Importance of pinching and spraying with amino acid on the yield quantitative and qualitative attributes of okra varieties

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in the vegetable field of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering/College of Agriculture and Forestry/University of Mosul during the spring season of 2024 to study the effect of fertilization and spraying with the amino acid Ticamin Max on three okra varieties. The experiment included three factors, the first factor is cutting with two treatments: cutting and no cutting, the second factor is the amino acid Ticamin Max with three concentrations (0, 3, 6) ml L-1, while the third factor is the varieties used in the study: Betra, Sultana, and Clemson. Okra seeds were planted on 4/7/2024. The experiment was carried out according to a split-plot design, where treatments were randomly distributed according to the design used in the experiment and Duncan's test was used to compare the averages at a probability level of 5%. Thus, the number of experimental treatments became 18 factorial treatments (2 cutting treatments * 3 concentrations of amino acid * 3 varieties) with 3 replicates. The results showed that the pinching treatments in the yield traits, the pinching treatment was superior in the trait of the percentage of setting, while the non- pinching treatment was superior in the trait of the number of days from planting to the first harvest. The pinching treatment was superior in the traits of the pod diameter and the weight of the pods, while the spray treatments with amino acid were superior in the traits of the pod length and the percentage of dry matter of the pods, while the spray treatments at a concentration of (3) ml L-1 and (6) ml L-1 were superior in the traits of the pod length, pod weight, number of pods per plant, number of days from planting to the first harvest, yield per plant, total yield, and marketable yield. The Clemson variety was superior in the traits of pod length, number of pods per plant, yield per plant, total yield, and marketable yield, while the Betra variety was superior in the early yield of the plant, while the Sultana variety was superior in the number of days from planting to the first harvest.