India's ancient tradition of
ayurveda medicine sites 300 diseases that are treated with the leaves of the
Moringa tree. Gram for gram, Moringa leaves contain:
- 7 times the vitamin C in oranges
- 4 times the calcium in milk
- 4 times the vitamin A in carrots
- 2 times the protein in milk
- 3 times the potassium in bananas
Pure powdered capsules are organic and
absolutely safe. There are no known side effects. It's gentle enough to be
given to babies in Africa to overcome malnourishment. It's one of the most
secret performance enhancing products taken by athletes today who ingest
megadoses that help them physically and mentally. It's great for people of all
ages, especially oldsters who are losing their alertness
STATUS OF PRODUCTION AND
UTILISATION OF MORINGA
IN SOUTHERN INDIA
Moringa oleifera Lam belonging to the family Moringaceae is a handsome
softwood tree, native of India, occurring wild in the sub-Himalayan regions of
Northern India, and now grown world-wide in the tropics and sub-tropics. In
India it is grown all over the subcontinent for its tender pods and also for
its leaves and flowers. The pods of moringa are very popular vegetables in
South Indian cuisine and valued for their distinctly inviting flavour. This is
a backyard tree for daily use in more than two million homesteads of South
India. Ancient Indian literature makes mention of moringa as an interesting
plant due to its widespread use in agriculture, medicine and industry.
Since moringa is fast growing, drought tolerant and
easily adapted to varied ecosystems and farming systems, it occupies a unique
and consistent position in the Indian vegetable industry. Because of its many
different uses, its free flowering nature and the ease with which it can be
cultivated, the area required for it is on the increase, as is demand for its
products.
The cultivation of moringa in India occurs mainly in
thesouthern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
Principally perennial types have been known about for cultivation for a very
long time. However, perennial types are beset with many production constraints,
such as a relatively long pre-fruitbearing period, non availability of planting
materials, requirement of a greater number of rainy days in regions where water
is scarce, and vulnerability to pests and diseases.
Necessity being the mother of invention, scientists at
the Horticultural College & Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University, Periyakulam of South India have succeeded in developing seed-
propagated moringa types, which has revolutionised the moringa industry in the
country. Concerted efforts involving introduction, conservation, evaluation and
breeding have resulted in the development of two promising high yielding annual
moringa cultivars Periyakulam 1. (PKM-1) and Periyakulam. 2 (PKM- 2), which
have showed definite superiority over perennial types.
These two seed grown annual moringa cultivars have
suddenly replaced around 60% of the perennial moringa area in the southern
states of India, spreading fast due to their adaptability to varied soil and
climatic conditions. They represent a lion's share of moringa production in
marginal and small farm holdings. In Southern India, more than 52,000 farmers are
engaged in commercial cultivation of moringa as it is a highly remunerative
crop. The annual net income that small farmers get from Moringa cultivation is
around USD 600 per acre (or 1500 USD/hectare).
CROP SPREAD
India is the largest producer of moringa with an
annual production of 1.1 to 1.3 million tonnes of tender fruits from an area of
38,000 ha. Among the states, Andhra Pradesh leads in both area and production
(15,665 ha) followed by Karnataka (10,280 ha) and Tamil Nadu (7,408 ha). In
other states, it occupies an area of 4,613 ha. Tamil Nadu is the pioneering
state insomuch as it has varied genotypes from diversified geographical areas,
as well as introductions from Sir Lanka.
ECOTYPES AND CULTIVARS
There are only a few named varieties of moringa. One
type, named Jaffna (yazhpanam) and grown in various parts of Southern India,
produces fruits of 60-90 cm in length with soft, tasty flesh. It is presumed to
have been introduced from Sri Lanka, where however, three more varieties are
distinguished based on the colour and length of their pods. Another type
introduced from Sri Lanka is Chavakacheri murungai producing fruits 90-120 cm
long. Another regional type is chemmurungai (red tipped fruits), which is said
to flower throughout the year and yield heavy crops. Kadumurungai is a wild
type producing small inferior quality pods (Kadhar Mohideen et al.,1982)
Some other less popular types include Palmurungai and
Puna murungai with thick pulp and a bitter taste and Kodikkal Murungai from
betel vine growing areas of Tamil Nadu. Because of high heterozygosity,
genotypes exists in varied geographical areas to be harnessed for crop
improvement programmes (Sundaraj et al 1970).
The Horticultural College and Research Institute of
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Periyakulam, had an assemblage of 85
moringa accessions. The germplasm collection block contains perennial and
annual moringa accessions with heavy fruit-bearing, cluster bearing, drought
tolerance, dwarfing stature and pest and disease resistance.
