Development and characterization of F1 hybrids involving cultivated and related species of okra

Related species of any crop posses the traits of economic importance. It is important to involve the related wild species in the breeding programme to transfer the traits of economic importance to the cultivated species of crop plants. Further, the characterization of interspecific F1 hybrids is required to know the expression of various traits in both parents and their interspecific hybrid. Cultivated species of okra Abelmoschus esculentus was used to develop two interspecific F1 hybrids independently with two wild species, namely A. moschatus and A. tuberculatus. Both the related species were used as the pollen parent and the cultivated okra as the female parent. The interspecific hybrids were intermediate for days to 50% flowering, first flowering node, flower length, fruit length, fruit diameter, internodal length and plant height. The characteristics like early plant vigor, plant growth habit, flower petal color, fruit color and apex shape of fruit for both the interspecific hybrids were similar to cultivated okra parent.