AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION CENTRE www.arccjournals.com/www.ijarjournal.com *Corresponding author’s e-mail: hmireku@gmail.com. Indian J. Agric. Res., 50 (4) 2016 : 330-334 Print ISSN:0367-8245 / Online ISSN:0976-058X Fruit and seed quality of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] as influenced by harvesting stage and drying method Hillary Mireku Bortey* and Beloved Mensah Dzomeku CSIR-Crops Research Institute, P. O. Box 3785, Fumesua, Kumasi, Ghana. Received: 16-02-2016 Accepted: 11-04-2016 DOI:10.18805/ijare.v50i4.11253 ABSTRACT The influence of harvesting stages and drying methods on fruit and seed quality of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.] cultivar Asontem was studied to determine the optimum stage of harvest and suitable drying method. The fruit length and diameter progressively increased and reached its peak at 30 days after anthesis by recording 9.50 and 2.83cm respectively and subsequently decreased slightly. The higher seed moisture content (46.5%) was obtained at the early harvesting stage (10 day after anthesis (DAA) and decreased to as low as 22.1% at 50 DAA. Seed maturation and quality parameters were highly significant (p=0.05) at different harvesting stages. Maximum seed dry weight (4.1 g) occurred at 40 DAA regardless of the drying method. Maximum standard germination (77.0%) occurred at 50 DAA when seed moisture content was lowest (22.1%). The optimum stage for harvesting fruit of okra cultivar Asontem for high seed germinability was found to be 40 days after anthesis, followed by shade drying fruits before seed extraction. Key words: Drying method, Fruit, Harvesting stage, Okra, Seed quality. INTRODUCTION Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L) Moench] is a widely grown and consumed as fruit vegetable. Farmers usually harvest fruits at edible maturity to sell in the fresh market or dry fruit and partially processed for the market. It is rich in calcium, phosphorus, contains protein, carbohydrate, fibre and vitamins (Tindall, 1983). For seed production, however, fruits are left on the mother plant until they are dry before harvested. The seed crop requires the right stage of maturity followed by proper drying to ensure high germinability after harvest and storage. This is because seed longevity is known to be influenced by the initial seed quality, which is affected by the production procedure. The stage of seed development at which seeds attain physiological maximum quality in terms of percent germination has been inconclusive. Harrington (1960) had earlier reported that seeds attain maximum quality in terms of germinability at the end of the seed filling period and thereafter viability and vigour declines. In some other crops, however, the best seed quality may not be obtained until some times after seed filling period (Kameswara et al., 1991). In a study conducted by (Demir and Ellis, 1992), it was reported that for tomato, mass maturity occurs at 41 and 39 days after anthesis in the first and second trusses respectively. Similarly, (Demir and Ermis, 2005) observed that maximum standard germination of okra occurred at 30 days after anthesis. The optimum stage of harvest has a significant influence on the quality of a seed. The seed maturation, however, is closely associated with fruit maturation and complete fruit drying (Ashok et al., 2005). Literature on optimum stage of harvest and appropriate drying method for okra is limited. The suitable stage of harvest could also vary from crop and or cultivar. This study therefore was conducted to evaluate the impact of different drying methods on okra fruit and seed quality and elucidate the optimum stage of seed maturity and its influence on germination. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experiment was conducted during the 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons in the research fields of Crops Research Institute, Kwadaso Station, Kumasi (6º 42’ 0" North, 1º 3’ 0" West), Ghana. Annual rainfall ranged 1100mm to 1800mm. This region experiences a bi-modal rainfall pattern. The okra cultivar Asontem is a popular local material among farmers in and around the region. The seeds of okra were planted in April, during the major cropping season (March to July) and repeated in August, during the minor season (August to November). The field was laid in a 5 × 2 factorial, arranged in randomized complete block design with three replicates. Factor one consisted of five harvesting stages, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 days after anthesis (DAA), while second factor constituted two drying methods (D1 and D2). D1 method constituted harvested fruits at each of the aforementioned harvesting stages. The fruits were air-