Okra is a vegetable in summer and autumn.

Okra likes warmth and is afraid of frost. The entire growth period should be arranged in the frost-free period, and the flowering and fruiting period should be in the warm and humid season in various places. Cultivation in the open field is usually done from April to June in the north and south, and harvested from July to October. In North China, sowing is usually done from mid-to-late April to May.

The products harvested from okra are tender fruits. If harvested too early, the yield will be affected; if harvested too late, the fiber will increase, the meat will age, the quality will be reduced, and even the edible value will be lost. Therefore, timely harvesting is very important. Generally, 7 to 8 days after the flowers fade, the tender fruits are harvested when they grow to 8 to 10 centimeters, and the best commercial fruits can be obtained. Harvesting should be done in the evening. Cut off the fruit stems during harvesting to avoid damaging the branches.

Okra is also known as okra (scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus), okra, tomato, croissant, lamb's finger bean, lamb's horn pepper, and pepper. It is an annual herbaceous plant of the Malvaceae family. The tender pods are harvested for consumption, and the flowers and leaves are also edible. It is native to Africa and later entered the Americas and other regions. It is also cultivated in China. In Pingxiang, in western Jiangxi Province, China, the locals call it "foreign pepper". Americans call it "Plant Golden Okra", which is a good medicine for lowering blood sugar. Okra can be further processed into scented tea, beverages, capsules, dried vegetables, oil, etc.

Cultivation Season

Okra Field

Okra likes warmth and is afraid of frost. The entire growth period should be arranged in the frost-free period, and the flowering and fruiting period should be in the warm and humid season in various places. . For open field cultivation, sowing is usually done from April to June in the north and south, and harvested from July to October. In North China, sowing is usually done from mid-to-late April to May. In cold northern regions, seedlings are commonly raised in solar greenhouses and plastic greenhouses, and then planted in fields after late frosts in early spring.

Soil preparation for bordering

Okra should not be continuously cropped, nor should it be planted with fruits and vegetables to avoid the occurrence of root-knot nematodes. It is best to choose root vegetables, leafy vegetables, etc. as the first crop. The soil is preferably deep, fertile, loose, water- and fertilizer-retaining loam. After harvesting the previous crop before winter, plow deeply in a timely manner and apply 75,000 kilograms of decomposed manure and 300 kilograms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer per hectare, mix well and rake to make a border. Open field cultivation method: row spacing 40 cm, plant spacing 12 cm, furrow width 50 cm. If planted in single rows on the edge of fields, roads, or rivers, the distance between plants should be 12 cm, and there should be 3 plants in each hole to provide ventilation and light transmission for easy management.

Sowing and raising seedlings

The main method is direct seeding. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 20-25℃ for 12 hours, then dry them, and germinate at 25-30℃ for 48 hours. Wait until half of the seeds Sowing can be done when the seeds are white. Dig holes with a row spacing of 40 cm and a plant spacing of 12 cm. Water enough water first. Sow 2 to 3 seeds in each hole. Cover with 2 to 3 cm of soil. Plant about 6,000 holes per acre.

(1) Live broadcast method: Okra has many lines of live broadcast. Soak the seeds for 12 hours before sowing, and then place them at 25~30℃ to accelerate germination. The seeds will begin to germinate after about 24 hours. Sow when 60%~70% of the seeds "break". It is advisable to sow seeds in holes, with 3 plants per hole and a hole depth of 2 to 3 cm. In various places, sowing should be done at the right time after the last frost period, watering first, then sowing, and then covering with about 2 cm of soil.

(2) Seedling transplanting method. In northern areas, seedlings are sown and raised in sunny fields and solar greenhouses in early to mid-March. The bed soil is made up of 6 parts garden soil, 3 parts decomposed organic fertilizer and 1 part fine sand. Before sowing, soak the seeds to accelerate germination, level the seedbed, sow on demand with a spacing of 10 cm between rows, and cover with soil about 2 cm thick. After sowing, the bed soil temperature should be kept at 25°C, and germination will occur in 4 to 5 days. The seedling age is 30 to 40 days, and the seedlings are planted when they have 2 to 3 true leaves. It is best to use plastic pots, nutritious soil clods and other mulching and seedling cultivation measures to cultivate young and strong seedlings.

