Everything you need to know about drumstick cultivation, harvest and growth. Learn about:- 1. Introduction to Drumstick 2. Origin and Distribution of Drumstick 3. Composition and Uses 4. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivation 5. Sowing Time 6. Manurial Requirement for Cultivation 7. Irrigation Requirement for Cultivation 8. Intercultural Operations 9. Harvesting and Yielding and Few Others.
Contents:
- Introduction to Drumstick
- Origin and Distribution of Drumstick
- Composition and Uses of Drumstick
- Climate and Soil Required for Drumstick
- Sowing Time of Drumstick
- Manurial Requirement for Drumstick Cultivation
- Irrigation Requirement for Drumstick
- Intercultural Operations of Drumstick
- Harvesting and Yielding of Drumstick
- Insect-Pests and Diseases of Drumstick
- Cultivated Varieties of Drumstick
1. Introduction
to Drumstick:
Drumstick is a very fast growing deciduous perennial tree with slender and drooping branches, which are brittle with corky bark. It can attain a height of 5 m or more within a year of planting. Perennial drumstick grows up to a height of 10-12 m with an open umbrella shaped crown, whereas, annual ones attain merely a height of 5-6 m.
Moringa belongs to single genus family Moringaceae with 14 known species, of which Moringa oleifera is the most widely grown species in the world, however, the species M. stenopetala produces larger leaves and seeds than M. oleifera.
Moringa is known by several names such as ‘Horseradish tree’ arising from the taste of a condiment prepared from true horseradish roots (Armoracia rusticana), drumstick tree arising from the shape of the pods, Benz olive tree in Haiti and Mothers best friend and Malynggay in Philippines. Drumstick is one of the most nutritious crops of the world and rated as a highly nutrients supplement vegetable.
Immature green pods are probably the most valued containing all the essential amino acid and widely used part of the tree. Drumstick leaf extract has an ability to increase nodulation in legumes. In India, drumstick crop is grown in an area of about 30,000 ha with annual production of 12 lakh tonnes.
Its leaves are feathery, pale green, compound, tripinnate, 30-60 cm long with many small leaflets, 1.3-2.0 cm long, 0.6-0.9 cm wide, lateral ones somewhat elliptic, terminal one obviate and slightly larger than the lateral ones. Flowers are fragrant, white, or creamy-white, 2.5 cm in diameter, borne in sprays on auxiliary drooping panicles. Stamens of yellow colour are five at the top of flower. Drumstick flowers are zygomorphic, hermaphrodite and gullet shaped.
Under north Indian condition, annual Moringa flowers twice in a year, once in August-September and again in December-January, the latter resulting in fruit set. However, rare flowering may be seen throughout the year. The pods of 30-120 cm length and 1.8 cm width containing about 20 seeds embedded in pith, tapering at both ends and 9 ribbed are initially light green, slim and tender and eventually becoming green, firm, and pendulous, and split lengthwise into three parts when dry.
Pods usually attain edible maturity 15-20 days after fruit set. At edible maturity, annual Moringa attains a pod length of 60-90 cm, perennial 45-55 cm, and Barahmasi 30-40 cm. Seeds are dark brown with three papery wings.
In northern Indian plains, anthesis takes place between 7.00 and 13.00 h. Each flower produces an average of 23,525 pollen grains with an average of 523 pollen grains per anther sac. Flowers favour cross-pollination due to delayed stigma receptivity (protandry condition). Biochemical studies of stigma reveal that some extra proteins and esterase contribute towards its receptivity.
Stigmas are receptive for about 4 h and 12-36 h after flower opening in annual and year-round types, respectively. Crossing between the annual and the year-round types is successful in both the directions. Pollination in the evening or in the morning is equally effective but it is consistently lower and often ineffective when earned out at noon.
Natural population yields an average of 10.28% fruit, and successful pollination of the flowers requires visitations of a large number of insects of orders Thysanoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Coleoptera. Among these, Xylocopa (carpenter bees) is the most common pollinating agent. In annual drumstick, huge flowering and sufficient pollen production can be seen during rainy season, but pollen grains did not dehisce due to their very sticky nature, resulting in very less pod setting.
2. Origin and Distribution
of Drumstick:
Drumstick is a native of the sub-Himalayan region of India but now it is naturalized to many countries in Africa, Arabia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean Islands and South America. The maximum diversity of drumstick is found in the ‘Horn of Africa’. With nine species, the ‘Horn of Africa’ is the center of diversity of drumstick, and eight of the species found here are endemic (not found elsewhere in the world). Drumstick is found in northern Somalia, Arabia, and Red Sea coasts north to Dead Sea.
