| heal.abstract |
Two okra varieties (Boyiatiou and Veloudo) were cultivated for seed under cover between 1993 and 1996. Flowering and pod production occurred in waves, with optimum quality, combined with satisfactory yield, being obtained from a sowing in March. Although the number and weight of seeds per pod was significantly higher in later sowings, this was not sufficient to outweigh the seed quality advantage from an early sowing. The germination of Veloudo was high (80-100%) irrespective of harvest date. However, the germination of Boyiatiou was variable due to the formation of a large number of hard seeds, particularly when pods ripened during periods of high temperature. Hardseededness was overcome by acid treatment, which has a scarifying effect. Pods from late harvests required drying prior to seed extraction; even then, seeds from these pods were somewhat immature and needed a period of after-ripening (60 days at 25°C) to acquire a germination level of over 90%. |
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