Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

The objective of this work was to compare growth parameters of traditional varieties of cowpea with commercial varieties based on agroecological processes in the semi - arid region of Paraiba. The experiment was installed in the factorial scheme of 3 blocks x 4 treatments x varieties: T1- control (without addition of inputs), T2- 10 t ha-1 organic compound (being, bovine manure + vegetal materials), T3- 4.2 t ha-1 rock powder, and T4- 5 t ha-1 of rock dust + 2.1 t ha-1 organic compound, x 3 varieties, being, 02 commercials identified as, 1- New Age and 2- Guaribas (provided by EMBRAPA), and 01 traditional, 3- Sedinha (already in common use by farmers). The field project was developed in partnership with the Advisory and Services in Alternative Agriculture (AS-PTA), which was also used as an experimental unit, located in the city of Esperança - PB, the soil of the area was classified as a Regosol, the growth parameters were: number of plants (NP), plant height (AP), leaf number (NF), leaf area (FA), stem diameter (DC). The Sedinha variety was the one that stood out in relation to the others when comparing growth parameters such as height and leaf area, while the Guaribas variety obtained a larger caulinar diameter. The treatment with the organic compound proved to be the most efficient for all varieties, but for the treatment with rock dust, it will require further studies due to the high levels of sodium and low phosphorus, which may explain the low development.