The highest concentration of Moringa species can be seen in Mandela district in the extreme of northeast Kenya. It was introduced in Southeast Asia at an early date, and now cultivated throughout the tropics. Moringa stenopetala, a fast growing round shrub like tree with lush green foliage and sparse flowering, is a native to Africa. Drumstick is an important crop in India, Ethiopia, Sudan, and many countries in Asia and Central America.
3. Composition and Uses of Drumstick:
Composition:
Modern science has proven that the leaves of drumstick being rich in minerals and vitamins are in fact a powerhouse of nutritional value. Its leaves and immature pods contain significant amount of vitamin A, B and C, calcium, iron and protein. Its leaves contain more β-carotene than carrot, more protein than pea, more vitamin C than orange, more calcium than milk, more potassium than banana, and more iron than spinach.
Mature seed of M. oleifera contains about 40% oil of an excellent quality (73% oleic acid) but M. peregrina is known to produce higher quantity of oil (50%), which can be extracted from seeds at home. Mature seeds are roasted, mashed, and placed in boiling water for 5 minutes. After straining and sitting overnight, the oil floats to the surface.
Tsaknis et al. (1998) obtained the oil yield in Moringa seeds ranging from 25.1 (cold pressure) to 41.4% (chloroform: methanol extraction at 1:1). The oil contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid up to 67.80%. The dominant saturated acid is behenic acid up to 6.81% and stearic acid up to 5.86%. The nutritional composition of pods, leaves, and dried leaf powder are given in Table 26.1.
Uses:
The leaves are extensively used as a vegetable in many parts of the world, and pods are cooked similarly to green beans and have a taste of asparagus. Young leaves, growing tips, or seedlings are suitable for making sauce, whereas, older leaves are more suited for making dried leaf powder.
Bark of M. stenopetala, and the roots of tree are also used as condiment alike horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), a member of mustard family Brassicaceae, however, now such a practice is not recommended as its roots contain alkaloids (0.105%), especially moringinine and a bacteriocide (spirochin) both of which may prove fatal following ingestion.
The starchy roots of M. peregrina are eaten as food. Its wood is rated good for firewood and charcoal and has the property to resist termites. The stem gum exudates are used in calico printing and medicinally. The wood has suitable characteristics for pulp, paper and cellophane and textile production. Ethanol extracts of drumstick leaves at 0.04-0.08% is known to increase nodulation and nitrogenase activity in leguminous crops. The multi-purpose Moringa seed oil, known as ‘Ben oil’ is used for cooking, watch lubrication, lighting and in perfumes.
The seed powder of drumstick that has efficiency similar to alum is used to purify the drinking water by coagulation. It is toxic to guppies, protozoa, and bacteria. The toxic effect is believed due to presence of 4-L-α-1-rhamnosyloxybenzyl isothiocyanate, a glycosidic mustard oil. Seed powder from ground up seed and the press cake left over from oil extraction can be used for the treatment of turbid water since suspension of ground seed is used as primary coagulants.
Their action at high turbidities is almost as fast as alum but slower at low and medium turbidities. However, the doses should not exceed 250 mg/litre. In the concentration of seeds used for nutrition, medicine or water purification is not harmful for human health. The solid matter can be removed as impurities using Moringa kernel powder. The coagulant property of seeds is due to a series of low molecular weight cationic protein.
This water-soluble protein attaches them to and binds between the suspended particles forming larger agglomerated solids. These flocculated solids then allowed settling down prior to boiling and subsequent consumption of water. However, Ndabigengesere and Narasiah (1998) suggested that Moringa seeds should be used as a coagulant in water and wastewater treatment only after an adequate purification of the active proteins.
India’s ancient text Ayurveda says that the leaves of drumstick tree prevent 300 diseases since all parts of the tree are considered medicinal and are used in the treatment of ascites, rheumatism, snakebites and as a cardiac stimulant. Moringa has many medicinal properties such as abortifacient, antidote, bactericide, diuretic, ecbolic, estrogenic, expectorant, purgative, rubefacient, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge, and vesicant.
Two alkaloids, moringine and moringinine, are present in drumstick, the latter being responsible for many of the medicinal properties of the plant. Aqueous extract of roots and leaves are known to have antimalarial and anti-impanation properties. Drumstick leaf extract is also known to have anti-carcinogenic property as Krishnakumari et al. (1991) reported that its leaf extract has the ability to inhibit mutagenicity caused by nitroso-di-ethanol- amine (NDEA, a plant environment carcinogen).
