Abstract:
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is a significant food and grain legume in the
semi-arid tropic. It holds significant agronomic importance due to its adaptability to
various environmental conditions, resilience to pests and diseases, and nutritional
value. small onion peels are utilized to produce organic potassium-rich fertilizer for the
cultivation of crops. Hence, this experiment was carried out to study the effect of a
small onion (Allium cepaL.) peel extract as a soil application on the growth and yield
of cowpeas. It was designed in a completely randomized design with six treatments
applied with six replications each, including a control (Tl) with no extract and
treatments with 20 yo (T2), 40 yo (T3), 60 % (T4),80 % (T5), and 100 % (T6) onion
peel extract. The soil application of a small onion peel solution had a significant
(P<0.05) effect on the growth and yield of cowpeas when compared to the control
treatments. The results indicated that cowpea plants treated with 60 %o onion peel extract
(Ta) exhibited superior growth parameters and yield compared to other treatments.
Specifically, plants in T4 showed significant increases in plant heighto number of leaves,
number of branches, ,number of pods, pod length, seed yield, and overall biomass
production. Conversely, higher concentrations (T5 and T6) did not significantly
enhance groMh and yield, suggesting a possible negative impact at excessive
concentrations. T4 has a high amount of potassium organic fertrlizer; that's why these
findings underscore the potential of 60%o onion peel extract as an effective bio stimulant
for enhancing cowpea productivity. I discuss the implications of these results for
sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. Additionally, the use of onion
peel extract as an organic soil amendment offers an eco-friendly and cost-effective
altemative to synthetic fertilizers. Based on the results, it is recommended that a small
onion peel solution at a 60%o concentration (60 ml of extract and 40 ml of distilled
water) be applied to cowpea crops at two-week intervals. and0.247 g ofurea and0.707l
g of triple superphosphate were applied as basal fertilizer for all treatments.
