Lady Finger Cultivation

Plant Name- Okra

Scientific Name - Abelmoschus esculentus (L.)

Family- Malvaceae

Hindi Common Name- Bhindi (भिंडी)

Marathi Common Name- Bhendi( भेंडी).

Introduction-

• Lady Finger or Okra is also known as ‘Bhindi’ and is an important vegetable crop in India.

• It is grown in both tropical and sub-tropical regions and also in the warmer parts of the moderate regions.

• 100g of edible okra’s nutritional value gives 1.9g protein, 0.2g fat, 6.4g carbohydrate, 0.7g minerals and 1.2g fibres.

• As a foreign exchanger crop, Okra or Lady Finger has a good potential and it accounts for 65% of the export of fresh vegetables.

• It is cultivated in the area of about 0.35mt/ha and its production is 3.5mt/ha and productivity of 9.6mt/ha.

Location:

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are the major Lady Finger /Okra producing states in India.

Season:

• It is grown in Kharif Season in the month of June-August

• It also grows in Zaid season in the month of January – March.

Climate:

• During the growing period, it requires long warm season.

• In humid condition, it gives good yield.

• It grows well within a temperature range of 22-35°c.

• It grows the best in rainy season and in heavy rainfall areas.

• It is highly receptive to frost injury.

• Below 20°c seeds will fail to germinate.

Varieties: 

Soil Requirement:

• It grows well in all kind of soils.

• For its cultivation, Sandy loam and clay-loam soils are the best.

• The optimum pH range is 6-6.8.

• The soil should have good internal drainage.

• Soil with high organic matter is preferred so that cartful of FYM or compost should be assimilated during land preparation.

Land Preparation:

• 2-3 plowing is needed for well prepared land.

• At the time of land preparation, well decomposed FYM 25t/ha is integrated into the soil.

• It is sown on flat soil or on ridges.

• Sowing should be done on ridges if the soil is heavy.

• Neem cake and poultry manures helps in improving the growth of plant and the yield in this crop.

• By using neem cake and poultry manures or other compost it is possible to reduce the use of fertilizer.

Seed Rate & Sowing Time:

• During summer season, the seed rate is 5-5.5Kg seeds/ha.

• During rainy season, the seed rate is 8-10Kg seeds/ha.

• Seed rate normally depends on the germination percentage of spacing and season.

• Seeds should be soaked in a solution of Bavistin (0.2%) for 6 hours before sowing them.

• Then the seeds should be kept to dry in shade.

• The seeds are dibbled on both the sides of the furrows at a spacing of 60 x 30cm in Kharif season and 30 x30cm in summer season.

Spacing:

• In Okra, ridges and furrow type of arrangement is done.

• At a spacing of 75 x 30 cm and 60 x 45 cm hybrid varieties are planted.

• 3-4 days before sowing pre-soaking irrigation is very beneficial.

• The seeds germinate in about 4-5 days.

Irrigation:

• During summer, the crop requires appropriate moisture in the soil for faster growth.

• Drip irrigation is most useful to the crop as it provides consistent moisture throughout the season.

• The daily water demand of the crop is 2.4 liter for a day during the early growth stage.

• During the peak growth stage it demands 7.6 liter per day.

• During the initial growth stage irrigation should be done daily for 75 minutes and during peak growth stage it should be done for 228 minutes with a conductor capacity of 2lph.

Manures & Fertilizers:

• In order to maximize the yield in the rows before sowing for one hectare of land about 30 t of FYM (Field Yard Manure), 350 kg Super phosphate, 125 kg Murate of Potash and 300 kg Ammonium sulphate should be applied.

• Through fertigation, nitrogen should be applied in three split doses.

Harvesting:

• Flowering starts from 35-40 days after planting.

• Crop starts harvesting in 55-65 days after planting when pods are 2-3 inches long. Pods are tender at this stage.

• It should be harvested after every 2-3 days as the Okra pods grow very fast.

• The pods should not mature on the plant because this will hinder more pods from growing and will reduce the production of the plant.

• Okra should be handled carefully because the pods blemish easily.

Yield:

The yield differs from 5-7 t/ha in summer and 8-10 t/ha in the rainy season.

Storage:

• A fresh pod should be stored for 7-10 days in 7-10 degree temperature and 90-95% humidity.

• If the temperature will be below 7 degree, it would lead to chilling injury which will lead to discoloration of surface, pitting and decay.