Study on Nutrient Composition and Yield of Cowpea (Vigna sinensis) Varieties

Thirteen varieties (DCP-2, DCP-5, DCP-6, DCP-7, DCP-10, DCP-11, GC-9040, HC-2-40, GC-11, V-240, DCS-5, DCS-6 and V-585) of cowpea (Vigna sinensis) were evaluated for their nutrient content, in vitro digestibility and nutrient yield. The DM ranged between

18.5 (DCP-2) to 31.8% (V-240), while CP 13.9 (DCP-6) to 20.8% (GC-11), CF from 28.3 (DCP-2) to 32.9% (DCS-5), EE 2.86 (HC-2-40) to 3.51% (DCS-5), total ash 9.3 (DCP-5) to 12.8% (DCS-5) and nitrogen free extract 36.8 (DCS-6) to 42.9% (DCP-5). In vitro dry matter digestibility was 52.5 to 66.3%. The cell wall composition (%) in terms of NDF ranged from 48.3–57.7, ADF 39.4–47.2, cellulose 24.3–35.8, hemicelluloses 5.9–11.8, lignin 7.3–12.2 and silica 1.2–2.9. The availability index was 72.8 to 85.0%. Among the different varieties analyzed green forage yield was maximum in V-585 (25.9 T/ha), DCP-7 (25.4 T/ha) and DCP-5 (24.5 T/ha). The DM and CP yield of cowpea varieties ranged from 4.02 to 7.35 and 0.71 to 1.15 T/ha, respectively. Based on chemical composition, IVDMD and yield of nutrients it can be inferred that, DCP-10, GC -11, DCP-2 and DCS -6 were superior compared to other varieties for inclusion in livestock rations.