Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata), commonly known by various names such as black-eyed bean, China pea, southern pea, and lobia, is a highly nutritious, warm-season legume with significant economic value. Renowned for its impressive protein content, it is often referred to as "vegetable meat." Cowpea is a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and low-sodium legume, making it an essential component of a healthy diet.
With a dry weight composition of about 23.4% protein, 1.8% fat, and 60.3% carbohydrates, it is also a rich source of minerals like calcium and iron. Among the latest breakthroughs in cowpea cultivation is Thar Jyothi, a high-yielding, early-maturing, and photo-insensitive variety developed by the Central Horticultural Experiment Station (ICAR-CIAH) in Godhra, Gujarat.
This innovative cultivar is specifically designed for hot, semi-arid, and rainfed regions. Thar Jyothi stands out for its adaptability to arid climates, offering farmers higher yields and faster maturation, making it an ideal choice for commercial cultivation in such environments.
Key Features of Thar Jyothi
It is photo-insensitive which means that it can be grown during any of the length of daylight hours so it can be grown throughout the year. The plant grows to 50-56 cm in height and has a bushy growth habit with dark green leaves and pods.
This is an early flowering and maturing variety. The flowering starts within 40-42 days and the first harvest of fresh, tender dark green pods occurs within 48-50 days after sowing. The pods are quite long and can grow up to 25 to 26.5 cm with a girth of 2.5 cm and an average weight of 9.65 g per pod. Each plant yields around 120-150 pods. The average yield is 1.5 to 2.0 kg per plant so eventually, the total potential yield is 20-25 tonnes per hectare. This variety also shows tolerance to the cowpea mosaic virus and rust diseases thus making it a robust choice for challenging growing conditions.
Soil and Climate
Thar Jyoti variety of cowpea can grow well in warm-season climates, especially if rainfed, at temperatures ranging between 21 and 35°C. It tolerates high temperatures, drought, and poor soils with a pH of 6-7. Such varieties as Thar Jyothi have been specifically developed for good performance under these conditions.
Sowing Time, Spacing, and Seed Rate
It can grown during the kharif season (June-July), rabi (October-November in southern India), and summer season (February-March in northern plains, April-May in hills). The seed spacing for bushy varieties is 30 × 15 cm and for semi-trailing varieties is 45 × 30 cm. For commercial cultivation, the seed rate is recommended as 20-30 kg/ha.
Manures and Fertilizers
This variety shows a remarkable response to fertility applications as it is a legume crop. Farm yard manure of about 25 tons/ha should be applied in the field about 15 days before to sowing of the crop. In general, about 25:75:60 kg NPK /ha. This can be made half as the basal dose along with the application of remaining at about 25-30 DAS.
Intercultural Operations
Shallow cultivation is essential during the initial period for controlling weeds and earthing up. Two hand weedings are advised before earthing up. It is is less moisture-sensitive than most vegetables so it is susceptible to waterlogging.
Harvesting and Yield
Tender pods are harvested when they are full-sized but still tender, not yet hardened and fibrous. Harvesting begins 45 days after sowing. In bush varieties, there can be as many as 10-12 pickings from the life cycle of the crop. Trailing or pole varieties can be harvested on alternate days. Improved bush varieties like Thar Jyothi produce 15-20 tonnes of fresh pods per hectare in the semi-arid conditions of western India.
Thar Jyothi is a breakthrough variety in cowpea production. A high-yielding photo-insensitive variety with early maturity and adaptability to semi-arid conditions, suitable for farmers of this region. The overall nutritional profile of the grain coupled with resistance to diseases makes Thar Jyothi an ideal choice for sustainable agricultural production and commercial profitability.
