General Information:

  • Category- Vegetable
  • Binomial Name- Abelmoschus escluntus
  • Common Names- Okra, Bhindi
  • Spread- 15 inches**
  • Height- 36 inches**
  • Average Production- 300-350grams/plant
  • Days to Maturity- 50 days

Nutrition Values:

  • Calories: 33
  • Water: 89%
  • Protein: 1.9 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 7.5 grams
  • Sugar: 1.5 grams
  • Fiber: 3.2 grams
  • Fat: 0.2 grams

Vitamins–

  • Vitamin C: 23 mg
  • Vitamin K: 31.3 mg
  • Thiamin: 0.2 mg
  • Vitamin B-6: 0.215 mg
  • Folate: 60 mcg
  • Vitamin A: 36 mcg

Minerals–

  • Sodium: 7 mg
  • Calcium: 82 mg
  • Iron: 0.6 mg
  • Magnesium: 57 mg
  • Phosphorus: 61 mg
  • Potassium: 299 mg
  • Zinc: 0.58 mg

*The values are standard average per 100 grams and might change a bit.

Environmental Requirements:

  • Soil-  Loamy
  • Soil Moisture- 25 %
  • Soil pH- 6.5-7.0
  • Sun Requirements- Full Sun
  • Best Time to Plant- In spring or early summer
  • Temperature range- 22-35 Celsius

Tips to Grow  Lady Finger:

  1. Arrange good quality okra seeds..
  2. Okra is adaptable and will grow in most soils, though it performs best in well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter.
  3. Plant okra seeds about 0.5 to 1 inch deep and 12 to 18 inches apart in a row. You can soak the seeds overnight in tepid water to help speed up germination. Okra plants are tall, so space out the rows 3 to 4 feet apart.
  4. Add  aged manure, or rich compost.
  5. In warm weather the immature fruit pods grow very rapidly, often reaching full size in just a couple days. When the pods reach about 2 to 3 inches long, remove them from the plant with pruning shears.
  6. The pods should be picked often to encourage continued production. The plants will grow and bear fruit right up until frost.

Other uses of Lady Finger:

  1.  Okra seeds have a good amount of seed oil.
  2. The roots and stem of okra plant is used in clarifying cane sugar for the preparation of jaggery.
  3. Okra has high pectin content used as emulsifier or thickener. 

References: 

  1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov 
  2.  https://iari.res.in
  3.  https://www.researchgate.net
  4.  Texbook of Vegetables by B.R. Chaudhary

** The values are standard values but might change a bit.

Vegetables