Varietal performance and correlation of okra pod yield and yield components
Abstract Field irrigation experiments were conducted to assess the varietal performance and correlation of pod yield and yield attributes under irrigation at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, during the 2015 and 2016 dry seasons. The results revealed that the most outstanding for fresh pod yield per plant were okra cultivar Kwadag Y’ar gagure Salkade, and Kwadam, in descending order, with yield ranging from 580.38 to 622.67 g, while the Composite cultivar had the lowest value of pod yield of 428.62 g over the two years. The greatest average values for the number of pods per plant and the number of primary branches per plant were observed for Salkade and Y’ar gagure, respectively. Highest fresh pod length and fresh pod diameter were also exhibited for Salkade and Kwadag. The genotypic coefficient of variation was higher than the phenotypic variation for the entire yield-contributing characters. Days to 50% flowering were positive and highly significant differences associated with plant height, number of pods per plant, and fresh weight per pod could be observed. Path coefficient analysis showed that the number of pods per plant exhibited positive and direct influence on the pod yield across the studied years. Indirect influence of other yield components through this character also contributed mainly towards pod yield. Therefore, days to 50% flowering, plant height, pod length, number of pods per plant, pod diameter, number of primary branches per plant, and fresh weight per pod could be taken into consideration for the selection and development of high pod-yielding varieties in okra.
Development of Okra-Cutter-Holder
Okra fruits have an almost hair like bristles and prickly surface exposure to which is uncomfortable to the hands of the harvester. In extreme cases, persons with sensitive skin have developed sores or allergic reactions after a prolonged period of exposure to the pods during a harvest. Therefore to minimize above mentioned problems we developed a suitable low cost tool, okra-cutter-holder. This invention is directed okra cutter to an improved okra-cutter-holder, which permits one to harvest okra pods from a plant without touching the pod. The developed tool was tested in the laboratory as well as in the field. The comparative tests were carried out to compare the performance of the newly developed okra-cutter-holder with the old straight blade okra plucker. The feedback from the workers was taken for ease of operation and the acceptance of the tool for the harvesting of okra. The results shown that the new tool could harvest 297–318 okra per hour (10.0–10.9 kg/hr) without damaging pods and also provides better protection to the hands of workers.
CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF OKRA GUM AS A TABLET BINDER
The type and amount of binders decisively influence the characteristics of tablets prepared by wet granulation procedure. Commonly used binders like acacia, gelatin, starch and hydrolyzed starch have natural origin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new binder extracted from Hibiscus esculentus (Okra gum) in tabletting. Okra gum was extracted from the pods of Okra fruit by maceration in distilled water followed by filtration of viscous solution as well as precipitation of gum extract by using acetone. To evaluate the binder effectiveness, two models, including a placebo formulation (lactose) and a drug formulation (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and/or Calcium acetate) were evaluated. Granules were prepared by different concentrations (0.5-6 %w/w) of Okra gum and tabletted using a Kilian single punch press. Cornstarch (12.5 % w/w) and P.V.P (22 %w/w) were employed as the standard binders for comparison. The physical properties of the granulates and those of the tablets including disintegration time and dissolution rate were studied. The properties of placebo granulates (bulk and tapped density, granule strength, flowability) as well as those of tablets (hardness, friability, disintegration time) were generally good. Moreover, the physical properties of Ibuprofen and Calcium acetate tablets containing Okra gum showed sufficient hardness, desirable disintegration time and low friability. The percent of drug released after 45 minutes were 15 %, 44 % and 96 % for Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen and Calcium acetate tablets, respectively. 
Okra gum produces some tablet formulations with good hardness and friability. However, this binder prolongs the dissolution rate of some slightly soluble drugs and hence may be good candidate for sustained release formulations.