Miracle tree : Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam)

Ak Bijaya Devi, M Chanchan College of Agriculture, CAU, Imphal
Contd from previous issue
Related species of Moringa • Moringa arborea • Moringa borziana • Moringa concanensis • Moringa drouhardii • Moringa hildebrandtii • Moringa longituba • Moringa oleifera • Moringa ovalifolia • Moringa peregrina • Moringa pygmaea • Moringa rivae • Moringa ruspoliana • Moringa stenopetala Mark Olsen (Olsen 2014) grouped the 13 species of Moringa into three broad categories reflecting their form and geographic distribution:
1. Bottle trees. Massive trees with bloated, bottle shaped trunks, and small radially symmetrical flowers. Moringa drouhardii, M. hildebrandtii, M. ovalifolia and M. stenopetala are in this group.
The branches and leaves of some of these such as M. drouhardii and M. hildebrandtii may grow only at the tops of the trees giving them a palm-like appearance.
2. Slender trees. Trees with a tuberous early stage and pink to cream colored, slightly bilaterally symmetrical flowers. Moringa concanensis, M. oleifera and M. peregrina are in this group.
3. Trees, shrubs, and herbs of Northeast Africa. The eight remaining species of Moringa are all from northeast Africa and are highly variable in form, ranging from herbs to trees. Some are tuberous as juveniles and become fleshy-rooted in maturity, while others are tuberous as adults. The flowers are bilaterally symmetrically and colorful. Moringa varieties may be broadly classified into two groups
Perennial types : In India perennial types are typically propagated from cuttings. These types have several characteristics that have constrained their use for in commercial production, and favored development and cultivation of annual varieties: long growing time before reaching maturity for production of pods, limited availability of suitable planting materials (stem cuttings), less resistance to pests and diseases and greater rainfall requirements.
They may be unsuited for areas with short growing seasons or shortages of water.
Annual types: Periya-kulam-1 and Periyakulam-2 (PKM1 & 2), are largely the products of recent plant breeding research and have now replaced most the perennial varieties that previously dominated commercial production in India. They are seed propagated, offer rapid maturation, higher yields and greater adaptability to varied soil and climatic conditions. Disadvantages of annual types compared with perennial types may include shorter lifespans, requirements for more frequent replanting and reduced genetic diversity varieties from India AMAR 32.
This variety was developed by Amar Seeds Pvt. Ltd, in the Pune area of the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
It is a high yielding, rapid maturing variety, ready to harvest within 5-6 months of planting. Anupama A variety developed by the public sector for drumstick production variety released from KAU, India.
Bhagya KDM1 A fast growing, perennial dwarf or semi-dwarf variety which can be maintained at a height of two to four meters by pruning and training. They flower after 100 to 110 days from planting and harvesting of the pods can begin in 160 to 180 days. The fruit length is of a desirable medium length of 45 to 75 cm. The trees produce 350 to 400 pods in the first year and 800 to 1000 in the second year, a yield of 17-20 tons per acre.
Chemmurungai A regional ecotype of the Jaffna moringa, which was a perennial type introduced into India from Sri Lanka. This variety is high yielding and bears pods throughout the year. The tips of its pods are red. Coimbatore 1 This variety is widely available in India and considered superior for drumstick production and quality. Drumsticks are from 45-60cm long with two harvests per year.
Tree yield product for eight to ten years. Coimbatore 2 This is now a more popular variety than Coimbatore 1 in Tamil Nadu with bulky, shorter drumsticks (25-35cm long). It is a high yielding produces 500 to 900 pods per plant. The production life of the trees is from three to four years. Dhanraj The trees grow to a height of 4 – 6 meters and come to flower in 90 – 100 days after planting. The first harvest starts 160-170 days after planting each tree produces an average of 200-225 pods per year. Jaffna This traditional perennial variety has been grown in the Thangachimadam area of India from cuttings originally brought from Jaffna, Sri Lanka during the cargo service between India and Sri Lanka.
It grows very well in coastal sandy soils. A 40 year old tree produces 1500 drumsticks (pods) from March – June. It is not usually affected by pests and diseases (TANU 2021). KM 1. A TNAU recommended variety. It is also preferred annual variety in the growing areas of southern India. Kodikkal murungai It is a perennial ecotype grown predominantly in the betel vine growing areas of the Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu.
(To be contd)