Dr. Saunders

Cowpea

(Vigna unguiculata)

  • Upright growth habit
  • Relatively small, red-brown coloured seed

Cowpea is an annual summer legume, ideal as a high-quality summer forage for sheep and cattle, allowing multiple grazing opportunities throughout the growing season. Cowpea is a fast growing and versatile legume providing good grazing, silage and hay for producers.


Key features
• High quality forage for summer finishing feed
• Improved stem and root rot resistance
• Great source of N-fixation in summer rotation
• Nil prussic acid poisoning issues
• Can be used as a companion crop with millets and forage sorghums
• Excellent soil improvement as green manure crop

Specifications
Seeding rate (marginal soil):
15-20kg/ha
Seeding rate (fertile soil):
25-30kg/ha