Okra (Bhendi)
 

Land Requirements No Specific requirements. Land should be free from volunteer plants.  
Isolation Requirements

Okra is partially self-and cross-pollinated. The extent of natural corssing vareis from 4 to 19 per cent. Isolation of seed fields is necessary for production of pure seed. The seed fields must be isolated from fields of other vareities, fields of the same vareity not conforming to thevarietal purity requirements for certification and from wild Abelmoschus species, at least by four hundred meters for foundation seed class and two hundred metres for certified seed class.

 

 
Cultural Practices
Time of Sowing Northern Plains- February to July
East and South - Through out the year.

  

Preparation of Land For transplanting prepare the field to a fine tilth by ploughing and 3to 4 harrowings followed by leveling.  

Source of Seed Obtain breeder's/foundation seeds from source approved by a seed certification agency.  

Seed Rate Kharif crop - 8 to10 kg per hectare.
Spring crop - 10 to 15 kg per hectare.		  

Sowing of Seeds The sowing should be done in rows. Use overnight soaked seeds. Sow in fullsoil moisture behind the plough in shallow furrows. Seed should not be sown more than 3 cm deep.  

Fertilisation Apply 25 to 30 tonnes of well-rotted farmyard manure per hectare two weeks before sowing and 350 kg of Superphosphate, 125 kg of muriate of potash and 300 kg amonium sulphate in the rows before sowing. Top-dress 300 kg ammonium sulphate after about a month.  

Transplanting Transplant the seedlings, when 7.5 to 10 cms in height, preferably at evening time. Irrigate immediately afterwards.  

Spacing Kharif crop 60 x 30 to 45 cm
Spring crop 45 x 30 cm		  

Irrigation Irrigate fortnightly during winter and weekly during summer  

Interculture . Two to three hoeings and weedings from time to time, are necessary to keep the field free from weeds.  

Insect and Disease Control Adopt recommended IPM methods  

Roguing Remove the offtypes.  

Harvesting and Threshing of Seeds

Pods should be harvested when they have dried (about thirty-five days old). Varieties with angular pods, which open along sutures, should be harvested promptly to avoid shattering. The pods are usually picked by hand, and threshed by flailing seed by hand. Seed should be dried to at least ten per cent moisture content before storage.

  

Seed Yield The average seed yield is 12 qtl per hectare.