Effects of sulphur and zinc on growth and productivity of summer cowpea under conditions of southern Odisha 

DOI: 10.31830/2454-1761.2025.CR-1012    | Article Id: CR-1012 | Page : 28-34
Citation :- Effects of sulphur and zinc on growth and productivity of summer cowpea under conditions of southern Odisha. Crop Res. 60: 28-34
K. R. HEMASREE, MASINA SAIRAM, SAGAR MAITRA, SUMIT RAY, NORI MAHESWARI, DINKAR J. GAIKWAD AND SANTOSH D. T. sagar.maitra@cutm.ac.in
Address : Department of Agronomy and Agroforestry, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi-761211, Odisha, India
Submitted Date : 30-03-2025
Accepted Date : 31-03-2025

Abstract

Cowpea is a climate-smart crop that can be grown in various conditions, such as drought and sandy soils and it is one of the important grain legumes in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In legume crops like cowpea, N, P, K, sulphur and zinc play a crucial role in plant metabolism. Sulphur is essential for synthesizing amino acids and proteins, bolstering plant defence mechanisms against environmental stresses such as drought and heat. Zinc is crucial for various plant physiological functions, including enzyme activation and protein synthesis. Considering the above facts, the present study was carried out at the Post Graduate Research Farm, M.S. Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Odisha during the summer of 2023-24. The Experiment was laid out in factorial RBD with 12 treatment combinations consisting of 4 sulphur doses (control, 10 kg, 20 kg and 30 kg) and 3 levels of zinc foliar application (0.1 %, 0.2% and 0.3%) at 30 and 50 DAS. The result revealed that the application of 30 kg/ha sulphur recorded the highest growth parameters, yield attributes and yield. However, the application of zinc 0.3% recorded the highest growth parameters, yield components and yield. From the study, it may be concluded that the application of sulphur at the rate of 30 kg/ha and foliar zinc application 0.3% at 30 and 50 DAS can be applied for obtaining higher productivity of cowpea during summer.

Keywords

Biofortification foliar nutrient spray growth characters yield attributes productivity

