Collecting germplasm of Okra and its wild relatives in Southern India
Abstract
Exploration and collection of okra and its relatives were conducted under the joint sponsorship of IBPGR and NBPGR in Southern region of India. A total of 236 accessions of the genus Abelmoschus collected included 205 samples of cultivated okra belonging to Abelmoschus esculentus and A. callei and 30 of 5 wild species and 1 of a semiwild hybrid form. Cultivated okra had wide spread distribution. Three wild species and one variety were found to occur in Western Ghat areas and two others in plains. Wide variability in the collections mainly in fruit and plant types have been noticed in A. esculentus and on the basis of fruit characters 12 distinct types could be identified.
Keywords
Okra, Genetic resources, wild relatives, Abelmoschus spp
