Drumstick / Moringa

Drumstick/Moringa is referred to as the “miracle tree” because of its wide range of nutritional, medicinal and purifying properties. It is also called a ‘super food” because of its awesome potential to improve health and eliminate hunger around the world. It has high amounts of protein and is significant source of vitamins and minerals. The leaves of the Drumstick/moringa tree contain 18 amino acids, 08 of which are essential amino acids, making them a “complete protein”. It is full of phyto-nutrients and disease fighting antioxidants. The scientific name of drumstick tree is ‘Moringa Oleifera’ belonging to the family Moringacea and the drumstick tree is popularly known as the moringa/horseradish/benzoil/sahjan/sutti tree due to its various qualities. The tree is called moringa due to its long, slender, triangular seed pods, horseradish’s name falls due to the drumstick roots taste resembles the taste of horseradish and it is called benzoil tree due to extraction of benzoil oil from moringa seeds. Drumstick/Moringa is a vegetable that is grown for its edible pods, leaves and flowers. Drumstick/Moringa vegetables are rich in nutrients, high in calcium and water contains antioxidants. Drumstick/Moringa taste like beans but are a bit sweeter, mostly used in ‘Sambhar’ a popular South Indian Recipe. Drumstick/Moringa trees are grown in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Drumstick/Moringa tree, a fast – growing perennial vegetable tree has a drought-resistant capability. Drumstick/Moringa tree, a medium size tree of 10 to 12 meters in height, having trunks about 35 cm to 45 cm in girth or diameter consisting of thick corky fragile stems. Drumstick/Moringa tree branches usually seem to droopth leaves and leaflets,whereas the drumstick pods are long, pendulous in shape with the length of 20 cm to 80 cm. Moringa tree bears bisexual flowers of yellow, creamy and white colour with sweet fragrance and seeds are trigonous in shape. Drumstick/Moringa tree starts wearing parts after 06 months of the plantation. Drumstick/Moringa pods have distinct flavours and are very popular, especially in South Indian cuisine.

VARIETIES OF DRUMSTICK/MORINGA FARMING

Drumstick/Moringa farming varieties are classified into two types

1. Paranniel Types :- This type of cultivation has been practiced for centuries but this type is not preferred for commercial drumstick/moringa farming because it takes longer time to grow and further they require greater rainfall and are less resistant to pests and disease. This type of cultivation is usually practiced through the drumstick/moringa cuttings.
2. Annual Types :- This type of drumstick/moringa cultivation is preferred for commercial farming and India is the largest producer of drumstick/moringa in the world. These types are propagated through seeds and are fast growers that reach maturity in less time. They are also capable of adapting to various soil and different climate conditions. Early maturity, higher yield and fast growing are the specific features of this type of drumstick/moringa.

VARIETIES OF DRUMSTICK/MORINGA

The varieties of drumstick/moringa are – PKM1, PKM2, Chavakachcheri, chem. Murungai, Kudumiyanmalai1 (KM-1), Mulanur Moringa, Valayapatti Moringa and ODC. ODC is the latest moringa variety which is being mostly used in current farming.

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA CULTIVATION PRACTICES

1. Drumstick / Moringa growing climate:- Tropical and subtropical climates are suitable as drumstick/moringa growing climate. Temperature more than 40 degrees Celsius is not good for drumstick/moringa tree growing.
2. Drumstick / Moringa plant temperature tolerance:- 25 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for a drumstick/moringa plant. Shredding of flowers has been observed when the temperature goes above 40 degrees Celsius. Hence drumstick/moringa cultivation should be started in the temperature from 25 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius.
3. iii. drumstick/moringa plantation in a acre:- Spacing in between the drumstick/moringa plants should be 3-4 feet for cutting green leaves and 6 x 10-15 feet for pods.
4. Kind of soil for drumstick/moringa farming:- drumstick/moringa plants can grow in a wide range of soils but red soils and black soils are the most preferable soil due to its high seeding potency.
5. Drumstick/moringa soil PH: - 6.0 to 7.0 is the ideal soil PH for Drumstick/moringa commercial farming.
6. Drumstick/moringa water requirement: - They do not want much water and thereby they reduce the cost of Drumstick/moringa farming. Drumstick/moringa plants/ trees need very less water and can easily survive in drought conditions for about 06 months. Too dry and too wet soils may result in flower shredding. The irrigation cycle should be as below:-
   • 1st 03 months: - watering once a week,
   • After 03 months: - Once in 10-12 days,
   • Rainy season: - water is not required.

