EBONY COWPEA PER KG BARE RVD

Ebony Cowpea is a warm-season annual legume used mainly for grazing, hay, silage, green manure and improving soil nitrogen. It is vigorous, drought-tolerant and suitable for tropical and subtropical areas. It can produce approximately 3–10 t/ha of vegetative dry matter in 8–12 weeks under suitable conditions.

Seed characteristics

• Species: Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)
• Ebony is a relatively large-seeded cowpea, around 5,000 seeds/kg.
• Suitable for a wide range of soils, provided drainage is adequate.
• Preferred soil pH: approximately 4.0–7.0.
• Minimum rainfall guideline: about 400 mm, although performance depends strongly on seasonal moisture.
• Very sensitive to frost and performs best in warm conditions, with optimum temperatures around 25–35°C.
• Cowpea requires appropriate Group I/CB rhizobial inoculation for effective nitrogen fixation.

Planting time

Plant when the soil is consistently at least 18°C at sowing depth and the risk of frost has passed. In much of eastern Australia, the general forage sowing window is mid-October to early January, with earlier sowing generally producing more feed.

For Queensland, a practical target is generally October to December, provided there is adequate moisture and warm soil.

Planting rate

The appropriate rate depends on whether the crop is dryland, irrigated, broadcast or being grown with another forage.

Sowing depth and rows

• Depth: approximately 3–5 cm into moist soil.
• Row spacing: about 18–35 cm for crop establishment; wider rows can be useful for grazing because they provide better livestock access.
• For fodder/green manure, 30–60 cm rows with 10–15 cm between plants are also recommended.
• Ensure good seed-to-soil contact and avoid sowing into cold or excessively wet soil.

Simple recommendation: For a typical dryland Ebony Cowpea forage crop, aim for 10–14 kg/ha where moisture is limiting; for a higher-input or irrigated crop, 20–30 kg/ha is a practical target.