Abstract
Moringa oleifera Lam. commonly known as “drumstick tree” and “horseradish tree” belongs to the family Moringaceae. It is found in tropical and subtropical regions all over the globe. It can overcome the adverse effects of both extreme drought and light frost. Entire tree is well-known because of its nutritional and economic value. The leaves are enriched with important compounds, essential vitamins, and minerals. Moringa oleifera has been shown to improve the growth performance, health status and product quality of various livestock species. M. oleifera application in processed foods can increase their nutritional content, some organoleptic qualities, oxidative stability, and shelf life. This chapter examines the various therapeutic applications of Moringa across disciplines and discusses the “Miracle Tree’s” horticultural, dietary, economic, and notable pharmacological characteristics.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Biopesticides are an important component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs for insect pest control since they are more natural, environmentally friendly, safer than chemical pesticides and have relatively no or little effect on non-target organisms. They aid in improving crop health and yields while lowering production costs and eliminating the usage of toxic chemicals. They are effective tools for creating new sustainable agricultural products. Several botanicals and microbial biopesticides have been identified, isolated, processed, and used to eliminate hazards caused by Coleopteran, Hemipteran, Dipteran, Lepidopteran, Hymenopteran, and Thysanopteran insects. Several species of botanicals such as Neem (Azadirachta indica A.), Chili pepper (Capsicum annuum), Garlic (Allium sativum), Moringa (Moringa oleifera), Clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum), China berry (Melia azedarach), bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) etc. and microbes such as Bacillus thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Baculovirus (nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) and granulovirus (GV) ), Steinernema carpocapsae, Nosema, etc. have been used as biopesticides. Because biopesticides are successful in managing insect pests and diseases while also being safe to humans and the environment, they must be manufactured in the country and made available to farmers. SAARC J. Agric., 20(1): 1-13 (2022)
Review Article
Moringa oleifera is a plant native to India that thrives in tropical and subtropical climates around the world. It's also called a 'drumstick tree' or a 'horseradish tree.' Moringa is commonly farmed around the world because it can resist both severe drought and moderate winter. Every portion of the tree is suitable for nutritional or economic applications due to its high nutritious contents. Minerals, vitamins, and other phytochemicals are abundant in the leaves. The extracts of tree are used to treat many diseases. It's been utilised as an antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antibacterial agent in the past. M. oleifera seed, is widely utilised in water treatment. This review looks at how moringa has been used for therapeutic purposes throughout disciplines, as well as the cultivation, nutrition, commercial, and pharmacological qualities of this "miracle tree."
Moringa oleifera Lam. (moringa hereafter) is cultivated as a new summer super-forage field crop in Israel, yet no weed control protocol has been developed for it. The objective of the study was to develop an integrated weed management (IWM) practice for the moringa agro-system in arid and semi-arid regions like the Mediterranean basin. We tested various herbicides applied pre (PRE) and post (POST) crop emergence and cultivation methods for weed control, with an emphasis on crop safety. The PRE herbicides were the most effective and safe control mean. Their application resulted in minor (<5%) crop fresh weight reductions and weed cover area, compared with the control. The POST herbicides were also effective, yet their crop safety level was lower and non-consistent in some treatments. Generally, the finger weeder was less effective than the herbicide treatments and caused higher fresh weight reduction. However, this means was more effective when applied at earlier stages. Management and environmental conditions had a high impact on the moringa growth; hence, these aspects should be considered. Our results show the potential use of different herbicides and non-chemical tools and set the basis for a future IWM protocol for moringa. The wide range of options offered here can ensure economic and environmentally viable solutions for this new crop.
The mythical influence that the Moringa oleifera can expel the spirits has penetrated so deeply into the minds of the Indonesian people. This study aims to conquer the myths of Moringa oleifera by providing health benefits of this tree. A scoping review of peer-reviewed was conducted to explore the health benefit of Moringa oleifera as part of nutrition promotion interventions. Electronic databases were searched for studies published between 1 December 2020 and 14 February 2021. Out of 359 articles retrieved and 31 peer-reviewed sources met inclusion criteria. Findings from 12 papers were organised into 6 categories of the health benefit from root, leave, stem bark, gum, flower, and seed based on Moringa oleifera's plant part. This review has identified health benefits that hold potential for tackling the myth of Moringa oleifera. Various parts of this plant have been proven to have health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Findings from this study suggest that health benefit of Moringa oleifera's tree should be widely promoted to increase the health status and wellness of Indonesian people.
