Seed Production of Vegetable, Tuber and Spice Crops (2+1)

Method of seed production

Isolation distance

• 50 m for foundation seed and 25 m for certified seed production.
  
Climate and Soil

• Vegetable cowpea is a warm season crop and therefore it can be grown both in spring and in rainy seasons in the plains of India.
  
• It cannot tolerate cold weather, heavy rainfall and water logging.
Method and time of sowing

• The seeds are dropped in the furrow in such a way that maintains distance approximately 10 to 15 cm in the rows which are at 40 to 60 cm apart for rainy season crop whereas summer crop is sown at the row distance of 25 to 30 cm.
Seed rate

• The requirement of seed for spring season crop is 20 to 25 kg/ha and for rainy season crop is 12-15 kg/ha.
Manuring

• Vegetable cowpea responds well to an addition of manure and fertilizers. Application of 25 to 30 t/ha FYM improves the yield and quality of cowpea. About 20-25 kg nitrogen and whole dose of phosphorus (50-60 kg/ha) and potassium (50-60 kg/ha) are applied in soil during the last field preparation (6.1). Cowpea is highly sensitive to Zn deficiency. Application of 10 to 15 kg zinc sulphate per hectare would be beneficial.
Roguing

• The seed crop of cowpea is rogued out for all off-types and diseased plants form the crop before flowering and during flowering. When the pods mature, at this stage off-types can be detected.
Field standards

Factors	Foundation	Certified
Off types	0.10%	0.20%
Designated Diseases	0.20%	0.20%
Plant protection
Pests
Aphids

• Spray dimethoate 30 EC 1 ml/lit or methyl demeton 25 EC 1 ml/lit.
Diseases
Powdery mildew

• Dust Sulphur 25 kg/ha or spray Wettable sulphur 2 g/lit.
Harvesting

• The seed crop of cowpea matures in 75 to 125 days, depending upon the season and the variety. The pods turned into straw colour. Entire plant is harvested at the ground level and are allowed to dry in the field or heaped at one place in threshing floor for drying.
Threshing and winnowing

• The dried material is threshed by thresher or trampled. By winnowing all inert matter, chaffy seeds etc. are taken out.
Drying

• Cleaned seed of cowpea is spread on tarpaulin for drying till 10 percent moisture remained in seed.
Seed yield

• Seed crop of cowpea produces about 10-15 quintals of seed per hectare.
Seed standards



Factors	Foundation	Certified
Pure seed (max.)	98%	98%
Inert matter (max.)	2%	2%
Other crop seed (max.)	None	None
Total weed seed (max.)	None	None
Other distinguishable varieties (max.)	5/kg	10/kg
Germination (max.)	75%	75%
Moisture (max.)	9%	9%
For vapour proof container (max.)	8%	8%