Plant Population on Growth, Fruit Size, Seed Yield, and Cost of Production of Okra
2014
Makinde, Eyitayo A.
Competition between plants affects fruit and seed yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). An experiment was conducted in a tropical rainforest zone with plant populations from 33,333 to 111,111 plants·ha ⁻¹ to assess plant development, fruit size, and okra seed yields. Plant stem height and diameter were not affected. The 33,333 plants·ha ⁻¹ population had more leaves/plant and higher average leaf area. Leaf area index (LAI) was highest (1.7) at the 55,555 plants·ha ⁻¹ population. Okra fresh fruit yields (6.4 to 7.6 Mt·ha ⁻¹) were similar at all populations. The lowest population had a comparable yield due to greater fruit size; the high population had more small-sized fruit. Average seed yield was linearly related to plant population. There was 3.4 to 5.9 Mt·ha ⁻¹ of seed produced. An income return of 7 to 12 times can be made from cultivating okra for seed.
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