Growth response to sowing date of pigeon pea in northern Kyushu of Japan

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is an important leguminous crop in tropical regions. The objective of this study is to obtain some information about cultivating the pigeon pea in northern Kyushu, Japan. Eight early ma turing varieties provided by ICRISAT were sown biweekly starting from early April in 1993 and in 1996. In field observations, plants of all varieties were found to grow smoothly after emergence and to produce flowers and pods . The varieties were divided into indeterminate types (2 varieties) and det erminate types (6 varieties) according to growth and flowering habits. In t he indeterminate varieties, the days from emergence to flowering were many and the vegetative growth was heavy in early sowing. In the determinate var ieties, however, the variations of days from emergence to flowering and the vegetative growth among the sowing times were not different. It is suggest ed that the indeterminate varieties were more sensitive to photoperiod in c omparison with the determinate varieties. Although a longer term was requir ed for harvesting the mature pods of the early sowing no differences in yie lds were evident in some determinate varieties sown before the end of June. For seed production, the pigeon pea can be sown from the middle to the end of June in northern Kyushu.