References

Abdar, J. P., Dhutraj, S. V. and Jayewar, N, E. (2023). Effect of different levels of phosphorus and sulphur on maturity, yield and quality of cowpea (Vigna sinensis) Cv. Pusa Phalguni. Int. J. stat. Appl. Math. 8: 1449-51. 
Adarsh, S., Jacob, J. and Giffy, T. (2019). Role of pulses in cropping systems: A review. Agric. Rev. 40: 185-91.
Akhil, G. H. V. and Debbarma, V. (2022). Response of chickpea (cicer arietinum l.) to sulphur and zinc elements. Int. J. Environ. Clim. Chang. 12: 766-73. doi:10.9734/ijecc/2022/v12i1131036
Açık, A. and Öncan Sümer, F. (2023). Foliar application of zinc improves agronomical and quality parameters and biofortification of cowpea (Vigna sinensis) under deficit irrigation. Agronomy, 13(4): 1021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041021
Ankesh, A. N., Ravi, S., Pandit, S. R. and Bellakki, M. A. (2023). Effect of sulphur and zinc on growth, yield, quality and economics of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). Pharma Innovat. 12(12): 589-93.
Dey, S., Prasad, S. and Chichaghare, A. R. (2020). Effect of placement and foliar application of urea, KCl and Zn (supplementary nourishment) on growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) under guava (Psidium guajava L.) based agri-horti system. Curr. J. App. Sci. Technol. 39: 61-67. doi:10.9734/cjast/2020/v39i3731089.
Hamzah-Saleem, M., Usman, K., Rizwan, M., Al-Jabri, H. and Alsafran, M. (2022). Functions and strategies for enhancing zinc availability in plants for sustainable agriculture. Front. Plant Sci. 13: doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.1033092.
Hossain, A., Maitra, S., Ahmed, S., Mitra, B., Ahmad, Z., Garai, S., Mondal, M., Adeel, M., Shankar, T. and Meena, R. S. (2022). Legumes for nutrient management in the cropping system, In: Advances in legumes for sustainable intensification, Meena, R.S., Kumar, S. (Eds.), Academic Press, pp. 93 ̶ 112.
Kavya, P., Singh, S., Hinduja, N., Tiwari, D. and Sruthi, S. (2021). Effect of foliar application of micronutrients on growth and yield of greengram (Vigna radiata L.). Legume Res. 44: 1460-64. doi:10.18805/LR-4445.
Kodavali, M. R. and Khurana, M. P. S. (2022). Sulphur and its significance in higher pulse production. Environ. Conserv. J. 23: 367-73. doi: 10.36953/ECJ.9072164. 
Kumar, M. P. and Singh, R. (2024). Response of sulphur and zinc on yield attributes, yield and economics of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). J. Sci. Res. Rep. 30: 149-56. doi:10.9734/jsrr/2024/v30i82234.
Kumar, M. P., Thakur, I. and Singh, R. (2024). Effect of sulphur and zinc on growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) Int. J. Res. Agron. 7: 423-25.  doi:10.33545/2618060X.2024.v7.i4f.584.
Maitra, S., Upasana S., Sairam, M., Gitari, H. I., Rezaei-Chiyaneh, E., Battaglia, M. L. and Hossain, A. (2023). Cultivating sustainability: A comprehensive review on intercropping in a changing climate. Res. Crop. 24: 702-15. doi:10.31830/2348-7542. 2023.ROC-1020.
Midya, A., Saren, B. K., Dey, J. K., Maitra, S., Praharaj, S., Gaikwad, D. J., Gaber, A., Alhomrani, M. and Hossain, A. (2021). Crop establishment methods and integrated nutrient management improve: Part II. Nutrient uptake and use efficiency and soil health in rice (Oryza sativa L.) field in the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, India.  Agronomy 11: doi:10.3390/agronomy11091860.
Nandi, S., Maitra, S., Shankar, T., Panda, M. and Sairam, M. (2022). Impact of intercropping of vegetable legumes in summer maize on productivity and competitive ability of crops. Crop Res. 57: 122 ̶ 27. doi:10.31830/2454-1761.2022.017.
Narayan, O. P., Kumar, P., Yadav, B., Dua, M. and Johri, A. K. (2023). Sulfur nutrition and its role in plant growth and development. Plant Signal Behav. 18:  doi:10.1080/ 15592324.2022.2030082.
Neha, B. and Dawson, J. (2023). Influence of sulphur and zinc on growth, yield and quality of summer green gram. Int. J. Environ. Clim. Chang. 13: 37-40. doi:10.9734/ijecc/2023/v13i31678.
Oliveira, C. F., Silva, M. G., Silva, G. N., Ducatti, K. R., Rocha, M. M., Reis, A. R., Rabêlo, F. H. S., Lavres, J. and Santos, E. F. (2024). Agronomic biofortification increases concentrations of zinc and storage proteins in cowpea grains. Agriculture 14:  doi:10.3390/agriculture14060911.
Palai, J. B., Jena, J. and Maitra, S. (2019). Prospects of underutilized food legumes in sustaining pulse needs in India–A review. Crop Res. 54: 82-88.                    
Patel, T. B., Raj, A. D., Surve, V., Sankhala, P. M. and Parmar, V. T. (2023). Effect of sources and levels of sulphur on growth, yield and economics of summer cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. walp.) under south Gujarat condition. Soil Crop. 33: 68-72.
Praharaj, S., Skalicky, M., Maitra, S., Bhadra, P., Shankar, T., Brestic, M., Hejnak, V., Vachova, P. and Hossain, A. (2021). Zinc biofortification in food crops could alleviate the zinc malnutrition in human health. Molecules 26:  doi:10.3390/molecules26123509.
Ray, S., Maitra, S., Sairam, M., Sravya, M., Priyadarshini, A., Shubhadarshi, S. and Padhi, D. P. (2024). An unravelled potential of foliar application of micro and beneficial nutrients in cereals for ensuring food and nutritional security. Int. J. Exp. Res. Rev.  41: 19–42. doi:10.52756/ijerr.2024.v41spl.003.
Sahu, S., Shankar, T., Maitra, S., Adhikary, R., Mondal, T. and Duvvada, S. K. (2021). Impact of phosphorus and sulphur on the growth and productivity of greengram (Vigna radiata). Res. Crop. 22: 785-91. doi:10.31830/2348-7542.2021.131.
Sarkar, S., Skalicky, M., Hossain, A., Brestic, M., Saha, S., Garai, S., Ray, K. and Brahmachari, K. (2020). Management of crop residues for improving input use efficiency and agricultural sustainability. Sustainability 12: doi:10.3390/su12239808.
Shukla, A., Mishra, A., Mishra, U. S., Sirothia, P., Singh, O. K. and Jendre, A. (2023). Effect of sulphur and vermicompost on growth parameters, yield attributes and yield of chickpea. Int. J. Plant Soil Sci. 35: 602-08. doi:10.9734/ijpss/2023/v35i203844.
Solanki, P. P., Vadodaria, J. R., Patel, P. K. and Mandaliya, J. V. (2023). Effect of date of sowing and row spacing on growth, yield and quality of summer vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). Pharma Innov. J. 12: 1407-12.
Yadav, B. N., Umesha, C. and Sanadiya, L. K. (2022). Influence of sulphur and zinc on growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). Int. J. Environ. Clim. Chang. 12: 93-97. doi:10.9734/ijecc/2022/v12i1030773.
Zenda, T., Liu, S., Dong, A. and Duan, H. (2021). Revisiting sulphur— the once neglected nutrient: It’s roles in plant growth, metabolism, stress tolerance and crop production. Agriculture 11: doi:10.3390/agriculture11070626.


Global Footprints