Introduction
Origin:- African tropics and North West India.
Botany:-
- N:- Moringa oleifera
- Family:- Moringaceae
- It is a small or medium sized tree with woody .Seeds are dark brown, big and usually three winged.
- Pollination by honey bees.
- 2n=28
Uses
- It is the one of the most popular tree vegetable in South Indian household.
- It is commercially cultivated in South India.
- Its leaves, flower buds and immature fruits are used as nutritious vegetable.
Climate and soil
- It is a tropical plant and grows well in the plains.
- The optimum temperature for better growth and development is 25 – 35o
- It grows well in all type of soil but well drained sandy loam soil is best. Stiff clay soil is avoided and pH ranges from 6 – 7.5.
Varieties
- There are no recognized varieties in Nepal.
- Most of the varieties are from South India and the varieties of drumsticks are classified as annual and perennial ones.
- The annuals are short-duration crops.
The important varieties are:
ChavakacheriMuringai, Chemmunga, Jaffana type, Kattimurungai, Kodikalmurungai, PKM-1 etc.