Effect of Salt Stress on Germination, Growth and Yield of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)

Salt stress is a significant challenge for crop plants in agriculture. It occurs when the concentration of soluble salts in the soil, primarily sodium and chloride ions, reaches levels that are detrimental to plant growth and development. Salt stress has affected cowpea production in many parts of the world. This research work was conducted to evaluate the impact of salt on the germination, growth and yield of cowpeas in Mangalore, India. The experiment was designed with five groups, the control group received only water and the remaining 4 test groups were treated with different concentrations of NaCl (25, 50, 75 and 100mM). Different parameters including germination, growth, Chlorophyll content and yield were tested and compared with control and salt-stress plants. The resultsshowed that the germination of cowpea seeds delayed in salt-stress groups.The salt stress also affected the plant growth, chlorophyll content and seed yield in cowpea plants.