Effects of different water constraint levels on some quality features of cowpea genotype

The cowpea, grown commonly in a lot of countries has an important place economically among the leguminous. Especially in underdeveloped or developing countries, cowpea is an important source of vegetable protein. Also it is known that some genotypes are resistant against drought conditions. In this study, the growing opportunities of a cowpea genotype which was accepted suitable for yield and quality was investigated under deficit irrigation conditions. For this purpose, effects of different water application levels on crop development, yield and quality features were investigated. Three different irrigation levels were applied in the experiment, which was carried out between 2014 and 2016. These levels are; 1- Unconstraint irrigation (A0 subject): Irrigation application was performed when 25% of useful water was consumed. 2- Constraint I (A1 subject): Irrigation was performed when 50% of useful water was consumed. 3- Constraint II (A2 subject): Irrigation was performed when 75% of useful water was consumed. The moisture content of soil was completed to field capacity level at each irrigation application. The moisture variation in soil during the experiment was observed in one hour intervals by the moisture sensors. The data transfer process was carried out in the experimental area in regular intervals by computer. Drip irrigation system was applied in the experiment. Some of the data from the experiment shows similar trends with the results of previous investigations, while some of them are higher than the other previous results.