A functional food: evaluation of okra landraces based on agronomic and biochemical traits

Resumo

The okra is a vegetable consumed in several countries and important source nutrients for human feed. To promote okra production and consumption is essential the development of new landraces with high nutritional levels, besides desirable agronomic traits. Thus, this study aimed evaluate nine okra landraces by agronomic and biochemical traits. The okra landraces were grown in field conditions and evaluated relation to fruit yield, fruit weight, fruit diameter, number of fruits per plant and plant height. The biochemical analysis included minerals composition, crude protein content, vitamin C content, total flavonoid and phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The UEL7 accession stood out for the high levels for biochemical traits such as: content of some minerals, vitamin C and antioxidant activity. On the other hand, UEL3 accession had a low performance for biochemical traits, but stood out for agronomic traits such as fruit yield and number of fruits per plant. Hence, the UEL7 and UEL3 landraces may be introduced in breeding programs focused on human feed and agronomic performance, beyond to contribute for okra germplasm conservation.