Evaluating the Yield Response to Bio-Inoculants of Vigna unguiculata in the Kavango Region in Namibia

The Kavango region (Northern part of Namibia) were the study was carried out, is extensively involved in agriculture and is also known to be dominated by the sandy aerosols soils. The bad soils in the region, which have poor nutrients and water holding capacity, combined with a fast rate of climate change in the region has contributed in the reduction in yield of most crops grown in the area. The main aim of the study was to determine cowpeas response to bio-inoculants by assessing yield of the pulse. Six different cultivars of Vigna unguiculata (Cow pea) were evaluated for their response to bio-inoculants. These cultivars were subjected to 3 different treatments. One with chemical fertilizer, another with Bradyrhizobium strains (14-3) and (1-7) bio-inoculants and a third which was a negative control with no treatment. After 90 days post seeding the cultivars were harvested and different yield parameters assessed. The cowpeas that were subjected to the bio-inoculant treatments yielded a later grain yield in kg per hectare as compared to the negative control and the fertilizer treatments. The outcome of this study therefore provided the local subsistence farmers with a cheaper eco-friendly alternative to mineral fertilizers.