Substantial soil moisture levels should be maintained during the flowering period and water stagnation should be avoided in Drumstick/moringa farms.

LAND PREPARATION FOR DRUMSTICK/MORINGA FARMING

Drumstick/moringa farming/cultivation requires 02 times deep ploughing. Last ploughing requires farmyard manure (FYM) mixed with soil. Drumstick/moringa soil mix for putting in pits prepared for planting requires 10-15 kg FYM/vermi compost + 100 gm nitrogen + 200 gm phosphorous + 50 gm potassium. Pits size for green leaves- spacing in – between plants 3-4 feet, depth- up to 01feet, Pits size for pods- spacing in – between plants 10-15 feet, depth- up to 1.5 feet. (First put the prepared soil - mix in the lower part of the pits and then plant DRUMSTICK/MORINGA plants in the pits and mix extra soil as per requirement).

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA SEED TREATMENT

We, for early germination and in order to increase Drumstick/moringa yield, practice the moringa seed treatment more carefully. We, to control seed borne diseases, treat the seed with approved bio-pesticides or chemicals before sowing. We soak the seeds with approved bio-pesticides or chemicals for a full night and sow them another day in the early morning. We, for increased seed vigour and growth, treat about 650 gms of seed with 100 gm azospirillum. Sulphur and neem oil spray is also used in the Drumstick/moringa seed treatment process.

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA FERTILIZER REQUIREMENT

Drumstick/moringa fertilizer for plants is classified according to the stages :-

• After 03 months of Drumstick/moringa seed sowing – Urea (100gm) + Superphosphate (100gm) + Muriate of Potash Fertilizer (50gm) is applied to each pit or plant,
• During Drumstick/moringa flowering season- Urea (100gm) to each pit or plant,
• Drumstick/moringa fungiside – Mancozeb fungicide (M-45)is applied especially during flower blooming and then it will prevent flower drop during first rain after flowering.
• A monthly two-time fungicide spray is necessary to get rid of Drumstick/moringa pests and diseases.

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA PROPAGATION BY CUTTING BRANCHES

Drumstick/moringa stem cutting propagation method is used for perennial cultivation due to suitability. This practice is done when a Drumstick/moringa tree stops producing pods. Cutting the branches for propagation will also result in the fresh growth of the used tree. First select the healthy Drumstick/moringa tree and then cut the branches with 120- 150 cm in length and 5-12 cm in diameter. Place one-third part of the Drumstick/moringa branch cut inside the pit and apply cow dung at the top end of the cut branch. This will protect the cuttings from pests and disease.

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA PEST AND DISEASES

• Bud worm(Noorda Moringa),
• Lead Caterpillar(Noordablitealis),
• Hairy Caterpillar(Eupterotemollifera),
• Pod fly (Gitona Distigma),and
• Bark caterpillar(Indarbela Tetraonis)

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA PRODUCTION PER ACRE

DRUMSTICK/MORINGA FARMING PROFIT PER ACRE

• Drumstick/moringa annual costing per acre, if farming for pods:-

  Sl No	Items of annual expenditure	Costing during 1st year	Costing during 2nd year	Costing during 3rd year	Costing during 4th year	Costing during 5th year	Costing during 6th year	Costing during 7th year
  1	Seed Cost	5,000	-	-	-	-	-	-
  2	Land Preparation	10,000	-	-	-	-	-	-
  3	Labour Cost	30,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000
  4	Manure & fertilizer	10,000	11,000	12,000	13,000	15,000	17,000	20,000
  5	Irrigation	17,000	20,000	22,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000
  6	Plant Protection	12,000	15,000	17,000	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000
  7	Miscellaneous Charges	15,000	17,000	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000
  8	Total Annual Cost	99,000	88,000	1,01,000	1,18,000	1,40,000	1,62,000	1,85,000

