the seed size, the following quantity of lime as required. 1. Small seeds 1.0 kg/10 kg of seed 2. Medium sized seeds 0.6 kg/10 kg of seed 3. Large sized seeds 0.5 kg/10 kg of seed
• Spread out the pelleted seeds on a clean paper to harden.
• Sow them as soon as possible.
• However, lime pelleted seeds can be stored up to one week in a cool place prior to sowing.