Cowpea Growth and Nitrogen Fixation Performance under Different Mulch Treatments

Abstract

Mulching is regarded as the most important of the three conservation agriculture principles in increasing crop yield in the short term. Thus, the main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of mulch type and mulch application rate on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), physiological and yield responses of cowpea. A multi-locational (two locations) and multi-seasonal (two seasons) study was carried out under rainfed conditions in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Three mulch types (Moringa oleifera stems; Moringa oleifera leaves and twigs; and Vachellia karroo leaves and stems) were uniformly spread on the surface at four rates (0, 3, 6, 9 t/ha). The application of mulches, regardless of the rate and type, improved cowpea chlorophyll content and agronomic parameters, such as stem diameter and plant height. Grain yield at Syferkuil responded to the mulching effect in both seasons, while at Ofcolaco, differences were only observed in one of the seasons. Cowpea under control discriminated against 15N more than under mulched treatments, resulting in more than 70% of the nitrogen being derived from air compared to 50% in mulched plots. This study demonstrated that organic surface mulches improved the physiological responses of cowpea and that organic surface mulches with a lower C:N ratio significantly reduced BNF.