Assessment of Different Okra Varieties for Yield, Quality and, Economical Feasibility Cultivated in the Hadoti Region of South-East Rajasthan, India

Abstract

The study focuses on the cultivation of okra, a prominent Indian vegetable with significance in both export and family consumption. Emphasizing the potential for increased okra production through the selection of high-yielding varieties, the research specifically targets the Hadoti region, aiming to identify varieties suitable for its agro-climatic conditions. The lack of such screening in the region prompted the study. The trial was conducted during the summer of 2022 and 2023 at the Instructional Farm of Career Point University, Kota, Rajasthan and the research evaluated 12 okra varieties using a randomized block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all varieties for various traits, including yield, quality and economical feasibility. The study underscores the presence of a substantial varietal effect, offering insights into optimizing okra cultivation in the Southeast climatic conditions of Rajasthan's Hadoti region. The results showed the presence of a significant varietal effect. However, the present study demonstrated the superiority of Punjab Selection variety over other varieties in terms of maximum mean fruit length (13.07 cm), fruit diameter (3.77 cm) and fruit weight (15.56 g), minimum mean titratable acidity (0.22%), maximum TSS (3.18 °B), ascorbic acid (19.64 mg/100g) and mucilage content (0.91%), maximum mean fruit yield per plant (0.53 kg), fruit yield per plot (11.68 kg) and fruit yield per hectare (124.30 q). However, the net return of Rs. 248575 Rs./ha and 249325 Rs./ha along with benefit-cost ratio 5.02 and 5.05 in 2022 and 2023 respectively was also obtained from okra variety Punjab Selection.