Metabolic profiling of bioactive phytochemicals of two okra genotypes and their F1 and backcrosses

Abstract

The okra crop, cultivated all over the globe, is a source of oil and protein. Despite the economic significance of okra in the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers, studies on the nutritional traits of okra are meager. Creating novel hybrid lines with desirable characteristics could be employed to maximize the nutritional quality of the okra plant, precisely the amount of anthocyanin content, phenols, and total antioxidants. We crossed an Egyptian variety, preferably in the market but with low production, with a highly productive Japanese variety with less nutritional value for consumers. The two okra genotypes with their hybrids and 16 segregating populations were arranged in a randomized complete block design. Approximate chemical analyses for primary and secondary metabolites were quantified for each genotype. The analysis of variances indicated a significant variation among okra genotypes in all the physiological and nutritional traits except for ascorbic acid content. Various traits revealed by Principal Component Analysis contributed distinctively to the total variation. Correlation analysis indicated some significant correlations between the nutritional characteristics. Protein contents had a positive and significant correlation with total antioxidant (0.521), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (0.488), proline (0.498), flavonoids (0.474), and saponin (0.536).