Moringa oleifera is originally a tropical crop with a fast development, little known in developed countries but cultivated since ancient times. It can adapt to regions affected by climate change, such as the Mediterranean basin, since it is a crop with a great resistance to high temperatures. In this study an in-depth bibliographical review was carried out by consulting different databases (Science Direct, FSTA, Scielo, Riunet, and Google Scholar) in order to find published scientific studies on the characteristics of this crop and its agronomic requirements. According to the information found, all parts of the Moringa oleifera, namely the leaves, pods, seeds, roots and flowers, can be used in different industrial sectors such as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, human food, animal feed, and water treatment since they have a nutritional profile rich in high biological value proteins, vitamins A and C, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals: calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorous.
An efficient protocol for physico-chemical characterization of gum exudates collected from the drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.) has been reported in the present study. Extraction of gum metabolites was done using a series of water, alcohol, acid, and alkali solvent systems. The gum was sparingly soluble in water at room temperature and formed a colloidal solution. Solubility of the gum gradually increased in the solvent gradient (80% ethanol, deionized water, 0.05 M HCl, and 0.05 M NaOH) at 90 °C. Further, electron microscopy revealed that the acetyl group is essential in maintaining the structural integrity, and deacetylation of gum resulted in formation of a mesh of scattered and fibrous particles. Treatment of gum with deionized water resulted in development of a hydrocolloidal matrix with a pore size of 0.5 μm, which upon deacetylation was reduced up to 0.2 μm. The polymer was amorphous in nature and showed maximum thermal stability in ethanol. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry of the gum polymer revealed that carbohydrate derivatives constituted its major part (>75%). Maximum carbohydrate concentration was obtained in the ethanol soluble fraction, along with fatty acids (10%) and secondary metabolites (9%). The results provided very first confirmation of the hydrocolloidal properties and thermostability of the gum exudates obtained from the drumstick tree, which can further be used to develop an eco-friendly and nontoxic bioligand.
Organic farming is gaining popularity worldwide among the farmers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, scientists and other stakeholders as it minimizes dependence on chemical inputs, thus safeguarding the quality of natural resources and environment. In organic farming, insect pests pose a major challenge since genetically modified crops and synthetic pesticides are not permitted for use in organic production systems. The underlying principle of organic pest management (OPM) in organic system of cultivation involves the application of ecologically sound practices. Major emphasis is given on the use of multiple and various tactics incorporated into the cropping system design to prevent the damage caused by the insect pests. The main principles of pest management in organic farming system include prevention/avoidance, monitoring and suppression of pests. Monitoring of crop pests is done with visuals, use of nets, sticky traps and pheromone traps. Preventive measures include cultural practices (removal of alternate host plants, selection of cultivars, crop rotations, tillage, mulching, barrier crop, intercropping, rap cropping, planting/sowing time and soil nutrition management) and also conservation of natural enemies. Curative measures include the pinching and pruning, sanitation, fruit bagging, water management, mechanical control, insect traps, using of parasitoids and predators, insect pathogens, botanicals, insect growth regulators, insecticidal oils, insecticidal soaps, organic & organic insecticides and other synthetic substances allowed in organic farming. These practices when used in a compatible manner could make organic ecosystem unattractive to pest species. Organic farming is beneficial for both the humans and the nature.
The Moringa genus of the Moringaceae family is monogeneric of the Dicotyledaneae and it contains 13 species. Moringa spp., are geographically distributed in several tropical countries. For example, M. drouhardii and M. hildebrandtii are found in Madagascar, M. stenopetala is noticed in Kenya and Ethiopia, M. ovalifolia is located in Namibia and Angola, M. concanensis is largely reported in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, M. oleifera is found in India, M. peregrina is observed in Arabia and Red sea area. On the other hand, M. arborea, M. longituba, M. rivae, M. pygmea, M. borziana and M. ruspoliana are indigenous to Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Each Moringa species has unique morphological features and this chapter describes the botanical descriptions of all Moringa spp., in detail and provides useful traits that can be used to distinguish each Moringa species.