Adaptability Evaluation of 18 Cowpea Varieties in Early Spring Protected Cultivation in Fuzhou Region

In order to select the cold-tolerant, high-yielding cowpea varieties for early spring protected cultivation in Fuzhou, the experiment was carried out on agronomic traits and yield between Xiaofubao（control）and 18 cold-tolerant cowpea varieties from across China. Results indicated that the Changlong variety exhibited the following characteristics: flowering at 65 days, moderate growth vigor, green outer leaves, average first inflorescence node position at 3.5 nodes, initial harvest at 78 days, purple flower color, dark green pods, no swollen seeds, no rat-tailing, average pod length of 69.0 cm, average pod diameter of 0.85 cm, susceptible to leaf spot disease, resistant to rust disease, etc. Its yield was 41062.80 kg·hm⁻², representing a 27.58% increase over the control. CuiJiang exhibits a flowering period of 67 days, moderate growth vigor, green outer leaves, an average node position of 3.5 for the first inflorescence, a harvest onset period of 78 days, purple flowers, green pods, slight pod swelling, no rat tail, average pod length of 71.0 cm, average pod diameter of 0.73 cm, moderate resistance to leaf spot disease, and susceptibility to rust disease. Its yield was 37289.70 kg·hm⁻², representing a 15.86% increase over the control. Qingjiang No. 2 and Qingtiaosijilü yielded comparably to Cuijiang, but showed significantly lower yields than the similarly dark-green-podded Changlong variety and are not recommended. For early spring protected cultivation in Fuzhou, Changlong is recommended for growers preferring dark-green pods, while Cuijiang is recommended for those favoring green pods.