By judicious breeding programmes, including
introduction of elite mother plants, evaluation, selection and hybridization,
The Horticultural College & Research Institute of Tamil Nadu Agricultural
University has released two improved annual moringa varieties (PKM-1, PKM-2)
within a span of 10 years, for commercial cultivation. These varieties have
developed up well in many traditional and non-traditional areas.(Sathashathi et al (1997).
CHARACTERISTICS OF PKM-1
ANNUAL MORINGA
Evolved through pure line selection
Seed propagated
Medium, dwarf stature
Pods are 60-70 cm long with 6.3 cm girth weighing 120g
Bears 220-250 fruit per tree
The estimated yield is 50-54 tonnes/ha
Suitable for ratoon crop
Low incidence of insect pest and disease
Suitable for varied soil types (freely drained) in
tropical plains
CHARACTERISTICS OF PKM-2
ANNUAL MORINGA
This is a hybrid derivative developed by a cross
between MP 31x MP 28.
Medium tall stature.
Can easily be propagated by seeds to cover extensive
area within a limited time.
Pods are 125 cm long with 8.3 cm girth weighting 280g.
Less seeded, more fleshy.
Suitable for growing in tropical plains of India.
It
can be grown as an intermediate crop in coconut and tropical fruit orchards at
pre-fruit-bearing stage.
Suitable for home garden.
Average fruit numbers 240/tree with an estimated yield
of 98 tonnes/ha.
VARIABILITY
Suthanthirapandian et
al (1989) studied the extent of variability in the seedling populations of
the annual moringa. Among the nine traits studied, number of flowers per
inflorescence (19.0 126.0), fruit weight (25.0-231.5g) and yield by number of
fruit per plant (1.0-155.0), it showed wide variability combined with greater,
and observed variance, standard deviation and co-efficient of variations.
SEEDS AND SOWING
Moringa is propagated either by stem cuttings (limb
cutting) or by seed. In perennial types, limb cuttings 100-150cm in length with
a diameter of 14-16 cm are planted in
situ during the rainy season. Elite trees are cut down, leaving a stump
with a 90cm head from which 2 to 3 branches are allowed to grow. From these
shoots, cuttings 100 cm long and 4 to 5 cm in diameter are selected and used as
planting material (Seemanthini, 1964; Peter, 1978).
In the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, shield
budding has been found to be successful, and the budded trees begin to bear
fruit in 6 months and continue to give good crops for about 13 years. September
and December is found to be the best season for budding (Sundaraj et al,
1970).
Seeds do not show any dormancy periods and can be sown
as soon as they are extracted. At the present time, annual moringa occupies
about 70 per cent of the total area under moringa cultivation in southern
India, propagated solely by seed. In Andhra Pradesh State (India) alone, over
90% of the total area under moringa cultivation involves seed-propagated annual
types.
SEASON AND PLANTING
The limb cuttings are planted in pits of 60x60x60 cm
at a spacing of 5x5 m, during the months of June to August. The monsoon rains
during the period facilitate easy rooting and further growth. While planting,
one-third of the cutting should be kept inside the pit. Under moderate clay
situations,watering should be done just to optimum levels to avoid root rot.
The seeds of annual moringa may be directly dibbled in
the pit to ensure accelerated and faster growth of the seedlings. The best
suited season for sowing the seeds is September under Southern Indian
conditions. The time of sowing has to be strictly adhered to because the
flowering phase should not coincide with monsoon seasons, which results in
heavy flower shedding. A plant spacing of 2.5 x 2.5 m between tows and seeds
should be adopted , giving a plant population of 1600 plants/ha. Pits of
45x45x45 cm in size are dug out and then the seeds are sown in the centre of
the pit. The seed germinates 10 to 12 days after sowing. The seed requirement
per hectare is 625g. When planted in single rows along with irrigation
channels, a spacing of 2m is sufficient.
Treatment of moringa seeds with Azospirillum cultures
at the rate of 100 g per 625 g of seeds before sowing resulted in early
germination, and increased seedling vigour, growth and yield .
AFTER CARE
Pinching the terminal bud on the central leader stem
is necessary when it attains a height of 75cm(two months after sowing). This
will promote the growth of many lateral branches and reduce the height of the
tree. In addition, pinching reduces the damage due to heavy wind and makes
harvesting much easier. Vijayakumar et
al. (2000) found that early pinching of growing tips carried out 60 days
after sowing is better than pinching 90 days after sowing for obtaining a
higher yield.
Moringa trees are generally grown successfully without
fertilizers. In Kerala (Southern India), ring trenches are dug about 10 cm from
trees during the rainy season and filled with green leaves, manure and ash, and
then covered with soil. This is said to promote higher fruit yields
(Ramachandran et al., 1980).
If fertilisers are applied, the crop requires 44 : 16
: 30 g NPK/ tree at the time of pinching (75 days after sowing). Nitrogen @ 44g
/ tree must be applied as top dressing at first flowering (150-160 days after
sowing) stage (Suthanrapandian et al.,
1989).
