Germinação e crescimento inicial de cultivares de feijão caupi (Vigna unguiculata) (L.) Walp.) submetidas ao sombreamento.

Abstract

Cowpea is one of the most cultivated legumes in the world, being present daily in the food and diet of people, mainly in the North and Northeast regions where production is carried out by small producers and family farmers. The objective of the work was to evaluate seed germination and initial growth of cowpea cultivars subjected to shading. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area belonging to the Agrifood Science and Technology Center of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus Pombal-PB. The experimental design used was randomized blocks in a 4x4 factorial scheme with 4 blocks (4 cowpea cultivars – Canapu, Costela de Vaca, Paulistinha and Semper Verde x 4 shades – 0 (full light), 30%, 50% and 70% light retention). The seeds used from the three cowpea cultivars came from local stores. Shading was carried out using shadows. Sowing was carried out in polypropylene trays containing commercial substrate. Daily assessments were carried out for a period of 10 days after sowing to check the germination percentage and germination speed index. At the end of this period, the following measurements were taken: Plant height; Number of leaves per plant; Stem diameter; Root length; Stem dry mass, leaf dry mass and root dry mass. The results were subjected to analysis of variance to diagnose significant effects using the F test, comparison of means for qualitative factors between treatments using the Tukey test at a 5% probability level using the SISVAR software. It is concluded that the rib cultivar was the most promising for germination and initial growth of cowpea. Regarding shading, levels 50 and 70% were the most recommended for cowpea cultivars.