This document summarizes the findings of the Vineland’s research team on okra production for the 2015 growing season.

Temperature and precipitation for 2015Most of the country experienced warmer than usual weather in 2015. At the Vineland research farm, the temperature during the growing season was similar to the 30-year average although September and October were warmer than usual resulting in a longer growing season and higher yields for okra.

Cumulative precipitation between May 1 and October 31 was 406 mm which was 85 mm lower than the long-term average of 491 mm. June and September were wetter than the long-term normal, July on the other hand was very dry (only 20.7 mm of precipitation) and August was average in terms of precipitation.

YieldFollowing a cool and wet spring, 2015 turned out to be a reasonably good growing season. The late fall helped increase the yield of okra.

Okra production is affected by a number of factors including the variety, climatic conditions and cultural practices.

The following graph shows the difference in okra yield by hybrid variety at the Vineland research farm in 2015.

Lucky Green F1 was the highest yielding variety with a total yield of 10.631 kg/ha followed by Elisa F1 with 8,937 kg/ha. In these trials, okra was grown on double rows with 45 cm plant spacing within the row. Emerald Green F1 was the lowest yielding hybrid variety tested at Vineland. More data is needed to assess performance of okra under cooler and wetter growing conditions.

The pods of the Lucky Green hybrid were of a slightly lighter green colour than those of Elisa and Jambalaya. The average pod weight of Lucky Green was 10.7 g compared to 7.2 g for Elisa and 8.9 g for Jambalaya.

SpacingPlant spacing and fertility have a significant effect on yield. Various okra spacings were tested at the Vineland research farm during the 2015 growing season. The distance

World Crops Research Updates - Okra Issue 4 - December 2015

Graph 1: Okra yield by variety in 2015.

between plants was either 25, 30, 45 or 55 cm and plants were grown in single or double rows spaced 180 cm centre to centre.

In general, the further the plants were spaced apart, the higher the yield per plant. Factoring in the number of plants per hectare at different spacing, the highest yield was achieved at 25 cm on a double row. The next two graphs illustrate this result.

Cultural practicesGiven the limitations of Canada’s short growing season, growers tend to transplant okra. However, young seedlings often do not respond well to transplanting. For that reason, a few growers started to directly seed okra and were reasonably successful. Vineland tested how this technique may work in southern Ontario.

02 Picture 1: Directly seeded okra three weeks after planting (June 18, 2015).

Graph 3: Average yield per hectare for single and double row.

Graph 2: Average yield per plant for single and double row.

The harvest of directly seeded okra was delayed by more than three weeks and was more gradual compared to transplanted okra. Later in the season, directly seeded okra performed nearly as well as transplanted okra and by the end of the season there was only a 12 percent difference in the yield between both practices.

While direct seeding of okra would not be recommended for growers trying to obtain premium pricing for early market or for those with a contract for in-season supply, this practice may be of interest to growers who want to produce larger amount of okra in August/September at a lower cost. Nitrogen ratesFertility trials were carried out with the objective to identify the best nitrogen rate for highest yield potential. Preliminary findings show 60 kg/ha of nitrogen is needed for best yield response. Nitrogen rates above 80 kg/ha adversely affected the yield of okra.

Fumigation Okra is susceptible to Fusarium and Verticilium wilt. Soil fumigation is necessary in fields where these soilborne pathogens are present. The graph below shows yield difference between fumigated and non-fumigated land. Soilborne diseases lowered yield potential by more than half.

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Graph 4: Cumulative yield for okra transplanted versus directly seeded.

Graph 5: Total yield difference between fumigated and non-fumigated okra.

Picture 2: Healthy okra plant on fumigated land (July 20, 2015).

Takeaway messages• Lucky Green F1 and Elisa F1 varieties

provided the highest yield in 2015 at the Vineland research farm and several locations across Canada.

• Spacing is critical for generating high yields. In our trials, the highest yield was achieved when okra was planted on double rows spaced 180 cm centre to centre and 25 to 30 cm plant to plant in the row.

• The highest yield was achieved using 60 kg N/ha. Rates above 80 kg N/ha had an adverse impact on yield.

• Fumigation is necessary in field production where Fusarium and Verticilum wilt are present as these pathogens may cause significant yield reduction.

About Vineland’s Feeding Diversity: Bringing World Crops to Market As part of a collaborative group of partners determined to build a local ethno-cultural vegetable marketplace, Vineland is leading research on new crop varieties (okra, Asian and Indian eggplant), production technologies, postharvest innovations, consumer insights and market development. Vineland’s production team is trialing new varieties to assess agronomic performance and disease resistance, while postharvest scientists are working to optimize storage conditions to preserve the quality of ethno-cultural vegetables through the distribution chain and at retail.

Dr. Viliam Zvalo, Research Scientist, Vegetable Production joined Vineland in 2014 to investigate field and greenhouse world crops production for Canadian growers.

If the information contained in these research updates is of interest to you or if you have any questions, please contact Viliam at: 905-562-0320 x808 orviliam.zvalo@vinelandresearch.com

@vinelandrsrch VinelandResearchVineland Research and Innovation Centre4890 Victoria Avenue North, Box 4000Vineland Station, ON L0R 2E0

tel: 905.562.0320 vinelandresearch.com

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Picture 3: Elisa F1 and Lucky Green F1 okra (September 25, 2015).