Evaluation of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) cultivars for dry season production in the Southern Guinea Savanna ecology of Nigeria

Abstract Field experiments were conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi during the dry seasons of 2010 and 2011 with the objective of evaluating the performance of okra cultivars in the Southern Guinea Savanna ecology of Nigeria. The experimental design was a randomised complete block design with three replications while five cultivars of okra (Guntu, Dogo and Ex-Ajia NH47 – 4 and LD 88) constituted the treatments. Highly significant variety effect was observed for all the traits (days to flowering, plant height, pod length, pod diameter, number of pods/plant, weight of fresh pods/plant and 100 – seed weight) studied, indicating that the cultivars evaluated are genetically diverse. A positive correlation was observed among the yield components of pod length, pod diameter, number of pods/plant, fresh weight of pods/plant and 100 – seed weight, indicating the prospect of simultaneous selection for these traits. The highest values for pod length, pod diameter, number of pods/plant and 100 – seed weight observed for Ex – Ajia, NH47 – 4 and Dogo is an indication that these three varieties have the potential for good performance in the dry season and should be selected for dry season production in the southern guinea savanna ecology of Nigeria. There is need for further studies on seasonal variation across many locations within the southern guinea savanna ecology of Nigeria, with a view of selecting specific genotypes for specific season in respective locations.