Detailed Explanation of Key Points of New Okra Cultivation Techniques
Okra (scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus), also known as yellow okra and coffee okra, with the common names goat's horn bean and slippery eggplant, is called “foreign chili” by locals in Pingxiang in western Jiangxi Province, China. It prefers warmth, and its place of origin is near present-day Ethiopia in Africa as well as tropical Asia; it is not widely cultivated in China. Americans call it “plant gold golden okra,” and it is a good medicine for lowering blood sugar. Yellow okra can be deep-processed into flower tea, beverages, capsules, dried vegetables, oil, and so on.
Yellow okra, also known as okra, belongs to the Malvaceae family and is an annual herbaceous plant grown for its tender pods.
I. Cultivation Techniques
(1) Choose a production base with suitable environmental conditions, preferably soil that is fertile and rich in organic matter.
(2) Sowing and seedling raising can be done by direct seeding or by raising seedlings and transplanting. From late April to early May, when the temperature stabilizes at 15'C, pregerminate the seeds and sow. Before sowing, prepare the bottom soil in advance, then level the land, apply fertilizer, and make beds; open shallow furrows at a row spacing of 33 cm and a furrow depth of 3 cm, dibble seeds at a plant spacing of 35-40 cm, sow 3-4 seeds per hole, and cover with soil level with the bed surface. For seedling raising, sow in mid-to-late March in a sunny bed or greenhouse; prepare the bed soil with 6 parts garden soil, 3 parts decomposed organic fertilizer, and 1 part fine sand. Place seeds that have been soaked for 1-2 days under conditions of 25-30'C to pregerminate. Before sowing, water thoroughly to ensure sufficient bottom water; after the water seeps down, dibble at a plant and row spacing of 10 cm x 10 cm, cover with soil 2-3 cm thick, keep the bed soil moist after sowing, maintain the bed temperature at 25'C, and seedlings begin to emerge after one week. Transplant when the seedlings have 3 true leaves, with a seedling age of 30-40 days.
(3) Land preparation and planting: deep plow and sun the soil for 10-15 days, apply 3500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu and 30 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, applied in the furrows or deeply in holes. After the seedlings emerge, thin them in time; transplant when the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves and are 10-12 cm tall. The bed width is 90-100 cm and the bed height is 25 cm; plant 2 rows per bed, with a row spacing of 65-70 cm and a plant spacing of 35-40 cm, planting 5000-6000 plants per mu.
II. Field Management
(1) Intertillage and weeding: after the seedlings are transplanted, cultivate 2-3 times to loosen the soil and increase
the soil temperature; combine with hilling to promote root development.
(2) Water and fertilizer management: throughout the growing period, maintain relatively high air and soil humidity, especially during flowering and fruiting, when water must not be lacking. After transplanting and recovery, apply 1-2 seedling-promoting fertilizer applications, with 1500-2000 kg of human manure and urine per mu or 10-15 kg of diammonium phosphate; for flower-promoting fertilizer, use 15-20 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer. Foliar fertilizer can be sprayed in the later growth stage.
(3) Pruning and pinching: remove side branches in time; for plants growing too vigorously in the mid-to-late period,
cut off the basal side branches and lower leaves. When the main stem reaches about 60 cm, pinching can be done.
(4) Common pests: common pests include aphids, ants, cutworms, and mirids.
III. Timely Harvesting
Early-maturing varieties begin flowering at the 4th-6th node; pods can be harvested 4-5 days after the flowers fade, and when the pods are 6-8 cm long and the single pod weighs 13 g, they can be harvested for market. Harvesting is best done in the evening; because the fruits have bristles or thorns, wear gloves when harvesting. Harvest once every 1-2 days; the whole growth period is 110-120 days, and 1500-2000 kg can be harvested per mu.