Effect of foliar spraying with Proline acid and chelated iron on vegetative growth and chlorophyll and carotene pigments of cowpea cultivated in southern Iraq (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp

Abstract

The study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Basra University, Karma Ali region, to investigate the effects of foliar spraying of different concentrations of proline (0, 100, 200) mg. L-1 and chelated iron (0, 250, 500) mg.L-1 and their interaction on vegetative growth and chlorophyll pigments and carotenoid contents of cowpea plants. The results showed that plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, number of branches, fresh weight, dry weight, and carotenoid content in leaves increased significantly after spraying with proline. Spraying with chelated iron resulted in a significant decrease in plant height, chlorophyll and carotenoid content in leaves. On the contrary, it resulted in a significant increase in the number of branches and fresh and dry weight of the plants. The interaction between the two factors studied showed significant effects on most of the traits examined, except for total chlorophyll and carotenoid traits.
Keywords: Cowpea plant; proline acid; chelated iron; vegetative growth; photosynthesis pigments.