In long-term strategy, drumstick can be successfully utilized to combat vitamin A and vitamin C associated diseases, particularly in rural India. Such type of approach has successfully carried out on pre-school children in 20 villages (3585 households) of Andhra Pradesh, India. The drumstick seed oil is also known to enhance the absorption of nutrients and β-carotene.
4. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Drumstick
:
Moringa olerifera grows in ecologies ranging from subtropical dry to moist through tropical very dry to moist forest zones. Moringa is reported to tolerate the annual precipitation of 760-2250 mm, annual temperatures of 18.7°-28.5°C, however it can be grown up to 48°C for a limited period of time. The tree was originally considered suitable only for low land cultivation at altitudes less than 600 m.
Growth of the plant restricts if it is grown above 1600 m altitude, however, the adaptability of the tree has been demonstrated at altitudes of 1200 m in Mexico and above 2000 m in Zimbabwe. M. stenopetala in Ethiopia may be seen regularly up to an altitude of 1800 m. The optimum temperature range for seed germination is 20-30°C, however, the maximum seed germination (94%) was reported at 25°C. In sub-tropics, drumstick can tolerate light frost, as it is capable of recovering from freeze.
Moringa olerifera can be grown successfully on all types of soil, except heavy clay soil but performs best on dry sandy or sandy loam soil having a pH range of 4.5 to 8.0. It can tolerate clay soils too but not the water logging conditions.
Water stagnation in field even for a day may kill the plant. Valia et al. (1993, 1995) reported that M. oleifera plants can survive up to ESP of 41%. Higher exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP- 60) may cause injury symptom at 120 days after planting, and plant is died after 240 days.
5. Sowing Time of Drumstick:
Perennial type drumsticks are propagated by stem cutting after harvesting of pods from March to June, though annual varieties perform best under conditions of north Indian plains when propagated by seeds from June to August.
About 1800-2000 seedlings of Moringa are required for planting a hectare of land area, and for the production of seedlings sufficient for an area of one hectare, a seed rate of 600-700 g is enough.
Moringa is propagated by direct seeding, transplanting, and using a year old stem cuttings. Annual Moringa is propagated by either direct seeding or transplanting, whereas, perennial ones are mostly propagated by hard stem cuttings. Direct seeding is also preferred when plenty of seed is available and labour is limited.
A. Direct Seeding:
This method is preferred for leaf, pod, and seed production in annual Moringa. Plant raised from seeds produced fruits of inferior quality. Always fresh seed is used for sowing purposes since storing seeds for more than 4 months results in poor germination, which starts 4 days after sowing and lasts up to 9 days. Black seeds stored in polyethylene bags comparatively have higher germinability and seed vigour than brown or white seeds. Seed treatment with KNO3 at 0.1% improves seedling vigour and branching.
Good germination can also be obtained by immersion of seeds in water for 24 h at room temperature. Seeds are sown on 30 cm wide and 30 cm high bunds at a depth of 2.5 cm during last week of June to August, however, Verma (1973) obtained good seed germination by sowing seeds at a depth of 1.3 cm. Generally, two seeds are sown per hill, and two weeks after germination retaining one vigorous seedling per hill, the poor one is gently removed.
For pod production, a spacing of 2.5 x 2.5 m or 2.5 x 2.0 m between raised beds and plants is kept, and for leaves production, only a spacing of 1 m between rows and 50 cm between plants is sufficient to promote leaf growth. Plants propagated by this method take comparatively longer time to flower than transplanted ones.
B. Transplanting:
This is most commonly used method for the propagation of annual Moringa.
Transplanting consists of two steps:
(i) Seedling production and
(ii) Field planting.
(i) Seedling Production:
Seedlings can be grown in divided trays, pots, poly bags, or in seedbeds. Plastic trays with 25-50 cells of 3-4 cm width and depth can be used for raising seedlings. Cells should be filled with either peat moss, commercial potting mixture, or a pot mixture prepared from soil, compost or rice hulls and vermiculite or sand. Poly bags or poly tubes of 15 x 10 cm size containing 0.5-1.0 kg soil by volume may also be used for raising seedlings.
For filling pots, a mixture of soil, sand, and compost in a ratio of 2 : 1 : 1 should be used. Usually, two seeds are sown in each poly bag, and one week after germination, the weak seedling is removed. Seedlings get ready for transplanting 30-35 days after sowing when they reach about 30 cm in height with 6-7 compound leaves.
