RESPONSE OF COWPEA (Vigna unguiculata L.) TO IRRIGATION WATER DEFICIT AT DIFFERENT GROWTH STAGES IN SEMI-ARID, NIGERIA

Field experiments were conducted during the 2007/2008 dry season farming in Maiduguri, Borno state; in the northern Sahel savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria to evaluate the effect of imposing a 50% irrigation water deficit at different stages of growth of cow pea (Vigna unguiculata L) on growth and yield of the crop. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications using basin irrigation system. The results indicated that the reduction in 50% of irrigation water requirement had affected the both the growth and yield of the crop. It also showed that water savings are possible without significant effect on the growth and yield of the crop at stages 1, 2, 4 and 1&4. Applying the same water stress at two or more stages of growth of the crop has a detrimental consequence