Contents
Okra / Bhendi / Ladies Finger cultivation
Okra is one of the most popular vegetables crops in India. It is liked both by children and adults
The major bhendi (okra) producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Importance of Okra
The crop is cultivated for its young tender fruits, used in curry and soups after cooking
It is a good source of vitamins A and B, protein and minerals
It is also an excellent source of iodine and is useful for the treatment of goiter
Fruits are also dried or frozen for use during off -season
Dry fruit skin and fibres are used in manufacture of paper, card board and fibres
Root and stem are used for clearing cane juice for preparation of jaggery
General Information
Scientific name
Scientific name of Okra is Abelmoschus esculentusis
Family
Family Of okra is Malvaceae
Common names
Ladies Finger, Bhindi (Hindi), Dhenras (bengali), Vendai (Tamil), bhindo (Gujarati), Bendekayi (Kannada), Ventaykka (Malayalam), Asra-pattraka (Sanskrit), etc.
Botany
It is an annual erect herb 0.9 to 2.1 m in height, hairy, with 3 to 5 lobed palmately cordate leaves.
The plants bear 12.5 to 30 cm pyramidal pods
Climate
Its is predominantly a crop of tropics and subtropics
Bhendi requires long warm growing season during its growing period
It gives good yield in warm humid condition
Optimum temperature
It grows best within a temperature range of 24-27°C
Seeds fail to germinate when temperature is below 20o C.
Highly susceptible
Bhendi is highly susceptible to frost injury
Soil
It grows best in loose, friable, well-drained sandy loam soils rich in organic matter
It also gives good yield in heavy soils with good drainage
A pH range of 6.0-6.8 is considered as optimum
Alkaline, saline soils and soils with poor drainage are not good for this crop
Season
Normally the crop is sown between January-March and June- August
The optimum time of seed sowing varies greatly depending upon climate, varieties and their temperature requirement for growth
Varieties
Varieties released by IARI – Pusa Makhmali, Pusa Paushja, Pusa A-4, Pusa Sawani, Sel 2-2
Varieties released by IIHR – ASel-10 (A. Anamika), Sel-4 (A. Abhay)
Varieties Released by PAU – P-7, Punjab Padmini, Punjab no. 13, Punjab 8
Other important varieties are – DVR 1, 2, 3, 4, VRO 3, 4, 6, 5, 22, 25, Parbhani Kranti, Kiran, Salkeerthi, Co 1, Aruna, MDU 1, Varsha Uphar, Azad Kranthi
Hybrid varieties of Okra – CO 2, 3, COBhH 1
Seed rate
Summer seed rate – 3.5 to 5.5 kg seeds/ha
Rainy season seed rate – 8-10 kg seeds/ha
Seed treatment
Before sowing the seeds are soaked in a solution of Bavistin (0.2%) for 6 hours and then dried in shade
Land preparation
The land should be well prepared with 2-3 ploughing
Well decomposed FYM (25 t/ha) is incorporated at the time of land preparation
Type of seed bed
Bhendi is sown on ridges or on flat soil
If soil is heavy, sowing should be done on ridges.
Application of organic manures
Application of organic manure like neem cake and poultry manures improves the plant growth and reduces fertilizer requirement
Spacing
Spacing of 75 x 30 cm or 60 x 45 cm is followed depending upon the varities, type of aoil and irrigation facilities
The seeds germinate in about 4-5 days.
Manure and fertilizers
About 20-25 t/ha of FYM is mixed at the time of land preparation
Fertilizer dosage of 100 kg N, 60 kg P2O5and 50 kg K2O is recommended for optimum yield
Nitrogen fertilizers like urea, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and ammonium sulphate should be used for okra
Half dose of N and full dose of P2O5 and K2O are applied at the time of planting
The balance half of N if given 30 days after sowing followed by earthing up operation.
Method of fertilizer application
Fertilizers are applied by opening up a deep narrow furrow on one side of each sowing ridge
Irrigation
A light irrigation is given soon after seed sowing to ensure good germination
The crop is irrigated at an interval of 4-5 days in summer
Moisture stress at fruit setting stage reduces the fruit quality and the yield
Method of irrigation
Normally the crop is irrigated by adopting the furrow method of irrigation
Intercultural Operations
Weed control
Important period of crop growth which should be kept weed free is during the first 20-25 days of plant growth
Number if weeding required for the crop is 3 to 4 weedings
First weeding – seedlings are two weeks old subsequent weddings – interval of 25 days
Weedicide
Pre-emergence application of Basalin 48 EC (1.5kg a.i./ha) or Stomp 30 EC (0.75 kg a.i./ha) followed by one hand weeding at 20-25 days after sowing
Important Pests of Okra
Shoot and Fruit Borer, Leaf Hopper, Okra Stemfly Mites, White fly and Root-Knot Nematode are the major pests.
Important Diseases of Okra
Damping off, Fusarium wilt, Powdery mildew, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus and Enation Leaf Curl are the major diseases.
Integrated Pest and Diseases Management Strategies in Okra
Sowing of YVMV resistant hybrids viz. Makhmali, Tulsi, Anupama-1 and Sun-40 etc
Grow maize / sorghum on borders as a barrier/trap crop for the entry of shoot & fruit borer adults.
Set up yellow sticky and delta traps for white fly
Erection of bird perches @ 10/acre in the field for facilitating bird predation.
Give two to three sprays of Neem seed kernal extract @ 5% alternating with sprays of pesticid,e if needed, for leaf hopper, white fly, mites and aphids etc
Leaf hopper, if crosses ETL (5 hoppers/plant), spray imidacloprid 17.8 SL @ 150 ml/ha
Install pheromone traps @ 2/ acre for monitoring of Earias vittella moth emergence
Release egg parasitoid Trichogramma chilonis @ 1-1.5 lakh/ ha starting from 30-35 days after sowing 4-5 times at weekly interval for shoot & fruit borer. Shoot & fruit borer, if crosses ETL (5.3 % infestation), spray cypermethrin 25 EC @ 200 g a.i/ha.
Rogue out the YVMV affected plants, if any, from time to time.
Periodically remove and destroy the borer affected shoots and fruits.
Harvesting
The fruits are ready for harvest in about 45-60 days after seed sowing
Generally, medium sized (7-10 cm long) tender pods are harvested
As all the fruits do not mature at the same time, harvesting is carried out once in 3-4 days
Yield
Normal variety – 7.5-10 t/ha
hybrid varieties – 15-22 t/ha
Further readings and references on Okra / Bhendi / Ladies Finger cultivation
Handbook of Horticilture
Martin, Franklin W. (1982). “Okra, Potential Multiple-Purpose Crop for the Temperate Zones and Tropics”. Economic Botany. 36 (3): 340–345.
