Growth and Yield Performance of Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] Varieties on Farmer’s Field

Okra, ladies’ fingers or bhendi, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world. Okra is a warm-season crop that is considered to have originated from India (Rao, 1989), and it is a traditional vegetable crop commercially cultivated in West Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Southern United States, Brazil, Turkey and Northern Australia (Duzyaman, 1997). Okra has a high nutritional value and grows very quickly with high temperatures, which lends its production to more tropical parts of the world (Costa et al., 1981). Okra seeds are a source of oil, protein and are also used as a coffee substitute, while ground-up okra seeds have been used as a substitute for aluminum salts in water purification (Camciuc et al, 1998). The nutritional value of 100 g of edible portion of okra contains 1.9 g of protein, 0.2 g fat, 6.4 g carbohydrate, 0.7 g minerals and 1.2 g fiber (Tiwari et al, 1998).The immature pods are International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Special Issue-7 pp. 1411-1417 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com