TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page
Cover Page i
Table of Contents ii
List of Tables iii
List of Figures iv
The OKRA Plant 1
Propagation 2
Medicinal uses 2
Recommended Varieties 2
Culture and Management 3
Costs and Returns Analysis Per Hectare-Okra 7
References 8

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

No.
1 Okra Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) 1
2 Biological and remedial control of insect pest and diseases of okra 4
3 Cost and return analysis of planting a one hectare Okra 7

LIST OF FIGURES

Table Title Page

No.
1 The three (3) newly collected germplasm of Okra at BPI-LBNCRDC, Los Banos, 3
Laguna
2 Insect pests attacking Okra 5
3 Diseases of Okra 6

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The OKRA Plant

Okra is botanically known as Hibiscus esculentus L (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). It is also

known as “saluyot a bunga” (Ilocano) and kaluyot (Ifugao) and a most popular and common vegetable in
the market (http:www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph). The immature fruits can be eaten raw, boiled, blanched, or fried.
It is also an indispensable component of a Filipino dish “pinakbet” and a common ingredient in
soups/sauces. The fruits can be dried or pickled. The leaves are sometimes used as spinach and the seeds
as a substitute for coffee. Okra seeds also contain a considerable amount of good quality oil and protein.
Okra is widely grown throughout the year because it is resistant to either drought or water logging . It
is grown in area of 3,570 hectare with production of 29,716 metric tons (mt) all over the country (Bureau of
Agricultural Statistics, 2010). Central Luzon has the highest production of okra in the country of about
10,851 mt or 14.6 yield/ha.(mt.) with an area of 743 hectares. Exportation of okra to Japan started in 2006
with an estimated export value of US$ 7-8M at an average export price of US$ 12-14/box of 4-6 kg net
weight.
This crop is also considered as one of the most nutritious vegetables. Its nutritional composition is
as follows.
Table 1. Okra Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 30 kcal 150 kJ
Carbohydrates 7.6 g
Dietary fibre 3.2 g
Fat g 0.1
Protein 2.0 g
Folate (Vit. B9) 87.8g 22%
Vitamin C 21 mg 35%
Calcium 75 mg 8%
Magnesium 57 mg 15%
Water (g) 90.0%
Vitamin A (660 IU) Percentages are relative
to US recommendations for adults
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra

According to Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist), okra is considered as versatile vegetable. It has
many health benefits: (1) it has superior fiber that helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at
which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract (2) It has mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid
carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. (3) It has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and
is economically within reach of most people. (4) It is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and
psyllium good for bacteria serve as probiotics. Unlike harsh wheat bran can irritate or injure the intestinal
tract. Most of okra's nutrients are retain when cook and have self-digesting enzymes.
(http://www.eatinaftereden.com/)
Okra is an annual or perennial crop popularly known as Okra (English, French, Dutch, German);
Lady's finger (English); Gombo (French, Italian, Spanish); Abelmosco (Italian); Quimbombo (Spanish); and
Ocra (Spanish). Its scientific name is Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench and is synonym to Hibiscus
esculentus L.. It is from the Malvaceae (Mallow) family in the order of Malvales.
It is know to have come from Ethiopia and is grown in tropical regions and the relatively warmer
temperate regions.
The flowers are 4 to 8 centimeters in diameter that are either yellow or white in color with 5 petals
and have a red or purple spot at the base. The leaves on the other hand, are hand-shaped which are 10 to
20 centimeters long with 5 to 7 lobes. The fruits (or pods) are fibrous with round, white seeds. When

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sliced, the fruits show a pentagonal (having five sides) cross-section. They can reach a length of 18
centimeters. Okra is pollinated by insects such as bees, wasps, flies and beetles. It can reach a height of up
to 2 meters.
Warm and tropical climates are suitable for okra. It is very heat and drought tolerant and can
tolerate poor soils. However, seedlings need sufficient water, but when older, okra is a very drought
tolerant vegetable. Okra is grown from seed. Okra needs 50 - 65 days to reach maturity. It should be
planted in 30 x 60 cm (the least) or 60 x 90 cm (the maximum)

Propagation:
Okra is commonly infested with flea beetle, Japanese beetle, blister beetles, corn earworm and root
knot nematode. Its common diseases are stem blight and wilt.
After pollination the fruits soon become fibrous and woody, therefore the fruits are harvested when
immature to be used as a vegetable. The plant will continue to produce fruits while they are being
harvested. When mature, fruits are left on the plant this will reduce flowering and fruit set.

