Abstract
The effect of soil compaction and irrigation interval on the growth and yield of cowpea was investigated on Nkpologu sandy clay loam (Oxic Paleustult) in greenhouse pot trials. It was found that moisture stress imposed by increased irrigation interval affected growth and yield more than the compaction. Leaf area, root dry matter yield and crop water-use efficiency (WUE) were significantly reduced by high compaction (bulk density = 1.70 Mg m −3) relative to the medium (bulk density = 1.40 Mg m −3) and low (bulk density = 1.20 Mg m −3) compaction levels. Compaction, however, did not show significant adverse effect on shoot dry matter yield and tap root length, although each of these parameters tended to decrease with increasing compaction. Water, equivalent to the daily consumption by the crop, applied every 6 days (relative to 2- and 4-day intervals) resulted in significant reductions in leaf area, shoot and root dry matter yield ( P = 0.01), tap root length and WUE ( P = 0.05). Only leaf area and WUE were significantly reduced by the compaction/irrigation interval interaction.
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