Beaulah (2001) integrated nutrient management in
annual moringa encompassing organic manures, bio-fertilizers and varying levels
of N, P and K. The results obtained a positive response from moringa to the
application of manures and fertilizers. Initial vigour was higher in treatment
with poultry manure (500 g / pit) + Neem cake (250g/pit)+ panchakavya (2%)
spray along with 150:150:100g NPK/tree. In ratoon crops, similarly, the same
treatment resulted in early and vigorous growth confirming the superiority of
integrated nutrient management in moringa.
Growing moringa plants may not require watering except
during hot weather when they may be irrigated once a week. Annual moringa
responds well to irrigation and the yield can be doubled (vegetable moringa
fruit) by drip irrigation as compared to rain-fed crops. Rajakrishnamoorthy et
al. (1994). Drip irrigation at the rate of 4 lit/day can
enhance yields by 57 per cent as compared to rain-fed crop Rajakrishnamoorthy et al.
(1994).
Vijayakumar (2000) found that spray application of GA3
@ 20 ppm on 90th day of sowing increased all the pod characters, such as
length, specific gravity, number of seeds, flesh content and pulp, more than
untreated check.
RATOONING
In annual moringa, when the harvest is in, the trees
are cut down to a height of one metre above ground level for ratooning. These
ratoon plants develop new shoots and start bearing four or five months after
ratooning. Three ratooning operations are recommended during the production
cycle (at month n° 9, 17 and 25), after each harvest is over. During each
ratooning operation, the plants are supplied with the recommended level of N, P
and K nutrients along with 20-35 kg of FYM.
Perennial types are also pollarded back to a height of
0.3-0.45m from ground level during October November, followed by manuring with
organic matter (25kg) and the recommended input of fertilizers.
HARVEST AND YIELD
Perennial types raised by cuttings take nearly a year
to bear fruit. The yield will generally be low (80-90fruit/year) in the first
two years of fruit-bearing. This gradually increases to 500-600 fruit/tree/
year in the fourth and fifth years. The pods are harvested mainly between March
and June. A second crop is normally harvested from September to October.
Annual moringa types are seasonal in terms of fruit-
bearing and the crop sown during September comes to harvest within six months.
Fruit of sufficient length and girth are harvested before they develop fibre.
The harvest period extends for 2-3 months and each tree bears 250-400 fruit
depending on the type.
INSECT PESTS AND DISEASES
Developing fruit are damaged by the fruit fly Gitona distigmata which can be
effectively managed by adopting integrated pest management (IPM) measures. The
package includes (i) Application of Fenthion 80 EC 0.04 per cent during the
vegetative and flowering stage. (ii) Application of Nimbecidine 0.03 per cent
at 150 ppm during 50 per cent fruit set and 35 days after (iii) soil
application of Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) @ 2 lit per tree at 50 per cent
fruit set and (iv) weekly removal of affected fruit (Anjaneya et al.,
1992 ; Ragumoorthi et al., 1998 ; Sivagami et al.,
1965).
No major disease in India has been reported as
affecting the economics of the crop. However, a new disease has developed in the
Maharastra region. Pods reaching maturity showed extensive rot. The disease
symptoms are observed all over the surface of the pods, more conspicuously at
the stigmatic end. On green pods, elliptical or elongated sunken spots with
reddish brown raised margins can be observed. Diseased pods are shrunken to
thinner dimensions at their stigmatic ends, than healthy ones. In advanced
stages of the disease development, the pods are rotten and dried up
pre-maturely leaving uneven raised spots over them. The causal organism was
identified as a fungus Drechslera
haraiiensis. This disease appears to be newly recorded for moringa in the
country.
SEED PRODUCTION,
PROCESSING AND STORAGE
Harvesting of brown coloured moringa fruits at 20 days
after anthesis led to recovery of good quality seeds with high germination
potential from the proximal and middle portion of the fruit compared to the
distal portion. Black followed by brown coloured seeds were superior with
higher seedling quality attributes--i.e. germination and vigour index--than
white seeds. Harvested pods must be dried for one or two days under shade with
good ventilation. The seeds are extracted manually by opening the pods using
gentle pressure on them. On opening, the seeds are separated freely. Small, shriveled
and damaged seeds are removed.
Grading is carried out with the specific gravity
separator. The fraction from 2 and 3 gives higher seedling emergence and
vigour. Seed treatment with Azospirillum @ 100g /625g seeds is found to
increase the seedling weight and vigour. The optimum temperature range is
20-25oC. For seed testing, sowing seeds at a depth of 1cm in a sandy medium
with 80 per cent moisture-retaining capacity represents the ideal conditions.
