The influence of varying gamma irradiation doses on the growth and yield of selected cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp) genotypes.

ABSTRACT

Cowpea is an annual legume which is commonly referred to as southern pea or lubia it is one of the vital nourishment legumes and a valuable part of the old harvesting schemes in the semiarid tropics. A field study was conducted at Omahenene Research Station, Northern Namibia to examine the influence of varying gamma irradiation doses on the growth and yield of cowpea (V. unguiculata L. Walp) genotypes. The experiment was done under rain fed conditions from January to April 2015. The experiment was conducted with two cowpea genotypes (Bira and Shindimba) treated with varying gamma irradiation doses of 200. 450. 600 and 0 Gy which served as a control. The data analysis was done using GenStat version 14. Data on pod length, seed yield and dry biomass of cowpea was collected. The outcomes demonstrated that increasing varying gamma irradiation doses significantly (P