Abstract: Okra was an important medicinal and edible plants. The present study evaluated the effects of different light qualities on the growth， root activity， pigment content， photosynthetic production and stomatal characteristic of okra （Abelmoschus esculentus L.） seedlings with pot experiment in order to select a suitable light for okra artificial breeding. Cultivar Kaliba with two expanded cotyledons were exposed to five lights including fluorescent lamps （FL， control）， blue （B） light emitting diode （LED）， blue plus red LED （BR1∶2）， red LED （R） and yellow LED （Y）. The present results showed that， （1） Fresh weight， dry weight， root length and plant height were greatest in okra seedlings under BR1∶2 LED， stem width and leaf area were greatest in okra seedlings under R LED; （2） Root activity was greatest in okra seedlings under BR1∶2 treatment， followed by B treatment; （3） The concentrations trend of chlorophyll a， chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll under five treatment were the same， the values were greatest in seedlings under BR1∶2 light， followed by B treatment， and smallest in seedlings under R light; （4） The concentration of soluble sugar and sucrose were greatest in seedlings under BR1∶2 treatment， and the concentration of starch was greatest in seedlings under R treatment; （5） Stomatal areas on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaves were greatest in seedlings grown under BR1∶2 LED， followed by those grown under B LED， and smallest in seedlings grown under Y light; Stomatal frequencies on the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaves were greatest in seedlings grown under BR1∶2 light， followed by those grown under R， and smallest in seedlings grown under FL. So the growth and physiological index of okra seedlings were promoted under BR1∶2 light. BR1∶2 was the suitable light for okra seedling growth and could be used as a priority light for okra culture system.

Key words: light quality, okra, growth, physiological characteristic, stomatal characteristic