35 Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | Jan-Feb 2021 Agronomic Attributes of Five Okra Landraces Selected for Okra Production in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria E.E. Okoli* Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, P.M.B. 6059 Awka, Anambra State *correspondence: Dr. Evans Ebuka Okoli; ee.okoli@coou.edu.ng ABSTRACT A research study on the agronomic attributes of five okra genotypes for Okra production were evaluated for growth and yield at the teaching and research farm of the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) Igbariam Anambra state. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 4 replications using 3m row plots. The total field size was 187 m 2 (0.00187 ha) and a plant spacing of 0.60m × 0.30m was used. There was no significant difference in the treatment means for all the parameter studied, however, result from the seedling characteristics revealed that Nkwelle Okra was the earliest to emerge (4.25 days) while Awkuzu okra was the last to emerge (6.00 days). The experiment showed that Awkuzu okra was earliest to flower at 60.30 days after planting while Nteje Okra was the last to reach 50% flowering at 70.10 days after planting. Awkuzu Okra had the highest number of pods per plant (11.80), pod weight (50.90g) and yield t/ha (0.00005t/ha) while the least was Nteje Okra for number of pods per plants (6.50), pod weight (29.60g) and yield t/ha (0.000029 t/ha). Therefore, a further genetic study was recommended for the studied genotypes to produce hybrid and synthetic cultivar for the production of okra in the study area. Keywords: agronomic attribute; landraces; okro; oyi local government; anambra state INTRODUCTION Okra (Abelmoschus esculentusL.Moench) belongs to the plant family Malvacea which also contains various plants and fruits like the marshmallow, but it is the most common and widely cultivated crop in this family (Richard, 2017). The plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world (National Research Council, 2006). It is mostly cultivated because of its fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white seeds. Also, it is among the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world and will tolerate soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture (Growing Okra-Department of Primary Industries and fisheries, Queensland, 2007). In Nigeria there are two distinct seasons for okra production; the rainy and dry season. It is usually more abundant during the rainy season than the dry season due to the fact that it is mostly cultivated on a small scale by small peasant farmers who lack the funds to setup irrigation facilities for dry season production (Adenijiet al, 2007). Okra serves as a major economic crop in the West African sub-region owing to its vital importance as a component of various recipes in many local delicacies. In terms of nutrition, tender green pods of okra are important sources of vitamins A, B, C and K, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, calcium and trace elements such as copper, manganese, iron, zinc, nickel, and iodine which most times is deficient in the diet of people in most developing countries. Okra has medicinal values as it contains high levels of antioxidants such as β-carotene, xanthin and lutein (lee kit et al, 2000). The mucilage substance gotten from okra pods has been found to have a good alkaline pH, which contributes to the cure of gastrointestinal ulcer by neutralizing the digestive acid in the stomach (Wamanda, 2007). Despite all these economic benefits, okra is yet to reach its maximum yield potential because of several factors. They include they use of locally unimproved variety, high incidence of pests and diseases, lack of irrigation for the small peasant farmers etc. Thus, enough attention needs to be given towards selecting high yielding cultivars of okra and ways to improve their agronomic characteristics. Therefore, the objective of this work is to determine the agronomic characteristics of five landraces of okra selected for production in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra state. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental site The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research farm of the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) Igbariam, Anambra state. Igbariam falls within the derived Savannah Zone of Nigeria and is located at Latitude of 06 0 and 45 0 E. The soil series are utisols and belongs to the Sandy loam textural class. Experimental design and field layout Okro seeds were collected from Umuobi-Awkuzu, Odumodu- Ani-Umunya, Amawa-Ogbunike, Ifite-Nkwelle, Ikenga-Nteje and evaluated using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications using 3m row plots. The experimental area is 17m X 11m (187m 2 ) in size. International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972 Volume: 2 | Issue: 1 | Jan - Feb 2021 Available Online: www.ijscia.com DOI: 10.51542/ijscia.v2i1.8