Growth cycle

Germination period

The germination period is from sowing to the time when two cotyledons are flattened, which takes about 10 to 15 days. The seeds can germinate and emerge in 4 to 5 days after sowing at a moderate temperature of 25~30℃. It usually takes about 7 days for seedlings to emerge from direct seeding in the open field. Covering with plastic film can allow seedlings to emerge 2 to 4 days in advance.

Seedling stage

It takes about 40 to 45 days from the time when the two cotyledons are flattened to when the first flower blooms. Generally, after the cotyledons are fully expanded, the first true leaf will expand after 15 to 25 days. From then on, a true leaf will appear every 2 to 4 days, and the first and second true leaves will be round. Growth is slow in the seedling stage, especially when the ground temperature is too low.

The flowering and fruiting period

takes about 85 to 120 days from the beginning of flowering to the end of harvest. It takes 50 to 55 days after emergence for the first flower to bloom. The first and second flowers take slightly longer days from flowering to harvest. In the future, as the temperature increases, the harvest time shortens. Usually the first harvest can be done about 70 days after sowing. It can be harvested 4 days after flowering when the day temperature is 28~32℃ and the night temperature is 18~20℃. After flowering and bearing fruit, okra grows faster and stronger, especially under high temperatures. It develops a true leaf every 3 days in July, and takes 4 to 5 days to develop a true leaf in September.

Field management

(1) Thinning

The first thinning is when the heart is broken, and weak and weak seedlings are thinned out. Thin out the seedlings for the second time when there are 2 to 3 true leaves, and choose to keep strong seedlings. Dine the seedlings when there are 3 to 4 true leaves, leaving 1 plant in each hole.

(2) Cultivating, weeding and soil cultivation

After the seedlings are unearthed or planted, the temperature is low. Cultivating should be done twice continuously to increase the ground temperature and promote seedling slowing down. Strengthen cultivating before the first flower blooms so that the seedlings can squat properly to facilitate root development.

After flowering and bearing fruit, the plant growth accelerates. It should be cultivated after each watering and top dressing, and the soil should be cultivated before sealing the ridges to prevent the plants from lodging. In areas with heavy rains and windy weather in summer, it is best to use bamboo poles or branches of about 1 meter to insert near the plants to prevent lodging.

(3) Watering and fertilizing

① Watering Okra requires higher air and soil moisture during its growth period. If there is water shortage within 20 days after sowing, artificial sprinkler irrigation should be done in the morning and evening. After the seedlings are slightly larger, they can be irrigated mechanically or furrowed. The hot summer season is the peak harvest period for okra, which requires a lot of water and the surface temperature is high. Watering should be done before 9 a.m. and after sunset in the afternoon to avoid watering at high temperatures and damaging the roots. Pay attention to drainage during the rainy season to prevent dead seedlings. Keep the soil moist throughout the growing season.

②Top dressing: On the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer, top dressing should be appropriate and nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied. The first time is to fertilize the seedlings, which is carried out after the seedlings emerge. Apply 90 to 120 kilograms of urea per hectare. The second time is to add seedling fertilizer, dig ditches and remove the fertilizer after the seedlings are established or planted, and apply 225 to 300 kilograms of compound fertilizer per hectare. Fertilize once again during the flowering and fruiting period, with 30,000 to 45,000 kilograms of human manure or 300 to 450 kilograms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer. In the middle and later stages of growth, topdress with small amounts of fertilizer several times as appropriate to prevent premature plant aging.

(4) Plant adjustment

Under normal conditions, okra plants grow vigorously, with thick main and side branches and enlarged leaves, which often delay flowering and fruiting. The twisting method can be adopted, that is, the petiole is twisted into a curved shape and droops to control vegetative growth. In the middle and later stages of growth, timely removal of old leaves at each node below the harvested tender fruits can not only improve ventilation and light transmission conditions, reduce nutrient consumption, but also prevent the spread of diseases and insect pests. Those who harvest tender fruits should top them at the right time to promote the fruiting of side branches and increase early yield.