• Profit per acre, if farming for pods

  Year	Quantity annually produced	Sale rate of pods per kg in Rs.	Sale price of pods in Rs.	Costing	Profit
  1st year	10,000 kg	20	2,00,000	99,000	1,01,000
  2nd year	11,000 kg	22	2,42,000	88,000	1,54,000
  3rd year	12,000 kg	25	3,00,000	1,01,000	1,99,000
  4th year	13,000 kg	27	3,51,000	1,18,000	2,33,000
  5th year	14,000 kg	30	4,20,000	1,40,000	2,80,000
  6th year	15,000 kg	32	4,80,000	1,62,000	3,18,000
  7th year	16,000 kg	35	5,60,000	1,85,000	3,75,000
  Profit in 7 years					16,60,000

• Drumstick/moringa annual costing per acre, if farming for leaves

  Sl No	Items of annual expenditure	Costing during 1st year	Costing during 2nd year	Costing during 3rd year	Costing during 4th year	Costing during 5th year	Costing during 6th year	Costing during 7th year
  1	Seed Cost	15,000	-	-	-	-	-	-
  2	Land Preparation	10,000	-	-	-	-	-	-
  3	Labour Cost	60,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000
  4	Manure and Fertilizer	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000
  5	Irrigation	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000
  6	Plant Protection	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000
  7	Miscellaneous Charges	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000	60,000
  8	Total annual cost	1,80,000	1,45,000	1,70,000	1,95,000	2,20,000	2,45,000	2,70,000

• Drumstick/moringa annual costing per acre, if farming for leaves

  Year	Quantity annually produced per acre in kg	Sale rate of leaves per kg in Rs.	Sale price of leaves in Rs.	Costing	Profit
  1st year	8,000	30 2,40,000	1,80,000	60,000
  2nd year	8,500	32	2,72,000	1,45,000	1,27,000
  3rd year	9,000	35	3,15,000	1,70,000	1,45,000
  4th year	9,500	37	3,51,500	1,95,000	1,56,500
  5th year	10,000	0	4,00,000	2,20,000	1,80,000
  6th year	10,500	42	4,41,000	2,45,000	1,96,000
  7th year	11,000	45	4,95,000	2,70,000	2,25,000
  Profit in 7 years	-	-	-	-	10,89,000

• Drumstick/moringa annual costing per acre, if farming for leaves powder

  Sl. No.	Items of annual expenditure	Costing during 1st year	Costing during 2nd year	Costing during 3rd year	Costing during 4th year	Costing during 5th year	Costing during 6th year	Costing during 7th year
  1	Seed Cost	15,000
  2	Land Preparation	10,000
  3	Labour cost	60,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000
  4	Manure and Fertilizer	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000
  5	Irrigation	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000
  5	Irrigation	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000	55,000
  6	Plant protection	20,000	25,000	30,000	35,000	40,000	45,000	50,000
  7	Miscellaneous charges	1,00,000	1,25,000	1,30,000	1,35,000	1,40,000	1,45,000	1,50,000
  8	Total annual cost	2,50,000	2,35,000	2,60,000	2,85,000	3,10,000	3,35,000	3,60,000

• Profit per acre, if farming for leaves powder

  year	Quantity annually produced in kg	Sale rate of leaves powder per kg in Rs.	Sale price of leaves powder per kg in Rs.	Costing	Profit
  1st year	1,000	500	5,00,000	2,50,000	2,50,000
  2nd year	1,125	525	5,90,625	2,35,000	3,55,625
  3rd year	1,250	550	6,87,500	2,60,000	4,27,500
  4th year	1,375	575	7,90,625	2,85,000	5,05,625
  5th year	1,500	600	9,00,000	3,10,000	5,90,000
  6th year	1,625	625	10,15,625	3,35,000	6,80,625
  7th year	1,750	650	11,37,500	3,60,000	7,77,500
  Profit in 7 years	-	-	-	-	35,86,875

Varieties of Moringa/drumstick

Important varieties of moringa/Drumstick are- Moolanur, Valayapatti, Chavakacheri, Chemmurungai, Kattumurungai, Kodikkalmurungai, Palmurungai, Punamurungai and palamedu .The Horticulture College and Research Institute of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Periyakulam has succeded in developing seed propogated moringa types, which has revolutionized the moringa cultivation in the country. It has released two improved annual moringa varieties i. e. Periyakulam-1(PKM-1) and Periyakulam-2(PKM-2) for commercial cultivation. Other annual types of Moringa/drumstick are KM-1 and Dhanraj.

