COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VEGETATIVE AND FRUIT MOPHOLOGY OF FOUR VARIETIES OF OKRA (Abelmoschus escululentus(L.) moench)

Abstract

Comparative study of vegetative and fruit morphology of four varieties of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.)Moench was investigated in the screen house of the Department of plant science and biotechnology, Federal University of Oye-Ekiti. Two seeds of each okra variety were sown in a 5L plastic bucket, each treatment was replicated five times. Seedlings were thinned to one plant per stand four weeks after sowing. The growing plants were adequately watered at an interval of three days. At the stage of flower and fruit production, the leaf length, leaf width, plant height, length of leaf stalk, leaf stalk girth, stem girth were measured with a tape graduated in centimeters. Stem thickness was measured with meter rule and the number of leaves per stand was counted. Pods were harvested at full maturity and the pod length was measured using a tape graduated in centimeters. Pod thickness was measured with meter rule; the number of seeds per pod was counted.