If the seedlings are raised in raised nursery beds, the soil should be solarized by moistening and covering with polyethylene sheet or by burning 3-5 cm layer of organic residues on the bed. Per hill, 2 to 3 seeds are sown at a spacing of 15 cm in rows spaced 25 cm apart. In nursery, the seedlings become ready 40-45 days after sowing. While taking out the seedlings from the nursery, damage to the seedling roots should be avoided.
(ii) Field Planting:
Seedlings age for transplanting varies from 30 to 45 days, depending upon method of raising seedlings. Seedlings raised in poly bags become ready about 7-10 days earlier than the seedlings raised in nursery beds. Perennial Moringa requires 7-10 days more than the annual ones. Moringa can be transplanted any time from June to August, though the best time for planting is the first week of July to the mid of August.
Planting is done on 25-30 cm high bunds or beds at a spacing of 2.0-2.5 m. If the crop is to be retained for 2-3 years, spacing may be increased. Before planting, the pits of 50 x 50 x 50 cm3 should be filled with well-composted farmyard manure or compost. Immediate after planting, a light irrigation is applied but care should be taken to avoid water logging.
C. Stem Cutting:
This method is usually adopted for the propagation of perennial Moringa. Hard stem of 8-12 month old with 5-15 cm diameter can be used for propagation. Cuttings of 50-150 cm length are considered most suitable for planting. Before planting, the cuttings are dried in shade for 3 days to avoid rotting of soil inserted cut end and to ensure better sprouting. It may be planted directly in field or poly bags or in nursery.
When planted in field, about one third of the stem (30-50 cm) should be buried into the soil. Before planting, 5 kg of compost is added to each pit to encourage root development. Applying irrigation regularly, the soil is kept moist but not wet. Cuttings planted in nursery beds become ready for transplanting after 2-3 months.
D. Tissue Culture:
In-vitro propagation of drumstick can be achieved successfully using nodal segment of plant since using nodal segment Kantharajaih and Dodd (1991) achieved an average of 22.1 ± 6.3 shoots/explants in woody plant medium containing 2% sucrose + 0.8% agar and supplemented with 1 mg basal medium with 0.5 mg NAA/litre. Micro-propagation from hypocotyls and cotyledonary explants was successfully achieved by Mohan et al. (1995).
Initially, multiple shoot regeneration was induced on MS medium containing 3% sucrose and 100 mg L-asparagine, 100 mg L-glutamine and 150 mg M-inositol/litre supplemented with 0.2 mg NAA + 2 mg kinetin (M1) or 0.1 mg NAA + 5 mg BA (M2). The regenerated shoots when transferred to M2 supplemented with GA3 at 0.2 mg/litre grow faster and develop roots.
6. Manurial Requirement
for Drumstick Cultivation:
Moringa grows well in most soils without addition of fertilizer. Once the plant is established, the extensive and deep root system of Moringa is efficient in mining nutrients from the soil. However, for optimum growth and yield, 3-5 kg farmyard manure or compost should be added in trenches of 50 m2 at the time of planting. The nutrient requirement of a year old drumstick is 250 : 125 : 125 g NPK per plant. Uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium at this fertilizer rate was 5.40, 1.51, and 8.56 g per plant, respectively.
One-fourth amount of nitrogen, full phosphorus and half dose of potash should be applied at planting, and rest dose of nitrogen should be applied in two equal splits at 45-60 days and during flowering, whereas, remaining half dose of potash should be applied before flowering in the month of February- March. It is reported that application of 7.5 kg farmyard manure and 0.37 kg ammonium sulfate per tree can increase dry matter yield three fold over trees with no fertilizer application.
Prabhakar et al. (2003) recommended the use of N : P : K 50 : 50 : 50 kg/ha along with soil application of Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria (each 2.5 kg/ha) for maximization of pod yield and found the application of farmyard manure 10 t/ha and use of black polyethylene (200 gauge) mulch very effective to get higher yield. In some parts of India, during rainy season, 15 cm deep ring trenches are dug about 10 cm away from tree base and filled with green leaves, manures and ash, and then, covered with soil. This practice promotes high dry matter yield.
7. Irrigation Requirement
for Drumstick Cultivation:
Drumstick tree requires no much watering, thus, regular irrigation is rarely practiced in drumstick. Irrigation in newly transplanted seedlings should be applied immediately after planting. In northern plains of India, irrigation is not necessary during monsoon season (June-September), however, during very dry conditions irrigation is given regularly for the first two months.
