Cobertura morta no cultivo do Feijão-caupi

Abstract

The mulch, constituted by vegetal residues, plays an important role in the success of several agricultural crops, serves as an insulating layer, protecting the soil from the daytime thermal amplitudes, keeping it moist and rich in organic matter. Cowpea is a source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Its importance for the North, Northeast and Center-West regions is related to economic and social aspects, as it is an important food for low income populations, meeting their nutritional needs. This study was carried out in Manaus, Amazonas, under greenhouse conditions, with the objective of evaluating the effect of different dead coverages on the agronomic characteristics of cowpea cultivars. The design was completely randomized in a 4x4 factorial arrangement. The treatments applied were four cultivars of cowpea (BRS Caldeirão, BRS Tumucumaque, BRS Guariba and BRS Tracuateua) and three cover crop species (Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria ruziziensis and Mucuna pruriens) and another control treatment, without soil cover, totaling 16 treatments, with four replicates and two plants per experimental unit. The data were submitted to analysis of variance, and the means, compared by the Scott-Knott test, at 5% probability. The following characteristics were evaluated: number of pods per plant, pod length, number of grains per pod, weight of dry shoot mass, and yield. BRS Tumucumaque presented higher pod length. BRS Caldeirão stood out with the best results for number of pods per plant and also, together with BRS Guariba, the highest number of beans per pod. The cultivars with the highest dry weight of shoot were BRS Caldeirão, BRS Tumucumaque and BRS Guariba. The highest grain yields were recorded for BRS Caldeirão and BRS Guariba (977.32 kg ha-1, 952.73 kg ha-1), respectively. The dead cover on the soil provided better results in all traits evaluated for all cultivars when compared to the control.