Influence of Biopesticides on the Nutrient Content of Stored Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) in Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria

The influence of biopesticides on the nutrient content of stored cowpea grains was investigated to determine the effect of these plant extracts on the proximate composition. The treatments consisted of cowpea grains treated with pure and mixtures of castor oil, cashew oil, lemon balm, and scent leaf powders applied at different rates. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD)with 18 treatments replicated three times and stored for 120 days. The result showed a highly significant effect of the botanicals on the proximate content of the grains. Cowpeas treated with 10 g scent leaf powder (SLP) had the highest moisture content (12.11%), 15 g SLP-treated grains also recorded the highest ash and crude protein content (7.22 and 39.39%, respectively) and cowpea treated with 20 g SLPshowed the highest crude fat (6.80%). In terms of crude fibers, samples treated 15 g lemon balm powder (LBP) reported the highest content (5.43%) and grains treated with 20 g LBP sample produced the highest dry matter content (90.22%). Both pure and mixtures of castor and cashew oil treated samples recorded the highest carbohydrates (66.98-66.79%) whereas the highest calorific value occurred with samples subjected to 2 ml of castor oil (372.31kcal/g).