Cowpeas
Cowpea needs rainfall of between 250 – 750mm/year, sandy to heavy loam soils of about 4.2-5.0pH making it ideal for Region I.
Variety | Characteristics | |
1. | Local | Type: Long maturing, prostate |
Tolerance: Low nitrogen, drought. | ||
Days to maturity: 130 days | ||
Seed Colour: Pinkish | ||
Seed rate: 12kg/ha | ||
Spacing: 75 x 15 cm | ||
Target regions: I, II, | ||
Yield potential: 500kg/ha | ||
2. | Lutembwe | Type: Medium maturing, good leaf quality. |
Tolerance: Low nitrogen, drought | ||
Days to maturity: 100 days | ||
Seed Colour: Pink | ||
Seed rate: 12kg/ha | ||
Spacing: 75 x 15 cm | ||
Target regions: I, II, | ||
Yield potential: 1,500-2,000kg/ha | ||
3. | Bubebe | Type: Early maturing, two crops per season possible. |
Tolerance: Low nitrogen, drought | ||
Days to maturity: 63-70 days | ||
Seed rate: 12kg/ha | ||
Spacing: 75 x 15 cm | ||
Target regions: I, II, | ||
Yield potential: 1,000-1,500kg/ha | ||
1-ZAMBIA’S AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES
Key
AER 1 = Agro-Ecological Region 1
- Less than 800mm rainfall per year.
- 80-120 effective growing days.
- Suitable for millet, sorghum, maize, groundnuts, soyabeans.
AER 2A and AER 2B = Agro-Ecological Region 2a and Agro-ecological Region 2B
- 800-1, 000mm rainfall per year.
- 100-140 effective growing days.
- Suitable for maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea, groundnuts, soyabeans.
AER 3 = Agro-Ecological Region 3
- More than 1, 000mm rainfall per year.
- 160+ effective growing days.
- Suitable for maize, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, beans, rice, soyabean
C.2-ZAMBIA’S AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES