COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT FARMING IN GHANA (WEST AFRICA).

Groundnut and cowpea are examples of leguminous crops that are grown in Ghana (West Africa).

These crops are grown for commercial purposes and consumption.

Leguminous crops have the following characteristics:

The crop is a dicotyledonous plant.
The crop belongs to the family Leguminosae.
The crop produces smallish dry seeds called grain legumes or pulses.
The seeds are kept in pads.
The seeds of the crops contain food in the form of protein and oil.
The leaves are usually broad and have compound trifoliate leaves.

Other examples of grain legumes are;

soya bean,
lima bean,
mung bean (green gram),
winged bean,
and pigeon peas

COWPEA FARMING

Varieties of cowpea

The main cowpea varieties grown in Ghana include:

Amantin (Mottled dark red)
Soronko (Brown grains)
Ayiyi (White grains)
Vallenga (Light brown grains)
Bengpla (White with black eye grains)
Asontem (Light red)
Asetenapa (White with black eye)

Soil requirements

The best soil for cowpea production is loamy soil with good drainage.
The soil should be moderately fertile with a low level of organic matter and nitrogen.

Climatic requirements

Cowpea requires a warm climate with high temperatures.
It requires moderate rainfall evenly distributed throughout the growing period.

Land preparation

The methods may be;

mechanical,
manual,
and chemical.

Mechanical method;

You ploughed the land and later on harrowed.

Manual method

The bush is cleared.
Trees are cut down and pruned.
The trash is burnt to expose the soil.

Chemical method

Recommended weedicides are sprayed on low vegetation to such the weeds or vegetation to expose the soil.

Time for planting

Cowpea is planted at a time when the plant can mature or fruit during the drought period.

How to plant.

Spacing:

The recommended spacing is 60 cm x 30 cm between plants within a row.

Number of seeds per hole:

Usually, two seeds are planted per hole.
Where more than two seeds are placed in a hole, thinning out is done.

Tools for planting:

The main tools used in planting cowpea are a;

cutlass,
a pointed stick,
a planter.

Cultural practices for cowpea

Weed control
Supplying
Pest control.
Thinning out
Disease control

Examples of pests that affect cowpea and the damage they usually cause

Leaf hoppers: Feeds on leaves, causing folding of leaves and stunted growth

Foliage beetles: Feeds on and damages leaves by making holes in the leaves

Variegated grasshopper: Feeds on the leaves and young pads

Aphids: Pierces and sucks juice from young leaves and shoots.

Thrips: Feed on flowers and cause flower drops.

Pod borers: Bore holes into pods of cowpea.

Grain weevil: Damages grains in storage.

Control of cowpea pests

All the pests mentioned above are insect pests and are controlled by spraying the cowpea plant and grains with recommended insecticides such as Actelic.

Harvesting of cowpea

Signs of maturity

Plants dry up.
Leaves turn yellow and drop.
Pods ripen and dry up, and in most cases turn brown.

Maturity period for most cowpea varieties grown in Ghana takes 80-90 days.
There are two methods for harvesting cowpea.
Manual method: This involves picking the pods with hands.
Mechanical method: This involves picking the pods with the use of a harvester or a harvesting machine.

Handling of harvested cowpea

Drying of pods.
Thrashing of pods to shatter seeds.
Cleaning or winnowing of grains
Drying of grains
Treating grains with recommended insecticides.
Bagging of grains.
Storing of grains in sealed sacks in dry, well-ventilated rooms.

Uses of cowpea

Grains are eaten by man as a major source of protein when processed into diets such as “waakye” and cowpea stew.
Cowpea may be used to feed livestock and poultry birds.

GROUNDNUT FARMING

Groundnut is among the legumes that are grown in many parts of Ghana.

They require fairly fertile, sandy loam soils for propagation by seed

The botanical name of groundnut is Arachis hypogaea

Time of planting in the West African zone: March-April

Varieties of groundnut are;

Creeping or prostrate type
The runner
The bunchy or erect type

Climatic requirements for growing groundnut.

They prefer a warm climate
They grow best at altitudes below about 1600 m.
They require about 500 mm of rain during the growth period
They require a dry period at harvest

Spacing

15 cm between seeds and 50 or 70 cm between rows, depending on variety, or 15 cm between seeds on ridges.
The number of seeds per hole is 1 – 2
Where yields are low, apply double superphosphate along the ridge before planting.

COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT FARMING IN GHANA (WEST AFRICA)

COWPEA AND GROUNDNUT FARMING IN GHANA (WEST AFRICA).

COWPEA FARMING

Varieties of cowpea

Soil requirements

Climatic requirements