Characteristics ofAbelmoschus esculentus(Indian okra) fiber varieties

Abstract

Okra fiber is the natural cellulosic bast fiber extracted from the bark of the Abelmoschus esculentus plant stem. India is the largest producer of okra for the cultivation of ‘okra fruit’. After the okra plant is harvested in the field, the okra fruit is collected as a vegetable, and the okra plant is thrown out as agricultural waste. In India, an estimated 4.5 Mt of green okra plants is discarded annually as agricultural waste. The okra plant has the potential to produce 150–160 kg of okra fibers per hectare and about 13.4 million kg of okra fibers annually. The okra plant is cultivated in two seasons: summer and winter. The summer variety and winter variety of okra fibers are extracted from okra plants cultivated in the summer and winter seasons, respectively. In this study, the characteristics of the summer and winter varieties of okra fibers (morphological, thermal and structural) were investigated by optical and electron microscopy (scanning electron microscopy), thermogravimetric analysis (differential thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry), X-ray diffraction analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. This study analyzed the characteristics of both varieties of okra fibers, compared them and proved their potential for commercial applications, similar to those of banana, jute, flax, hemp and kenaf bast fibers.