Cultivation

Die okra is a type of mallow that is cultivated in the tropics. It is grown mainly in Asia and Africa. As main producer, India delivers more than half of the total global production of okra. Other okra-producing areas include Central and South America as well as some subtropical regions of Europe, for example in Greece and Turkey.

Utilisation

Okra is used foremost as a vegetable.

Foodstuffs:

• the unripe, still-green fruit, sometimes referred to as the "okra pod", is consumed as a vegetable.
• the leaves may be prepared as a vegetable or as salad.

• the seeds are used in the extraction of oil by pressing.

• the ripe seeds are roasted as a coffee substitute

Secondary products, renewable raw materials:

• fibres are obtained from the stems of the okra plant

Gene technology: aims of research and development

Agronomic traits

Resistance to pests

• insect resistance: through genetic modification, the plant is able to produce a bt-toxin against chewing insects

Field trials with GM okras