Annual moringa seeds can be stored for up to 12
months, when freshly harvested seeds are dried to 8 % moisture content and
treated with captan @ 2g/kg of seeds and packed in 700 gauge polythene bags
(Palanisamy et al; 1995). The black and brown
seeds treated with carbendazim 2g/kg of seeds and stored in 700 gauge polythene
bags maintained more than 84% germination up to 12 months (Sivasubramanian et al.,
1997).
CONDITIONS FOR SMALL AND
LARGE SCALE MORINGA FARMING IN INDIA
The key factors governing profitability of large scale
production are :
-
Selection of high yielding varieties with suitable marketable quality.
-
Sowing in a proper season, in compliance with the latest agro
techniques.
- Pest
control
-
Management of ratoon crops
-
Adoption of post harvest management.
-
Analyzing the possibility for processing and exporting fresh young pods.
Constraints
and limitations of large scale cultivation are :
-
The crop is highly heterozygous because it is highly cross pollinated in
nature and there is a wide variability in yield and components. As a result,
the maintenance of genetic purity represents the limitation.
-
The sowing period must be strictly adhered to, (During Aug Sep).
-
The commercial crop requires irrigation during summer and windy seasons
when the water table is always at its lowest. Extension as a commercial crop in
water-scarce areas is limited.
-
There is no proper control measure for fruit fly attacks (Gitonia).
-
Packing systems are poor (uncovered bundles or in gunnies).
-
Seasonal glut necessitates cold storage facilities.
The
advantages of Moringa cultivation for small farmers are :
-
Moringa requires minimum irrigation facilities.
-
It does not require much labour and family members can deal with the
variious operations as time requires.
-
It calls for small amounts of manure and fertilizers.
-
Because small farmers cultivate less than one hectare of Moringa they
can transport their produce themselves to the local market.
-
Pruned materials can be effectively recycled for supplying pulp and
paper industries, which is an additional advantage for small farmers.
The
problems they encounter are :
-
Non availability of good quality annual moringa seeds.
-
Use of unsuitable pruning methods for ratoon crop management.
-
Management of fruit fly and leaf eating caterpillars.Lack of
post-harvest management for maintaining sustainable prices for the product.
-
Lack of co-operative marketing systems.
RESEARCH FOCUS
- Enriching germplasm
collection and conservation
- There is ample scope for further crop improvement
in moringa. Evolving a variety with cluster bearing habits (5-6fruits/cluster),
low tree canopy and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, would definitely
accommodate more plants per unit area and achieve maximum yields.
- Identifying
ecotypes for industrial properties, such as higher percentage of Ben oil,
medicinal uses, dyes etc.
-
Evolving suitable fertilization/irrigation systems for efficient usages
of water and nutrients
-
Development of prototype machinery for harvesting and pruning.
-
Identifying suitable post harvest method to improve the shelf life of
fruit
-
Development of value added moringa products for export
-
Developing suitable storage methods and marketing outlets.
-
Formation of a Task force committee with the elite progressive moringa
growers and researchers to deal with marketing problems
-
Developing suitable data bases for moringa crop improvement and
management technology.
USES IN AYURVEDA
Fresh root is acrid and vescicant. The fresh root of
the young tree is administered in cases of in intermittent fever. The root is
applied externally as a poultice in cases of inflammation, as a valuable
rubefacient in palsyand dropsy, and for bites from rabid animals.
An infusion of the roots is recommended for asthma,
and is useful in ascites caused by diseases of the liver and spleen.
Root and root bark and stem bark are used as an
abortifacient.
Freshly expressed juice from the root bark and the gum
is mixed with sesamum oil and is dropped into the ears in cases of otalgia.
The paste of the root bark is used orally for urinary
calculi
The bark and leaf induce sweating used in anorexia and
external ulcers
The gum is used as an antiseptic. It is bland and
mucilaginous.
Leaves are galactogogue, refrigerant, and laxative and
improve digestion.
The tender leaves reduce phlegm and are administered
internally for scurvy and catarrhal conditions.
Flowers, irritant in action, are used to heal
inflammation of tendons and abscesses.
The unripe pods act as a preventive against intestinal
worms.
The fruit is sweet and pungent in taste, an appetizer
preventing eye disorders and increasing semen both qualitatively and
quantitatively.
USES IN SIDDHA
The bark is used as an emmenagogue. Flowers, leaves
and roots are used as an anthelmintic, in giddiness, nausea, pitta disease and
tuberculosis.
USES IN UNANI
Laxative, antispasmodic; leaves used externally for
laryngitis
The decoction of the root acts as a gargle, abortifacient,
rubefacient, counter-irritant in rheumatic cases and in the enlargement of the
liver in children (Chopra et al.,
1938).
The fruit are used for curing articular pains,
tetanus, nervous debility, paralysis, pustules, patches and leprosy (Chopra et al.,
1938).
