Crop Water use Efficiency and Yield of Cowpea under varying Irrigation Schedule in a Derived Savannah

Abstract

Efficient use of water resources can be made possible through the assessment of crop water requirements and proper scheduling of irrigation. This study determines the water use efficiency and yield of cowpea under varying irrigation schedule in a derived savannah region of Oyo State. The study was carried out in a screen house situated at Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering Department of The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki (TOPS), Oyo State in South Western Nigeria. Surface soil samples from 0-15cm depth randomly collected for planting were taken to the laboratory for analysis to know the preliminary status of the soil before planting. Plant height, number of leaves and stem girth were measured as indicators for plant growth. The deviations between the average values of the growth parameters for the two irrigation frequencies were considered. One-way Analysis of Variance was also used to test for significant differences in the growth parameters for the two irrigation frequencies. Generally, growth parameters were better for 4-days irrigation interval during the sprouting and seedling stages but better for the 2-day irrigation interval between 3-8 weeks after planting. This may be due to the water needs of the plants for metabolism. Also, the crop yield and dry matter yield of the 2-day irrigation frequency were found to be better.