A well-rooted Moringa tree can tolerate drought and needs irrigation only when persistent wilting is evident, however, for better growth and yield, Moringa should be irrigated once in a month during winter season and twice in a month from February to June. Flowering and pod development are the critical phases so sufficient soil moisture should be maintained during flowering and pod development stages. In arid conditions, flowering can be induced through irrigation.
8. Intercultural Operations
of Drumstick:
Moringa is a fast growing tree, thus, weeds pose no serious problem with the crop. One hand weeding near the plant at 30-45 days after planting is advised to ward off weeds in early growth stages. Before flowering, 2-3 hoeings manually or with cultivator are beneficial for better plant growth. If planting is done at 2.5 m row spacing, it can be done effectively with tractor or power tiller.
Intercropping with sunflower is found beneficial for the control of weeds. Drumstick tree is reported to be highly competitive with eggplant and sweet corn, which can reduce pod yield up to 50%. In heavy pod load condition, it is necessary to prop up the branch to prevent it breaking off.
In annual drumstick, first pinching should be performed at 60 days after sowing in terms of improving the biometric parameters of the crop. When seedlings reach a height of 60 cm in main field, the top 10 cm growing tips should be trimmed with fingers to encourage shoot growth. About a week later, the secondary branches begin to appear on main stem below the cut. When they reach a length of 20 cm, they are again cut back to 10 cm making a slanting cut with downward facing.
Tertiary branches may also be pinched in the same manner. These pinching practices are done four times in about a period of three months before flowering. Pinching encourages the tree to become bushy and develop a strong frame for maximizing the yield. In the absence of pinching, the tree has the tendency to grow vertically like a mast with sparse flowers and fewer pods only at the top.
In annual Moringa, usually severe pruning is done only once at the end of harvest. In this, the main trunk of tree is cut back to about 90 cm from ground level. About two weeks later, 15- 20 sprouts appear below the cut, however, only 4-5 robust branches are allowed to grow, and remaining sprouts are pinched off while they are young.
The pinching process can be repeated as done for new seedlings to make the tree bushy. After taking the second crop, the tree can be replaced by new seedlings for obtaining higher yield.
In perennial Moringa, the old, dead, and infected scaffold branches are cut back to 50 cm every year at harvest. Once in 4-5 years, the main trunk of tree should be cut back to one meter from ground to allow re-growth.
ii. Use of Plant Growth Regulators:
In the development of drumstick pods, endogenous level of auxins and cytokinins play a vital role. In initial stage up to a length of 30-35 cm, the pods grow very rapidly because of the presence of auxins, IAA and Indole Aceto Nitrile. According to Iyer et al. (1981), the auxin activity in pods rose to peak when they are 25-30 cm long and fell down to very low level at maturity (45-50 cm length).
Similarly, cytokinins level increased up to 1.0 μg/g pod weight until the pods are 15-20 cm long and then reach at plateau. Cytokinin concentration again reaches to peak (up to 6.6 μg/g pod weight) when pod approaches to a length of 35-40 cm noticed maximum rate of increase in fruit length between 80 and 85 days after anthesis.
9. Harvesting
and Yielding of Drumstick:
Drumstick is usually harvested when the pods are still young (about 1 cm in diameter) and snapped easily. Older pods develop a tough exterior but white flesh and seeds remain edible until the ripening process begins. In north India, pods are usually harvested at tender stage, while in south India fully mature pulpy pods are preferred for the preparation of Sambhar and Rasam.
Harvesting in local perennial cultivars is done during March-April, while in annuals yield can be obtained from March to May. In Baramasi cultivars, pods may be harvested 2-3 times in a year. In annual cultivars too, some pods may be picked from June to September under north Indian conditions.
For seed production and oil extraction, pods are allowed to dry and turn brown on tree. Pods should be harvested before they split open and fall to ground. Planisamy et al. (1985) reported that the annual Moringa should be harvested at physiological maturity stage about 100 days after anthesis to get seed of high quality. Delay in harvesting date beyond 100 days results in deterioration of seed quality.
Seeds can be stored in well-ventilated sacks in dry and shady place for about 6 months. Moringa seeds have no dormancy period so can be planted as soon as they attain maturity. For storage, Moringa seed should be dried to a moisture content of 8%.
Seed viability decreased progressively as the storage duration increased after two months, however, the seeds treated with Captan @ 2 g/kg of seed and stored in polyethylene bags showed 40% germination even after 12 months (the original germination percentage before storage was 94%), compared to 4% in untreated control.
