CULTIVATION OF MORINGA: The Drum Stick Plant

          The word 'Moringa' apparently originated from Tamil word 'murungai', means 'Distorted pods' or 'Twisted pod'. Moringa is a  medium sized tree with scientific name Moringa oleifera Lam,  of the  family Moringaceae.  Tender pods of Moringa  are  consumed  as vegetables,  where as  leaves, seeds  and barks  are reported to have plenty of  nutraceutical and pharmaceutical importance.  Moringa has been considered as important plant to  mitigate the effect of climate change. As per some Japanese study,  moringa can absorb 20 times more CO2 than a normal vegetation. Thus FAO is emphasizing   moringa to be part of Argo-forestry.    It is gaining importance  as inter and alley crop in countries like India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and others. Some reports have shown that cultivation of Moringa have contributed in reclamation of acidic soil. 

          Moringa  is a deciduous tree, grows  to a height of 20-30 ft.  The tree is formed of  soft wood, thick bark and fragile branches. Leaf and leaflets are pinnately arranged, whereas flowers are hermaphrodite. The tree is known for  3-valved, elongated, , non-dehiscent fruits  and winged seeds.

Nutrition of Moringa

                Moringa pods are rich source minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and other useful phyto-chemicals. Importance of leaves can not be ignored as they   have considerable quantity of protein and fibers. As per the USDA data, 100 gm of moringa pods contain 8.53 g of carbohydrates,  2.1 g of protein,  3.2 gm of dietary fiber,  30mg of Calcium,  45 mg of Magnesium,  50 mg of phosphorous,   461 mg of Potassium,  141 mg of Vitamin C. Nutritional aspects of moringa leaves are slightly vary, as they contain  8.28 gm of carbohydrates, 9.4 gm of protein, 185 mg of calcium, 112 mg of Phosphorous,  337 mg of Potassium, 42 mg of Magnesium,  51.7 mg Vitamin C for 100 g of leaves( https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168416/nutrients)

Soil and Climate:

           Moringa,  being  a semi-arid crop, can be grown in the areas  of low  to moderate annual  precipitation ranging   from 250 to 300mm. It grows well at the temperature 25–35 °C and can with stand temperature as high as 45 °C. Lower temperature and frost formation  is harmful  to moringa's growth and yield.  Moringa is a hardy crop that  sustain in  areas of low soil fertility and water scarcity.

            Moringa can be grown variety of soil,  but thrive well in deep sandy loam soil.

Propagation:

          Moringa can be propagated through seeds with a recommended seed rate of  500gm/ha.  Seedlings raised in nursery by sowing  in polythene bags and the same may be ready for transplanting with in  45-60 days. Seedling or saplings  are transplanted in main field in pit dug at a dimension of 45 cubic centimeter, leaving the space 2-2.5 m.  In cultivar like PKM-1 and PKM-2 space of 1 to 1.2 m may be provided to ensure high density planting. Not to forget to add 10 -15 kg of well decomposed FYM to the pits dug  before planting to provide enough nutrition at early stages of growth and establishment.

Aftercare In Moringa Cultivation:

          45:15:30 gm NPK/pit is the fertilizer dosage recommended in  Moringa cultivation. The same may be given after one month of planting. It is also recommended to apply 60gm of N after 6 month, especially at flower bearing stage. 135: 23 :45 g of NPK/pit is recommended for high density planting.   It is essential  to pinch  the terminal bud on the main stem when plant attains a height of 2-3 ft.  It helps in producing profuse lateral branches and  better yield and tree also remains at reachable height.  Ratooning is yet another practice to increase yield and better quality pods, where    trees are cut at the height of  3 to 4 ft  annually,  when tree ends fruiting season. This  ensures production of  new shoots and branches. Plant starts bearing fruits 5-6 month after ratooning. Enough fertilizers and manures are to be  supplied for the success of ratooing.

Plant Protection In Moringa:

             Pod fly, leaf webber, leaf caterpillar and bud worms are the main insect pest affecting Moringa plant.

Pod flies: Pod flies (Gitona distigma)  are small  brownish adults, whose wings are extended beyond their body, with spots at its distal margin. Cigar shaped  eggs are laid either singly or in group on grooves of tender pods.  On hatching,  maggots enter the pods and start feeding  inside. Infested pods shows gummy oozing and rot at  later stages.   Pod flies  can be taken care of by soil application of 25 WG @ 200g a.i. / ha on 5th, 6th  and 7th  months of  planting.

Bud worms (Noorda moringae): Here creamy white eggs are laid in clusters at buds and infested buds fail to blossom and fall prematurely.  Thus reduce the pod yield and quality of pods.

Leaf Caterpillar (Noorda blitealis): Moths lay  eggs  in group on ventral surface of leaves. On hatching caterpillars start feeding on leaves to leave transparent patches on them.

Hairy Caterpillar(Eupterote mollifera): The adults lay whitish eggs in cluster on leaf and tender shoots. On hatching hairy caterpillars starts feeding on leaves, tender shoots and barks voraciously.

Bud worms and caterpillars are  controlled by dusting with Carbaryl 10 D @ 25 kg/ha or spraying with Carbaryl 50 WP @ 2 g/l.

Diseases of moringa: Moringa occasionally suffers from some plant diseases like stem rot,  root rot,  fruit rot,  stem canker, etc. 

Varieties of Moringa:

There are quite a few annual and biennial varieties available for cultivation in moringa. PKM-1, PKM-2, KM-1, Dhanaraj are important among them.

PKM-1 : It is a an annual variety with longer pods of about 70-75 cm long. The pods are fleshy and delicious. Plants starts bearing flowers from 5-6 months of sowing and fruits are ready for harvest at 7-8th month. Plant produce fruits from March to August with annual production of average 220 fruits/tree.

PKM-2:  This cultivar  is a hybrid which can produce lengthier pods up to 120 cm and starts bearing fruits as early as 6 months from planting. Fruits are soft, delicious with less number of seeds. Plants annually bear average of 220 pods/tree with an yield of 90 tonnes per hectare.

KM-1:  KM-1 is  a shrubby  type of variety,  produces shorter fruits of length ranging from 25-30 cm.  Tree  bears as many as 400-500 pods/tree annually . It is also an annual variety and known for early  bearing,  from 6th month of planting.

Moringa for inter cropping:

          Moringa, being complimentary crop, rather competitive, considered as best suited for inter or relay or mixed or nurse cropping. It requires less nutrient and resources, helps in conserving  the soil from erosion at the same time.  Trees  add considerable quantity of biomass to soil in the form of leaves,  thus  to  improve soil health. The trees  tolerate extreme weather conditions and generate some income in the period of distress, even when other crops fails. Enough shade is provided to fellow  crops, especially in  early stages of commercial crops like coconut and  arecanut, thus generates subsistence kind of  income during  waiting period. Drum stick plant may be part of  inter-cropping in the field of  Chilli, onion and groundnut.

        Thus, Moringa can be a part of someones  back yard to produce  nutritious and flavorful vegetable for domestic consumption   or may be a part of commercial cultivation when grown in  large scale. Its importance as mixed cropping component is  also well understood.  It can be grown without much care and resources.  Moringa plays a  crucial role in human diet, either as vegetable or traditional medicine  or commercial pharma productions. Growing of Moringa, the drum stick plant,  looks  promising and more profitable if value added.