Abstract:
Pigeonpea phenology is influenced by temperature and day length and this has
adaptive value in terms ofthe crops role in food security in different ecological
zones. Field experiments were conducted at sub-humid and semi-arid area
between June 2001 and February 2002 to determine the phenology of the long
and medium duration pigeon pea. The experiments were laid out as
randomized complete block design replicated four times. Treatments included
two long duration erect and semi erect varieties (ICEAP-00053 and ICEAP-
00040, respectively) and a medium duration variety (ICEAP-00557). The
pigeonpea varieties were sown in the University of Nairobi, Kabete Field
Station Farm (sub-humid) and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and
Technology Farm at Juja (semi-arid). The duration of key phenological stages
were monitored in the two sites. Thermal time accumulation was also
calculated for all the pigeonpea duration types in each location. The results
showed that the phenological development varied among the pigeonpea
duration types and across the locations. The medium duration pigeonpea
flowered and matured earlier than long duration types in both sites. The long
duration pigeonpea varieties flowered and matured earlier at Kabete (160 and
190 days to flower and mature) than at Thika (188 and 220 days to flower and
mature) due to low temperatures hastening the phenological development of
long duration pigeonpea at Kabete. However, the medium duration phenology
was delayed at cooler Kabete relative to warmer at Thika. The long duration
pigeonpeas were twice as tall at Thika (264cm) compared to Kabete (126cm).
This phenological variation provides opportunities for variety targeting in
different production environments.
