Okra is a popular vegetable crop in Africa, India, the Middle East, Greece, Turkey, the Caribbean, South America, and the southern United States. Okra s potential as an oilseed crop and its drought tolerance in a world facing global warming underscore its growing importance. Yet, there has been no book exclusively on okra. This book synthesizes the scientific information on various aspects of okra by the experts in their fields of specialization to provide in-depth and detailed information on okra. The international panel of contributors brings a broad perspective to the problems encountered in the development of this crop in different countries and should foster continued research at the international level.
Part 1 contains chapters on general aspects of Okra, such as origin and distribution botany, physiology, genetic resources, improvement, production, seed production, post-harvest management, and plant protection. Part 2 contains chapters on experiences of okra cultivation in various countries such as the United States, India, Mexico, Greece, Turkey, Nigeria, Sudan, Egypt, Senegal, Brazil, and Fiji. The contributors of the chapters have considerable experience working with okra as research professors at universities or national agricultural research organizations.
The book will serve as a single source of scientific information for academicians, researchers, students, development departments, seed companies, and growers, and a reference material for all regions where okra is cultivated. This will be an important publication for teaching courses on vegetable breeding and production, and will serve as a supplementary text for teaching courses on the post-harvest management and protection of the okra crop. Agricultural universities, research institutes, libraries, government agricultural departments, and seed companies will find this book invaluable.