Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.): A Sustainable Crop for the Utilization of Sandy Soils Under Climate Change Conditions in Romania—A Systematic Review

Abstract

The study on the valorization of natural resources through cowpea cultivation represents a challenge to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the environment and on the food security of the population in drought-affected areas globally, and specifically in the sandy soil area of Romania. Thus, the existence in Romania of an area of approximately 439,000 ha with sands and sandy soils, soils with low natural fertility (below 1.2% humus) and with deficient hydrophysical properties, implies finding solutions for their efficient valorization through ecological modeling of the species/varieties structure, depending on the adaptability of the plant in a given area. In this sense, given the economic importance of cowpea, given by the plant’s properties (drought resistance, source of increasing the organic matter content in sands, source of atmospheric nitrogen fixation, good precursor plant, source of protein for humans and animals), the cultivation of this species in a sustainable agricultural system is outlined, as an alternative solution to the cultivation of other leguminous plants. Considered a crop suitable for a climate change scenario, the conservation of genetic biodiversity and the establishment of technological inputs are essential objectives for promoting cowpea in a sustainable agricultural system, given the increasing drought in the world and the increasing need for protein.