Medicinal uses
The roots, leaves, young pods, and seeds (Philippine Medical Plants, 2012) of okra are known to
have medicinal uses. Following are their uses:
 Decoction of roots and leaves as a tea or for washing.
 Decoction of young fruit useful for catarrh, urinary problems.
 Syrup from mucilaginous fruit used for sore throat.
 Poultice of roots and leaves for wound healing.
 Young pods for fevers, difficult urination and diarrhea.
 Decoction of roots for headaches, varicose veins, arthritis, fevers.
 Decoctions of leaves for abdominal pain.
 Leaves also useful as emollient poultice.
 Seeds used a coffee substitute. Paste of seeds, mixed with milk, used for pruritic skin lesions

Recommended Varieties

Smooth green type pod or fruit Native white variety

The two most popular recommended varieties of okra are smooth green and the native variety.
Smooth green is preferred by the consumers because of the deep green appearance while the native variety
with yellowish white fruits is preferred by retailers because it does not appear wilted even kept for several
days. Both of the varieties are prolific and mature at 45 days after emergence.

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 There are two more commercial varieties of okra namely Camiling smooth and Green light. For
export, Green Emerald variety is popularly grown. This variety is about 1.5 m tall. Pods are 18 to 20 cm long
slightly ridged and green color.
Aside from this, the Bureau of Plant Industry, National Crop Research Development Center at Los
Banos had 3 newly collected varieties of okra from China, AVRDC-World Vegetable Center and Singapore as
shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The three (3) newly collected germplasm of Okra at BPI-LBNCRDC, Los Banos, Laguna.

CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT

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A. Soil and Climate Requirements. Okra can be grown throughout the year from low -to mid – elevation
areas with adequate supply of water. However, production is best in sandy loam with pH 5.5-7.0 during
long warm season.
B. Land Preparation. Before plowing the area, broadcast organic fertilizer or compost (1kg/m 2) and plow
and harrow the area/field twice. Set furrows or make plots 0.75 m wide for 2 rows planting with a
distance between rows of 0.75 m. For clay soils, incorporate rice hull and compost liberally.
C. Planting. Plant the okra seeds by direct seeding. Seeding rate of okra is about 3 kg seeds. To assure the
100% germination of seeds, soak the seeds in warm water overnight to hasten germination. Air-dry the
soaked seeds. Sow 2-3 seeds/hill, 1cm deep with a distance of 20 cm between hills and 25 cm between
rows. Two (2) seedlings/hill should be maintained. The excess seedlings can be pricked and replanted
to missing hills.
D. Fertilization. During land preparation or bed preparation, 5 kg/m 2 of compost (vermi compost +
guano) can be applied. For basal application, 500g/hill of mixture of vermi compost + guano (2:1 ratio)
can be used. Thirty days after emergence, side dress with guano.
E. Water Management. Water the plants regularly or 2-3 times a week. If possible use furrow irrigation
every week or depending on the soil moisture and season.
F. Pest and Disease Management. Okra is tolerant to most insect pests specifically during wet season
because of the profuse growth of foliage, but diseases are common because of the wet–warm condition
of the environment. However, during summer or second crop, leafhopper is the most damaging pest
with occasional diseases. These can be managed using the suggested biological and remedial control
measures presented in the Table 2 below.
Table 2. Biological and remedial control of insect pest and diseases of okra.
Pest and Diseases Suggested Management
A. Insect Pests
Leaf hopper Irrigate the area planted with okra twice a week to prevent or minimize drying of the
leaves sucked by the pests. Enough water that is absorbed by the plant will compensate the
sap sucked by the pest. Practice organic farming because organic nutrients will boost the
immune system of the plant against pests.
Cotton stainer Collect the insects and eggs and burn or bury these into the soil. Use overhead irrigation to
reduce insect population.
Leaf folder Crush folded leaves with thumb and forefinger to kill the larva inside the fold. Do not open
the fold because the worm inside will quickly slide, fall, and hide in the soil. Use light trap
to kill adults
Collect infected leaves; place these in a plastic bag and then seal. Expose the plastic bag
under the sun to kill the worms.
Spray with Thuricide HP or Dipel (Bacillus thuringiensis)/Halt following manufacturers’
recommended dosage. These are bacterial pesticides.
B. Diseases
Cercospora Leaf spot Gather all infected leaves as soon as the symptoms start to appear. To avoid transferring
the disease to healthy leaves, burn infected leaves or bury these outside the area. Spray
unaffected leaves with decoction of guava, avocado and akapulko leaves (1 L decoction to
16 L of water)
Remove some leaves (leaf thinning) so that the ultra violet rays of the sun can penetrate in
between the leaves and kill the pathogens.
Preparation of decoction: boil 1 kg leaves of each of guava, avocado, and akapulko in 3
gallons of water for five minutes, start counting 5 minutes when the water is already
boiling. Strain after cooking then store the decoction in plastics containers.
Avoid mono-cropping. Intercrop with botanical plants (marigold, ginger, basil, sunflowers
and etc.).
Remove infected plant parts, spray with compost tea and tea manure, prune excess leaves
to improve air circulation, and water in the morning.

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Insects Attacking Okra

Figure 2 shows the insect pests attacking okra plant.

Leaf Folder (Lamprosema sp.) larva Polyphagous incest

Leaf hopper (Impoasca sp.) Flower beetles (Mylabris spp. And Coryna spp.)

Okra leaf severely damaged by Brown stink bug (Halydicoris sp.) okra
leafminer (Liriomyza spp.) larvae

Cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) Thrips (Frankliniella spp.) on okra flower

Figure 2. Insect pests attacking Okra

Diseases of Okra
.
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 Figure 3 shows the diseases infesting okra plant.

Cercospora leaf spot symptoms Black mould (Cercospora abelmoschi)

leaf spots on the leaf

Powdery mildew on upper surface of okra leaf.

Early blight symptoms on the leaf Infection occurs when humidity is in the range of 52 to
75% and air temperatures are around 26 to 27°C

Bacterial blight ( Xanthomonas campestris p.v.malvacearum) on young okra pod

Figure 3 Diseases of Okra

G. Weeding. Cultivate and hill-up by hand-hoeing in between furrows at 14 DAE and 42 DAE to suppress
the emerging weeds (1st side dressing). Finally uproot the remaining weeds (spot weed) that were
missed during the previous cultivation.
H. Harvesting. Okra pods or immature fruits are ready to harvest 5-10 days after flowering or about 10-
12 cm long (the pods are young, tender and snappy). Use a sharp knife or pruning shears during
harvesting. Harvesting should be done every day. To facilitate harvesting and control diseases, prune all
leaves below the lowest fruit at regular interval. Okra crop can be harvested 40-45 times in cropping
season.
Pack the fruits in 10 kg polyethylene bags for convenience in hauling and to maintain freshness. Too
much moisture favors the development of molds on the packed fruits so puncture 4-5 small holes on
each plastic bag.
To store pods/fruits in large volume, store it at 10 ͦ C and 90-95% relative humidity to avoid wilting.
Then the pods will be graded according to market standards and packed in plastic crates or in
cardboard trays covered with plastic film.

