MORINGA-A BLESSING TO MANKIND
Moringa is a tropical tree with multiple uses and which is resistant to drought.
Moringa oleifera belongs to the family Moringaceae which is a single genus family of shrubs and trees cultivated across the whole of the tropical belt and used for a varietyof purposes Moringa oleifera is particularly easy to reproduce and its growth is very fast. The numerous economic uses of Moringa oleifera together with its easy propagation have raised growing international interest for this tree which originated from India Moringa oleifera is known to be a natural cationic polyelectrolyte and flocculant,with a chemical composition of basic polypeptides A deep sandy loam soil with a pH of 6.5 – 8 is ideal for cultivating this crop. 500 g/ha of seeds are required. Sow two seeds per pit at a depth of 2.5-3.0 cm. The seeds can also be sown in the poly bags containing pot mixture and transplanted after 35 -40 days of sowing Dig pits of size 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm with a spacing of 2.0 - 2.5 m either way. Apply 15 kg of compost or FYM/pit after mixing with top soil. A fertilizer dose of 45:15:30 g of NPK/pit may be applied 3 months after sowing. Apply 45 g of N/pit after 6 months when the crop is in bearing. Irrigate before sowing and on the 3rd day after sowing and subsequently at 10 – 15 days interval according to soil type. Spray Dichlorvos (1 ml/lit) to control fruit flies when pods are about 20 – 30 days old. Rake the soil after applying Lindane 1.3 D at 25 kg/ha. Dust Carbaryl 10 D at 25 kg/ha or spray Carbaryl 50 WP @ 2 gm/lit for controlling bud worm, leaf caterpillar and leaf webber Yield 50 - 55 tonnes of pods/ha (220 pods/tree/year)