Drumstick pods lose their freshness quickly in transit and storage, thus, are usually consumed on the same day of harvest, however, they can be kept for 4 days at ambient room temperature without much loss in physical and quality parameters.
Damodaran et al. (1999) noticed minimum weight loss (24%) with maximum retention of β-carotene (182.02 mg/100 g) and ascorbic acid (128.17 mg/100 g) after 12 days of transit when pods were cleaned, surface dried, and then, packed in polyethylene bags or corrugated fibreboard boxes. Moringa leaves dried in partial shade have very less loss of β-carotene. Cooking of leaves lowered the β-carotene levels by 8%, while drying in sun lowered the levels by 50%.
Annual drumstick on an average yields about 4-5 kg edible pods per plant during first year of planting, whereas, perennial one gives 40-50 kg green pod per plant. A single tree third year onwards may yield 600 or more pods. A green pod yield of 70-100 q/ha from annual and about 200-300 q/ha from perennial Moringa can be obtained.
10. Insect-Pests and Diseases
of Drumstick:
The major pests of drumstick are fruit fly (Gitona sp.), leaf eating caterpillar (Noorda blitealis Walk), and aphid (Aphis craccivora Koch). Ragumoorthi et al. (1997a) suggested that the economic injury level for Gitona spp. was about 12 eggs/fruit or 11.7 larvae/fruit, or when 15.1% of total pods was affected with this pest. Fruit fly and caterpillar can be controlled effectively with foliar spray of dichlorovas at 0.04% or Fenthion at 0.05%.
This treatment of leaf caterpillar should be initiated during early vegetative growth and flowering. These two chemicals cause significant reduction in larval population up to 21 day after spray. IPM module for the control of fruit fly includes applications of Fenthion 80 EC 0.04% during the vegetative and flowering stages, application of 150 ppm (0.03%) Nimbecidine during 50% fruit set and 35 days later, soil application of neem seed kernel extract 2 1/tree at 50% fruit set and weekly removal of affected fruits.
Leaf eating caterpillar (Noorda blitealis) larvae are highly susceptible (70-80% larval mortality) to spraying with a spore suspension of Aspergillus flavus. The larval mortality by A. flavus is thought to be due to invasion of host through respiratory orifices, wounds and by ingestion, which results in damage through mycotoxin production, histolysis, physical damage, and blockage of the alimentary canal from mycelial growth. Thrips (Megalurothrips distalis) has also been reported to attack occasionally on drumstick during flowering stage.
Drumstick is not much affected with diseases but bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearunr, Synonym Pseudomonas solanacearum) sometimes pose problems. It can be effectively controlled by 2 to 3 cyclic drenching with Streptocycline (150 ppm) and Copper oxychloride (3 g/litre). As bacterial wilt may result as secondary infection due to root injury caused by insect, therefore, soil application of neem cake (100 g/pit) or Furadan (20-25 kg/ha) is also beneficial for the control of bacterial wilt.
11. Cultivated Varieties
of Drumstick:
In India, broadly three types of cultivar, i.e., Perennial, Baramasi and Annual Moringa, have been reported. Perennials mostly propagated by stem cuttings are large tree and bear pods only once in a year from March to April in northern India. Baramasi cultivars mostly propagated by stem cuttings are relatively short, woody and bear small pods (20-30 cm long) 2-3 times in a year. Annual Moringa developed in an attempt to optimize pod production is a short stem variety.
It was initially developed as a perennial tree but many growers cultivate it as an annual. After harvesting, the tree is dug up and new set of seedlings is planted. It is propagated through seeds. Two varieties, viz. PKM-1 and PKM-2, have been evolved at College of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Periyakkulam, Tamil Nadu. These cultivars bear 50-90 cm long cylindrical pods once and rarely twice a year under conditions of north-Indian plains.
The tree of PKM-1 grows to a height of 4-6 m and comes to flowering 100-125 days after planting. First harvest starts 175-200 days after planting, and each plant bears on an average of 200-250 pods, which are 6-70 cm long with 6 cm girth, weighing about 150 g/pod. The pods at edible maturity are pulpy and the edible portion constitutes about 70 per cent.
PKM-2 has similar growth habit as PKM-1 but its pods are of larger size, and it is higher yielder than the PKM-1. The other local cultivars are Chavakkacheri Muringai, Kattu Muringai, Pal Muringai, Poona Muringai and Kodigal Muringai.