<p>Okra (<i>Abelmoschus esculentus</i> L.) is an important crop grown throughout various regions of the world due to its nutritional importance. Begomovirus induced diseases pose a continuous and substantial threat to its cultivation. <i>Begomovirus abelsmoschusenation</i> is an emerging virus that causes vein thickening, petiole bending, leaf curling and pinhead enation on the underside of the leaves. This study, conducted at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, investigates the genetic inheritance and biochemical markers associated with OELCuD resistance in okra. Two contrasting okra crosses, DOV-69 × DOV-685583 and DOV-92 × DOV-8063, were studied over six generations, with DOV-69 and DOV-92 as resistant parents or DOV-685583 and DOV-8063 as susceptible parents. Segregation patterns in the F₂ generations followed a 7:9 ratio, indicating that two duplicated recessive genes control resistance to enation leaf curl disease. Significant additive and non-additive gene effects, including additive × additive, additive × dominance and dominance × dominance interactions, were identified through generation mean analysis, indicating traits influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors, showing continuous variation rather than simple Mendelian inheritance. Biochemical assessments at preflowering, flowering and fruit formation stages showed that resistant genotypes exhibited elevated levels of total chlorophyll, phenols, POD, PPO and PAL compared to susceptible genotypes. The strong negative association of POD activity (–0.890, –0.764 and –0.658) and total phenolic content (–0.935, –0.703 and –0.931) with PDI at 30, 45 and 60 DAS, suggests an active role of these biochemical defenses in suppressing disease development, supporting their use as early resistance markers. These findings highlight the necessity of combining genetic and biochemical approaches in plant breeding for OELCuD resistant okra cultivars.</p>