The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a diet containing untreated cowpea (CWP; Aura 26 variety) seeds as a protein source on quality parameters of chickens’ breast (PM;Pectoralis major) and thigh muscles (BF;Biceps femoris). A total of 240 Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly allotted to two groups: a control group fed with soybean meal (SBM) and an experimental group fed with CWP included at 200 g/kg as a replacement of SBM. Each group consisted of six pens as replicates, with 20 chicks per pen. At 6 weeks of age, twelve birds/group were slaughtered. Compared to SBM group, the group fed CWP had higher (P < 0.0001) lightness (L*) and redness (a*) values of PM and BF muscles, the latter had also higher yellowness (b*, P < 0.0001). The collagen and protein contents were significantly higher in CWP group in both PM and BF muscles, while fat was lower (P < 0.001) only in BF muscle. The use of CWP into broilers’ diets did not negatively impact the textural properties, i.e., hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience of PM and BF, showing similar values in both groups. Also, PM and BF muscles of birds fed CWP had significantly higher (P < 0.05) levels of C:18:3n-3 and C:20:5n-3 compared with birds fed SBM. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was significantly lower in CWP group (11.72 and 7.00) compared to SBM (13.47 and 12.63) for both PM and BF muscles. These results indicate that CWP can be considered a promising protein source for broiler chickens’ feed.

This study was carried out on the rotation of cowpea-rye + cowpea in successive crops for green manure-sorghum grains, with the objective of increasing the fertility of sandy soils by incorporating green cowpea manure into the soil in combination with chemical fertilization with NPK. In this sense, after harvesting the rye plant, the cowpea was sown, which was then incorporated into the soil during the formation of the beans in the pod. Before incorporating the cowpea biomass into the soil, the initial fertility status of the soil was assessed, and in the spring, the soil was sown with sorghum grain in two fertilization variants (N80P80K80 and N150P80K80). The soil chemical analyses carried out at the end of the vegetation cycle of the sorghum plant showed that by incorporating 52.4 t/ha green cowpea biomass (9.24 t/ha dry biomass), the quality properties of the soil were significantly improved, with annual increases of 0.17–0.29 g/kg in total nitrogen, 9.5–13.33 mg/kg in extractable phosphorus, 11.33–24 mg/kg in exchangeable potassium, and 0.08–0.12 g/kg in organic carbon, also depending on the sorghum fertilization system. It has also been shown to reduce the acidity of the soil pH and improve the water holding capacity of the soil.

This study investigates the effects of the Bacillus licheniformis (BL) ATCC 21424 strain, as a potential bacterial probiotic in broiler diets based on soybean meal (SBM) or cowpea seeds (CWP), on growth performance (GP), bone mineralization, and intestinal/fecal microbiota status (0 to 42 d age). A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement was employed in a completely randomized design, with four dietary treatments: SBM and CWP diets with or without BL supplementation (1.0 × 10¹¹ CFU spores g⁻¹ feed). A total of 480 one-day-old mixed-sex Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to the treatments, with 6 pens of 20 chicks each. The results showed that broilers fed with CWP diets showed comparable body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion rate to those fed the SBM diet (p > 0.05). The inclusion of BL improved BWG during the grower and finisher periods (p = 0.01) and overall study (p < 0.001), resulting in a numerical increase in FI (p = 0.054). In addition, BL in birds’ diets reduced abdominal fat (p = 0.032) and influenced cecum weight (p = 0.040). Additionally, BL improved tibia iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) bone mineralization and reduced the calcium–phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio (p = 0.0001). Microbial analysis revealed that BL inclusion decreased Coliforms counts in the CWP diet (p = 0.073), reduced E. coli in the ileum (p ≤ 0.05), and lowered Clostridium spp. and Enterococcus spp. in the cecum broilers on SBM diets (p ≤ 0.05). The presence of Staphylococcus spp. in broiler feces was also reduced in both SBM and CWP groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of BL to broiler diets enhanced growth performance and bone mineralization and positively influenced gut and excreta bacterial populations in both SBM and CWP diets.

As a result of the low organic matter content of the sandy soils in Romania, for the success of most crops, large amounts of chemical fertilizers are needed, which can often lead to the pollution of groundwater with nitrates, given the poor hydrophysical properties in terms of retaining chemical elements by these soils. In this sense, the study carried out in the period 2020-2023 within the rotation cowpea-rye+cowpea successive crop-sorghum for grains, aimed to promote the system of sustainable agriculture, by incorporating into the soil, in the form of green manure, the cowpea sown in succession after the rye. The soil quality analyses, carried out the following year after harvesting sorghum for grains, showed that by incorporating 52.4 t/ha of cowpea biomass into the soil between October 15-20, the quality characteristics of the sandy soil improved significantly. Thus, compared to the initial state of soil fertility, there were annual increases of 0.017-0.029%, in total nitrogen, by 9.5-13.3 ppm, in extractable phosphorus, by 11.333-24 ppm, in exchangeable potassium and by 0.008-0.012%, to organic carbon, also depending on the sorghum fertilization system. Also, the incorporation of green cowpea manure into the soil contributed to reducing the acidity of the soil pH and improving the water holding capacity of the soil profile.

The aim of this study was to monitor the development of the maize plant depending on the preceding plant (rye; alfalfa for forage), with the objective of promoting crop rotation with alfalfa jumping plots within the agricultural system practiced on sandy soils. The results obtained showed that alfalfa incorporated into the soil after five years had a positive effect on soil fertility and implicitly on the behavior and productivity of maize. Thus, the content of organic matter, left in the soil after incorporating alfalfa, was 4.3 times higher than that recorded in the soil with the preceding plant rye. The beneficial role of the alfalfa precursor plant was highlighted on the stress behavior of the maize plant, which best regulated its resistance mechanism to stress conditions by binding at the cellular level a percentage of water bound to 3.03%, higher by 0.43% compared to maize sown after rye. Also, the maize sown after alfalfa showed better character stability, the coefficients of variability having lower values compared to the maize grown after rye, and at harvest the grain production was 27.9% higher, compared to the sown after rye, the difference in production being statistically significant.