The plant population and fertilization with micronutrients directly influence the cowpea responses, depending on the growing conditions, morphological and physiological characteristics, and productive capacity of the cultivars, thus resulting in the production of high quality seeds. In this sense, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of doses of molybdenum and plant density on the yield and quality of cowpea seeds, cultivar BRS Novaera. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil, with sowing in November 2014. Randomized block design with four replications was used, with the treatments arranged in a factorial 4 x 4 involving four molybdenum rates applied to seed (0, 40, 80 and 120 g ha-1) and four population densities (100, 160, 220 and 280 thousand plants ha-1). After harvesting, productivity was determined, and the seeds were submitted to the following evaluations: moisture content, weight of a thousand seeds, germination, first count, electrical conductivity, seedling emergence, emergence speed index, length and dry mass of seedlings shoot. There was no significant interaction between the factors for any of the evaluated characteristics. The application of molybdenum doses via seeds did not affect production and the quality of the seed of the cultivar. However, the increase in density of plants per hectare led to significant increases in productivity and mass of a thousand seeds.

Keywords: Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp, molybdenum fertilization, population density, germination, vigor.