SEASON AND PLANTING

The annual Moringa is propagated through seeds and the seeds are directly dibbled in the pit to ensure accelerated and faster growth of the seedlings. The best suited season for sowing the seeds is September. An espacement of 2.5X2.5 m is adapted with a population of 1600 plants per hectare. The seed germinates 10 to 12 days after sowing. The pre-sowing seed treatment of Moringa with azospirillum cultures at the rate of 100 gm per 625 gm of seeds results in early germination, increases seedling vigour, growth and yield.

It comes to flowering within 5-6 months of sowing and comes to harvest in 7-8 months. The peak harvest is during March-August. The plants grow to a height of 4-6 mt. in a year and produce 6-12 primary branches. The pinnate leaves are about 40 cm long with small leaflets which are dark green on the upper side and pale green on the lower side. Though the flowers are in clusters of 25-150 per cluster, only one pod develops usually and rarely 2-4 develop per cluster. The pods are 75 cm long with a girth of 6.3 cm and weight 150 gm with 70% flesh.

AFTER CARE

When the terminal bud on the central leader stem attains the height of about 75 cm(two months after sowing),it is pinched, which promotes the growth of many lateral branches and reduce the height of the tree.

RATOONING

In annual moringa, when the harvest is over, the trees are cut down to a height of one metre above ground level for ratooning. These ratoon plants develop new shoots and start bearing four or five months after ratooning. Three ratooning operations are recommended during the production cycle. During each rationing operation, the plants are supplied with the recommended level of N, P and K nutrients along with 20-35 kg of Farm yard manure.

HARVEST AND YIELD

The annual moringa types are seasonal in terms of fruit-bearing and the crop sown during September comes to harvest within six months. Fruits of sufficient length and girth are harvested before they develop fibre. The harvest period extends for 2-3 months and each tree bears about 250-400 fruits/year/tree.

INTENSIVE MORINGA LEAF PRODUCTION

Intensive moringa leaf production can be obtained by planting at 10 x 10 cm density with sufficient fertilizer. The green matter is harvested when plants reach a height of about 50 cm or more (every 35 to 40 days).The branches are cut up to a distance of 15 to 20 cm above the ground. Although losses of seedlings may occur up to 20-30 % in the first year, the vigorous re- growth of the remaining seedlings produce 3-5 new shoots after each cutting. Harvest up to nine times can be obtained annually. A yield of 650 metric tonnes of leaf yield can be obtained in sandy and well drained soil.

HARVESTING OF LEAVES, PODS AND SEEDS

• The moringa tree has a compound leaf and one leaf is made up of multiple leaflets. Manual harvesting of shoots and leaves with a pair of shears, a sickle or a sharp knife is recommended. All shoots should be cut at the desired height i. e. 30 cm to I m above ground. Mechanical harvesting could also be used for large-scale, intensive leaf production. The produce should be harvested at the coolest time of the day i. e. early morning or late in the evening. It is important to make sure that there is no dew on the produce before harvesting, especially in the morning to avoid rot during transportation.
• The pods are harvested mainly between March and June. A second crop is normally harvested from September to October. Fruits of sufficient length and girth are harvested before they develop fibre. The harvest period extends for 2-3 months and each tree bears 250-400 fruits depending on the type. The pods are harvested when they are young, tender and green. They are eaten as green beans. Older pods are fibrous and develop a tough shell, but their pulp and immature seeds remain edible until shortly before the ripening process begins. Immature seeds can be used in recipes similar to green peas. Fresh or dried flowers are used for making tea.
• The pods, for seed, should be harvested as early as possible when they reach maturity i. e. when they turn brown and dry. Fruits should open easily. Seeds are extracted, bagged and stored in a dry place.