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 COSTS AND RETURNS ANALYSIS PER HECTARE-OKRA

Table 3. COST AND RETURN analysis of planting a one hectare Okra

ITEMS AMOUNT (PhP)
Variable Costs
A. Labor (@ PhP250/MD; @ PhP500/MAD)1/
Plowing 5 MAD 2,500.00
Harrowing 3 MAD 1,500.00
Furrowing 1 MAD 2,500.00
Compost Application 6 MD 1,500.00
Compost Basal2/ 2 MD 500.00
Side Dressing of Guano 10 MD 2,500.00
Planting 2 MD 500.00
Irrigation after Planting 2 MD 500.00
Releasing of Biological Agents 3/
2 MD 500.00
Thinning 4 MD 1,000.00
Weeding 15 MD 3,750.00
Hilling-up 3 MAD 1,500.00
Irrigation (2-3 x a week) 24 MD 6,000.00
Spraying of Botanical or Biological Agents4/ 8 MD 4,000.00
Harvesting 40 MD 10,000.00
Sorting/Packaging 40 MD 10,000.00
Miscellaneous Activities 10,000.00
Sub-Total 58,750.00
B. Materials
Seeds 3 kg/ha 1,732.50
Vermi Compost 10 T 11,000.00
Guano - Vermi Compost (1:2 ratio) 14 bags 7,440.00
Guano 8 - 10 bags 4,620.00
Biological Pesticides (Halt) 5 - 6 canisters 11,000.00
Miscellaneous 6,000.00
Sub-Total 41,792.50
TOTAL (A + B) 100,542.50

C. Contingencies (15%) 15,081.38

GRAND TOTAL (A + B + C) 115,623.88
MIN MAX
Gross INCOME 180,000.00 210,000.00
Net INCOME 64,376.13 94,376.13
with marketable yield of 12 - 14 T/ha at a farmgate price of PhP15/kg
Return on Investment (ROI) 56% 82%
1/
MD is man day and MAD man and animal day.
2/
Compost basal is a mixture of guano and vermi.
3/
Biological agents are earwigs for aphids and Trichograma chilonis for lepidopteran species.
4/
Botanical pesticides are guava, avocado, and akapulko leaves depending on pests or diseases.

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 REFERENCES

Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. Production area, production (mt.) and other data. 2010.
Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. 27 November 2011.
Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. "Abelmoschus esculentus - (L.)Moench.", Plants for a Future, June
2004.
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.
1979, 1986 © HarperCollins (Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009).
Cultural Directions for Philippine Agricultural Crops. Volume No. 11. Vegetables. Ed. 1974. Published by
Public Affairs Office. Bureau of Plant Industry. San Andres St. Malate. Manila.
http://www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph. Production of Vegetables..
http://www.eatinaftereden.com. A Versatile vegetable and its benefits.
Kochhar @physiology.wise.edu. October 26,2010
McWhorter, John H. The Missing Spanish Creoles: Recovering the Birth of Plantation Contact Languages .
University of California Press. p. 77.ISBN 0-520-21999-6. (2000).
National Research Council "Okra". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables. (2006-10-27). Lost Crops of
Africa. 2. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10333-6. (Retrieved 2008-07-15.)
Philippine Medical Plants. A Guide to the Use of Philippine Medicinal Plants as an Alternative Medicine.
2012.
www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/okra.html. “Fruits & Veggies Matter: Home: Eat a Colorful Variety
of Fruits and Vegetables Every Day for Better Health | CDC “.
www.seedtosupper.com/okra.html. A Gardener's Cookbook Series, What To Grow, How To Grow It, And
What To Do With It Once It's Grown!
www.seedtosupper.com/okra.html. A Gardener's Cookbook Series, What To Grow, How To Grow It, And
What To Do With It Once It's Grown!

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Editorial Team:

Dr. Vivencio R. Mamaril

Ms. Solita R. Sicat
Ms. Elenita Sison
Ms. Ma. Teresa S. Bunñ o

Printed at the Information Section

Bureau of Plant Industry
January, 2013

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