Harvesting

It takes about 55 days from sowing to the formation of the first tender fruit. In the future, the entire harvest period will last 90 to 120 days, and the full growth period will last about 150 days, or even longer. The standard for picking commercial fresh okra fruits is that the fruit is 8 to 10 centimeters long, the fruit is bright green in appearance, and the seeds inside the fruit are not aged. If it is not harvested in time, the meat quality will age, the fiber will increase, and the edible value of the commodity will be greatly reduced. Generally, after the first fruit is harvested, it is harvested every 2 to 4 days in the initial stage. As the temperature rises, the harvesting interval shortens. During the peak fruiting period in August, harvest is done every day or every other day. After September, when the temperature drops, harvesting takes place every 3 to 4 days. It is advisable to use scissors and put on gloves when harvesting to prevent the bristles or thorns on the stems, leaves, and fruits from piercing the skin and causing unbearable itching. At this time, washing with soapy water or lightly roasting on the fire can reduce the pain and itching. Tender fruits are usually harvested 4 days after the flowers fade, for the best quality. The yield per mu is mostly around 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms.

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Diseases

Epidemic diseases

Okra can be infected with diseases at both the seedling stage and the adult plant stage. When the seedlings are 20 cm long, the disease spots spread from the leaves to the main stem, causing the stem to become thinner and faded, until the whole plant wilts or falls over. Leaf infections usually start from the leaf tips or green leaves in the lower part of the plant. At the initial stage of the disease, they appear as dark green water-soaked irregular lesions that turn brown after enlarging. Prevention and treatment: Seize the early stage of the disease and use 72% manganese zinc and cremoxil WP (Kelu) 500 times liquid or 69% Anke manganese zinc WP 900 times liquid or 64% antiviral vitriol WP 400 times liquid or 58% metalaxyl, manganese zinc WP500 Spray the liquid once every 7 to 10 days, and prevent and treat it 2-3 times.

Virus disease

Okra virus disease is the main disease in okra production, and the disease is more serious in the adult plant stage than in the seedling stage. After the plant is infected, the entire plant is affected, especially the delicate leaves at the top, which appear mosaic or brown. If infected early, the plants will be dwarfed and bear little or no fruit. Prevention and control methods: Do not save seeds from diseased fields, select disease-resistant varieties, and use 5% WP 400~500 times solution or 20% virus AWP 400 times solution or 15% Phytophen 1000 times solution or 83% resistance-increasing agent in the early stage of the disease 100 times prevention and treatment 3 times, once every 7 to 10 days.

Pests

Poisonous caterpillars

Okra mainly damages the seedlings. They often feed on the mesophyll after emergence, causing nicks, and in severe cases, leaf veins are left behind. Prevention and treatment: Spray with 10% EC1500 solution or 5% SC1500 solution or abamectin EC + fenvalerate EC3000 solution.

Lemonia leucophylla

Okra can cause damage throughout the growth period, mainly damaging the leaves. You can use 1.8% Aifudin EC (Abamectin) 5000 times solution or 52.25 % Nongdi Le EC1000 times solution or 48% Lesbon EC1000 times solution or 5% Ruigent SC800 times solution for prevention and control.

Aphids

Okra can occur throughout the growth period, and the adult plant stage is more severely affected. You can use imidacloprid pesticides such as 10% aphids and 10% aphids. Wait for 3000 times the solution.

Ants

After okra blooms, ants often gather on the flower pots and cause damage. For prevention and control, use 48% Leben EC1000 times liquid spray or 5% Ruigente EC1500 times solution spray or use Ruigente 0.3% liquid mixed with sawdust and sprinkle it on the place where ants are found to trap and kill them.

Okra harvesting interval is short. The pesticides used must be suitable for pollution-free vegetables. When spraying, try not to spray on flowers or young fruits.

Cutworms

Cutworms lurk during the day and emerge at night. During the seedling stage, they often bite off the main stems, causing seedling breakage. Generally, sweet and sour liquid is commonly used to lure and catch them or they can be captured by digging in the soil in the early morning. Special pesticides can also be used to kill them.

Sweep the snack headquarters? 2016-01-13

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Autumn Kwai (scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus (Linn.) Moench): Chinese scientific name is coffee Huang Kui, also known as Huang Kui. It is native to southern Ethiopia. Although it is also common in southern China, it is not native to China.

The edible part is the fruit pod, which is divided into green and red. It tastes crisp, juicy, smooth and not greasy, and has a unique fragrance. The seeds can be squeezed for oil