SEED PRODUCTION, PROCESSING AND STORAGE

Harvesting of brown coloured moringa fruits at 20 days after anthesis leads to recovery of good quality seeds with high germination potential. Black followed by brown coloured seeds are superior with higher seedling quality than white seeds. Harvested pods must be dried for 1-2 days under shade with good ventilation. The seeds are extracted manually by opening the pods using gentle pressure on them. On opening, the seeds are separated freely. Small, shriveled and damaged seeds are removed. Annual moringa seeds can be stored for up to 12 months. Freshly harvested seeds are dried to 8% moisture content and treated with captan @ 2gm/kg of seeds and packed in 700 gauge polythene bags. The black and brown seeds treated with carbendazim 2gm/kg of seeds and stored in 700 gauge polythene bags maintains more than 84 % germination up to 12 months.

WASHING, COOLING, STORAGE, TRANSPORTING AND PACKAGING

Leaves are washed in fungicide (benlate500ppm) prior to storage. The cooling method is hydro cooling and the storage method is cold storage. The lowest physiological loss in weight (PLW) is recorded in fruits, if packed in polythene bags followed by corrugated fibre board boxes with coir waste as filling material. The highest carotene and ascorbic acid contents are found in fruits packed in polythene bags. Leaves and flowers may be dried in the shade or dehydrated and then pounded or ground and used as a food additive to improve protein content of food. Leaves and flowers are also used for tea. Fresh moringa leaves, transported loosely, should be well ventilated. For shorter distances aerated baskets or perforated plastic containers should be used to transport the fresh leaves. Transportation should be during the cooler parts of the day i. e. early morning, evening or night. Leaves being transported over long distances should be in air-conditioned or refrigerated vans to keep them cool until delivery at the processing centre. Processing should start immediately after harvesting and transporting the leaves to the processing centre. Strip all the leaflets from the leaf petiole. This can be done directly from the branches, if the leaves have not been stripped off the main branches before transportation. Leaflets are washed in troughs using clean potable water to remove dirt. Leaves are again washed in 1% saline solution for 3-5 minutes to remove microbes. Leaves are washed again in clean water. Troughs are drained after each wash and leaves are finally washed with fresh and clean water only. Leaves are now ready for drying. Leaflets are spread on trays made with food-grade mesh and are left to drain for about 15 minutes before taking them to the dryer. Leaflets are spread thinly on mesh tied on racks or tables in a well ventilated room. This room should be insect, rodent and dust proof. Air circulation can be improved by using ceiling and floor level vents protected with a clean filter to keep the sun and dust out. It is possible to use a fan, but the air of the fan must not be directly oriented towards the leaves, as it can increase contamination with germs in the air. The temperature range of the room or shaded room is kept from 35c to 55°C. It is advisable to turn the leaves over at least once with sterile gloves to improve uniform drying. Leaves should be completely dry within a period of maximum 04 days. The loading density should not exceed 1kg/m2. Leaves may also be dried in electric hot air dryers by keeping the temperature range from 45 C to 55C. The temperature should not exceed 55C and leaves should be dried until their moisture content is below 10%. The loading capacity should not exceed 2.5 kg/m2. Dry leaves are then milled or grinded using a stainless steel hammer grinder/ mill or impact pulverizer. The leaf powder is then sieved with a stainless steel shieving & grading machine to get fine or very fine powder and then the fine or very fine powder is mixed with other ingredients in a stainless steel ribbon blender/mass mixer. Moringa leaf powder strongly attracts moisture and the product can reabsorb humidity during or after grinding/milling. Moringa leaf powder, therefore, should be dried for about 30 minutes at about 50 C to reduce moisture content considerably below 7.5%. finally grinded/milled fine or very fine powder makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the particles. All persons involved in packing of moringa leaf powder must ensure that, while on duty, personal cleanliness and hygiene are maintained. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as head caps, nose masks, disposable gloves etc. must be used at all times. The temperature and humidity must be controlled in the packaging room to avoid rehumidification of the product. After drying, the powder is left to cool and packed into clean, single use polythene bags and sealed. This is enclosed in a second polythene bag and heat-sealed to maintain freshness and dryness prior to further use. The bags should be stored in a cool and dry place. Moringa leaf powder or product should be packaged in clean, dry and opaque containers made of materials that do not affect the quality of the product. Each package must be properly sealed to prevent content leakage as well as moisture absorption.

LABELLING

Each package or packet of moringa leaf product must be legibly marked with the following information

• Name of product,
• Net content,
• Name and address of manufacturer/producer,
• Lot/batch identification number,
• Instructions for use,
• Production/packing date,
• . Nutritional information etc