I’m relatively new at everything gardening, so I really don’t have any idea what could be wrong. Meaning I’m not sure what to list out as possible factors. I’m not even certain something is wrong, the seeds just look sickly to me. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I’m in north-central FL, 9a/b.
The plants themselves look fine, fairly happy, no discernible diseases or even pests. The pods appear to develop fine. I’ve been waiting til the pod is dry, but before the seeds rattle, to harvest. In my excitement, I have been gently squeezing the pods daily to check for dryness. This patch I’ve collected from are all GTS Not Just Cowpeas. What looks wrong to me are: red splotchy raised pattern, spotty pattern on the white, and split coating. Not all of the plants are producing weird seeds, but generally if a pod has them then all its seeds will be weird, and they seem to be getting worse as I harvest (which has only been six or so plants so far, spread over a week).
I’m in North Florida and have similar issues, especially the bumpy red spot/deformed seeds. I attribute these symptoms to fungal issues and a type of leaf-footed bug that specifically feeds on my legume crops.
Some varieties are more resistant to the fungal issues, but all seem to be susceptible to the leaf-footed bugs when they’re most active, such as in late spring and summer.
To get a clean crop, I try to time the main harvest with Fall when the insect populations are going into hibernation mode and much less active. This is also a dry period for me which means the fungal issues tend to decrease drastically.
On another plot of land 10 miles away, the conditions are very dry with quick-draining, sandy soil. This plot has consistently produced the cleanest crop, and there are few to no leaf-footed bugs.
The seeds are often still viable for planting next year. I can winnow most of them out using a tilted bucket. They also tend to be the floaters when I soak beans for eating and can be removed that way as well, although, I find they are often still edible so long as they are not visibly moldy.
Saving seeds from what does reproduce tends to select for what is most viable and hardy in your location. In 3 generations, several bean types were eliminated from a mixed population I started with, and the bean quality greatly improved. Timing planting so that the main harvest aligns with dry periods can also be helpful.
Thank you! The leaf-footed bugs make sense, I have grey ones all over the garden, though I hadn’t seen any on the cowpeas. I must have missed them. Or maybe it’s the green shield bug things that I thought were harmless. I might have to plant them a bit later next time, yeah. I also planted them very closely together, 6 inches apart in a grid block, I’m sure that trapped some moisture, and I overhead water. You say they should be viable to replant; do I need to take any sort of precaution, like would a fungal issue spread to my other seeds stored with them, will the issue pass on to the next gen plant, have you noticed the next gen plants grow poorly? Or do you recommend just selecting away from them for fungal resistance?
Stink bugs, many varieties and the family includes leaf footed bugs, squash bugs, etc. Inside the pod, developing beans become brown after bugs inject toxins and introduce yeast infections. Growers usually use the colloquial phrase “My cow peas got stung.” Lima beans, snap beans also face getting damaged by them.
They can be reduced to some degree with special traps but those need to be placed near but not actually in the garden.
The worst pest here for legumes is definitely the green shield bug. As already pointed out, they and their kin suck on the developing seeds and can cause considerable damage. I reduce numbers by knocking them into a bucket of soapy water. If the infestation is so bad that the crop is at risk then I spray with a potassium based soap solution.
I’d do as Lowell intimated and save seeds. Replant those that stay dry in the hope that over a few generations you’ll have reasonably resistant cowpeas.
Overhead water might not be best for cow peas. Might want to try drip irrigation at ground level, keeping the foliage dry. Also, you might find that cow peas don’t need as much water as you might think.
Thanks!
Drip irrigation is something I’m currently working on setting up, so that should help. I didn’t realize it was staying so wet under the cowpea canopy.
I’m not sure if I want to try wiping out the stink/shield bugs, or focus on breeding resistant plants. Maybe I could lower their population at least, if enough of the beans keep coming out wonky.
I’m thinking I’ll save the wonky seeds separately and plant them out in their own area to compare them to the regular seeds; I’m curious to know if they’ll do worse, better, or the same. If worse, I can chuck them; if same or better, and their seeds are unscathed, I could maybe add them back to the main mix.
Feel free to try wiping out the stink bugs . Or you can skip that wasted effort and focus on the plants. Those bugs will easily outbreed your efforts to control them. But you might find it interesting to make your own observations.
I find that Joseph Lofthouse’s attitude toward “pests” is a much less stressful attitude for me to hold. They basically aren’t pests at all. Rather, they are allies assisting in the selection process.
Fukuoka also was a proponent of this way of thinking. If you haven’t read his work, “One Straw Revolution” can be found as a pdf online. “The Natural Way of Farming” is also a very worthwhile read if you are a bit more patient.
. Or you can skip that wasted effort and focus on the plants. Those bugs will easily outbreed your efforts to control them. But you might find it interesting to make your own observations.