Does the sowing period change the grain technological quality of cowpea cultivars?

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the sowing period changes the grain technological quality of cowpea cultivars and to indicate which of these have the highest technological quality when grown in the Center-South region of Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with a 6 x 3 factorial arrangement, using six cowpea cultivars (BRS Itaim, BRS Guariba, BRS Potengi, BRS Cauamé, BRS Novaera and BRS Tumucumaque) and three sowing seasons, with four replicates. The evaluations held referred to the grain size and hydration, cooking time and crude protein content through sulfuric acid digestion. There was an interaction between cowpea cultivars and sowing dates for all analyzed variables. The sowing season alters the grain technological quality of cowpea when under the conditions of the Center-South region of Brazil, with the genotype-season effect dependent. Sowing dates in December and January generated lower technological quality of the cowpea beans. The BRS Tumucumaque cultivar possesses the best grain technological characteristics, having the largest grains with the highest crude protein content, as well as the shortest cooking time.