CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Okra (Abelmoschus esculenta) belong to the malvaceae family, believed to be originated from tropical Africa okra is found in its wild state in the alluvia banks of the Nile and Egyptian were the first to cultivate it in a basin in the Nile (12th century). It was propagated through North Africa to the Mediterranean, the Balkans and India. It arrived in the Americans at Brazil (1688), Guinea and at New Ocean before extending in the United States up to Philadelphia in 1981.
Okra apparently originated from geobotanist call the Abyssinian centre origin of cultivate plants an area that includes present day Ethiopia, the mountainous or Plateau portion of Eritrea, and the eastern higher pare of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The routes by which okra was taken from Ethiopia to North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean Arabia and India. It has been commonly cultivated in Egypt for many hundreds of years no sign of it had ever been found in any of the ancient monuments. Since the Spanish moors and the Egyptians of the 12th and 13th centuries use an Arabic word for okra, it probably taken into Egypt by the Moslems from the East who conquered Egypt in the year 17th century, the plant was taken from Ethiopia to Arabic across the narrow red sea.
Okra fruit is a true fruit because it develops solely from the ovary and its does not involve other flora part. Okra fruit is a simple fruit that develop from a single flower with monocarpous or syncarpous pistil. Okra fruit is dry dehiscent fruit, the fruit can split to release their seed due to dehydration of the fruit wall. The name “Okra” most often use in the United State and the Philippines is of West African origin and is cognate with “Okuru” in Igbo language spoken in Nigeria. Okra is often known as “lady finger: outside of the United State. In Bantu language, okra is called “Kingambo” or a variant thereof and this is the origin of its name in Portuguese (quiabo). Spanish, Dutch and French and also of the name “gumbo” use in part of the United State and English speaking Caribbean for either the vegetable or stew base on it. In India and often in the United Kingdom it is called Hindu name “bhindi” or “bhendi” in South and South East Europe it is known as banya (banji).
Cultivation of okra starts from seed and it does not transplant well. The seed should be planted directly in the ground outside about 2 weeks after all danger of frost has passed. Here in South Central wisdonsin it means that it planted outside sometime between May 20th and May 30th. The basic rule is to keep plants separated from each other by about 15 inches plants in beds that are four feet wide by about twenty feet long. Make three rows, and plant seeds about 18 inches apart within each row. Okra seeds are relatively large and easy to handle. They also germinate well if the soil is warm enough. Plant the seeds about 18 inches apart within each row. Okra seeds are relatively large and easy to handle. They also germinate well if the soil is warm enough. Plant the seeds about half an inch deep, about three seeds at each spot. In most cases all three germinate. Okro needs warm weather to grow well. This means that in northern climates you may not have much of a crop some years. The main thing you can do to help is to keep the bed weed free and mulched as much as possible. Watering is only needed occasionally. Most varieties will start yielding about 60 days after planting. The flowers are large, pale yellow and fairly ornamental. Each flower blooms for only one day and eventually forms one okra pod. Pick the pods when they are approximately three (3) inches in length and picking the pods while wet may darken the skin, though the taste is not affected, typically it grows quickly, so you need to harvest every two days or so. The plants can eventually grow quite tall (5 feet or more), but will stop growing as soon as the temperature starts dropping down below 50 degrees.
IMPORTANCE OF OKRA PLANT
Okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestine tract.
Okra mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid consuming toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.
Okra helps to prevent and improve constipation due to the absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools.
Okra facilitates elimination more comfortable by its slippery characteristics many people abhor.
HOW TO GROW OKRA
Okra, native to Africa and a beautiful relative of hibiscus, was brought to North America in the 1600s. this tropical plant quickly become popular in the deepSouth both as a side dish and as a thickening forgumbo and stews it can however, thrive in any climate where corn will grow. Depending on the cultivar, the large-flowered, fast-growing plants reach 2 to 6 feet tall. Varieties with colourful stems and leaves, such as “Burgundy”, make attractive garden borders.
PLANTING AND HARVESTING
Okra needs full sun. it will grow in ordinary garden soil but does best in fertile loamy soil, particularly where a nitrogen-fixing crop, such as early peas, grew previously. In the south, plant the first crop in the early spring and a second crop in June in short season areas, start plants in doors 6 weeks before setting them out (3 to 4 weeks after the last frost date:. Sow two seeds per peat pot and clip off the weaker seedlings. When seedlings okra directly in the ground, wait until after the soil has warmed and the air temperature is at least 600f, use fresh seeds, and soak it over night or nick each seed coat with a file to encourage germination. Sow seeds ½ inch deep in light soil and 1 one inch deep in heavy soil, spacing is 3 inches apart in rows, 3 feet apart. Thin seedlings to 18 to 24 inches apart always leaving the strongest of the young plants.