Vegetable Seed Production:

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Common Name: Okra Scientific Name: Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench Family: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

(At one time designated as Hibiscus exculentus.)

• Okra is sometimes called gumbo
• Okra is a warm-season annual dicot, relatively erect plant with many short branches
• The plant is frost intolerant and does not grow well when temperatures are below 60 degrees F
• Okra is in the same family as cotton and hibiscus
• Dwarf cultivars are less than one meter tall, others cultivars are taller than 2 meters
• Okra leaves are large broad, heart shaped and lobed
• Flowers are large and showy with five yellow petals
• The flowers are perfect and self fertile
• One flower appears in each alternating leaf axil after the 6-8th node
• Flowers are open once for only a short period during the day
• Seldom is more than one flower open on a given plant
• In the field, flowers are mostly cross-pollinated, can be self-pollinated without yield problems
• The fruit is a long pod comprised of several fused carpels
• Most cultivars used for commerce are ribbed and spineless
• The developing pod and immature seeds are the edible portion
• Okra is harvested while immature and tender
• Pods of some cultivars are of satisfactory quality even when as large as 15-20 cm in length and 2-3 cm. in diameter
• For optimum quality, the pods are harvested when much smaller, i.e., 8-15 cm by 1-2 cm
• External pod colors range from white through pale to dark green.
• A cultivar with red coloration is available

Soil Nutrition

Okra is slightly sensitive to soil acidity but generally soil pHs of 6.0 to 7.0 are satisfactory. Fertilization rates vary dramatically with soil type and should be calculated based on soil test results. Okra is considered a heavy feeder and will and remove approximately 180 lbs/acre N, 30 lbs/acre phosphate, and 150 lbs/acre of K per season. Okra generally responds well to fertilization when soil fertility is low. Side dressings of N may be applied 2 weeks before harvest and again after harvest has begun to stimulate additional vegetative growth.

Isolation

Recommended isolation distances vary from one country to another, but a minimum isolation distance of 500 m is desirable.

Planting

In the southern US, okra is generally direct seeded when soil temperatures exceed 60 degrees F. The seed is planted thickly in rows spaced 2.5 to 4.0 feet part. When plants are established they are thinned to an in-row spacing of 12 inches apart for dwarf cultivars and 18-24 inches for larger cultivars. Okra seeds have hard seed coats an soaking seeds in hot water for 1-2 hours prior to planting improves germination. In northern areas okra is sometimes transplanted but this is not an established practice for large scale commercial production. Poor stand establishment can be a problem when soil temperatures are cold or because of the hard seed coats.

Irrigation

Okra plants have good drought tolerance but yield is adversely affected when plants are water stressed during flowering. During flowering and fruit development, uniform soil moisture is essential. During flowering and fruit set plants should receive at least 1.5 inch per week of water to ensure fruit set and development. In western states, furrow irrigation is used. In eastern states drip irrigation is gaining popularity because it helps reduce foliage diseases and overhead irrigation are used as needed.

Roguing

1. Before flowering
Check the general plant height and habit, pigmentation of leaves, petioles and stems; remove plants with virus symptoms.
2. Flowering
Check the relative size and color intensity of flowers; remove plants with virus symptoms.
3. Fruiting
Check that fruit is true to type; remove plants with virus symptoms.

Seed Harvest

There is a sequential ripening of okra pods on a plant. The fruits of the angular fruited types have a tendency to split when the seed ripens. The maturity of seeds is associated with the pods becoming gray or brown according to the cultivar.

The traditional hand harvesting of ripe pods is still done in many tropical areas where there is adequate labor, although the crop is combined in the
USA.

Cleaning

Seeds are extracted after the hand-harvested pods become dry and brittle. The most efficient method of hand seed-extraction is to twist the pods open. Alternatively the pods are either flailed or the seeds are extracted with a stationary thresher.

In some areas of the world, especially Malaysia, the initial pods are harvested as a fresh vegetable and the later pods are retained on the plants for seed production. This practice probably does not reduce the potential seed yield in areas with a sufficiently long growing season, as removal of early pods tends to encourage further extension growth and flower development.

Seed Yield

A relatively high seed yield of 1500 kg/ha (1,338 pounds per acre) is achieved in the okra seed producing areas of the USA but in many tropical countries the yield rarely exceeds 500 kg/ha (446 pounds per acre).

Seed Identification: