OKRA (Abelmoscus esculentus)

Okra is also a vegetable crop commonly grown by local farmers in West Africa. The fruits called capsule. When young, they are harvested with knife and used in soup preparation.

Land preparation: The bush is cleared with cutlass while ridges or heaps are constructed with hoes. Alternatively, the land can be prepared by ploughing, harrowing and ridging.

Varieties/Cultivars: New lady’s finger and the Perkin’s long pod.

Climatic and soil requirements: Okra requires a temperature of 18°C – 30°C, rainfall of 100cm – 150cm per annum and a well-drained loamy soil.

Method of propagation: By seeds.

Planting date: Early April and May.

Spacing: 60cm x 60cm.

Planting: Seeds are planted directly into beds, two to three seeds per hole which should be 3cm deep. Germination occurs as from the 5th day after planting.

Cultural Practices

Thinning and supplying: These can be done where necessary.
Fertilizer application: Super phosphate fertilizer at 100kg/hectare is required. Ring application is used.
Weeding: This should be done regularly.

Maturity period: This occurs between three and seven months depending on varieties.

Harvesting: The young and succulent green immature fruits are plucked or harvested with knife. Harvesting is done over a long period of time.

Processing: The fruits are used as food.

Storage: The fresh fruits are stored in a cool place, e.g, refrigerator or the dried ones are stored in sacks.

Pests of Okra

1) Flea beetles: These insects attack the plants and eat up the leaves. This they do by putting holes on the leaves as they eat them.

Control

Spray with insecticides.

2) Cricket and grasshopper: These insects also defoliate the plant by eating up the leaves and young stems.

Control

Spray with insecticides.

Diseases of Okra

1) Root knot disease: It is caused by eelworm nematode which is found in the soil.

Symptoms: Symptoms include knotting or galling of roots, retarded growth and reduced yield.

Control

Practise crop rotation.
Use resistant varieties.
Treat soil with nematicide, e.g Nemagon.

2) Mosaic disease: It is caused by a virus which is transmitted by piercing and sucking insects. Symptoms include mosaic colouration on the leaves, leading to low yield of the crop.

Control