INTRODUCTION
DRUMSTICK IS ONE OF FAMOUS VEGETABLE CROP IN INDIA. DRUMSTICK SCIENTIFICAL CALLED AS MORINGA OLEIFERA IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS SAHJAN (HINDI), SHEVGA (IN MARATHI),MURUNGAI (TAMIL), MURINGNGA (MALAYALAM) AND MUNAGAKAYA (TELUGU) IN DIFFERENT INDIANLANGUAGES. DRUMSTICK IS THE MOST WIDELY CULTIVATED SPECIES OF THE GENUS MORINGA COMES FROMTHE MORINGACEAE FAMILY.THOUGH THE ORIGIN OF DRUMSTICKS IS INDIA, DUE TO ITS MEDICINAL USES ITHAS REACHED OTHER COUNTRIES ALSO.DRUMSTICK TREE, MORINGA IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS MULTI-PURPOSEATTRIBUTES, WIDE ADAPTABILITY AND EASE OF ESTABLISHMENT. ITS LEAVES, PODS AND FLOWERS ARE ALLPACKED WITH NUTRIENTS FOR BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMALS. ALMOST EVERY PART OF THE PLANT IS OF FOODVALUE. FOLIAGE IS EATEN AS GREEN SALADS AND USED IN VEGETABLE CURRIES. THE SEEDS YIELD 38-40%OF A NON-DRYING OIL KNOWN AS BEN OIL, USED FOR LUBRICATING WATCHES. THE OIL IS CLEAR, SWEET ANDODOURLESS, NEVER BECOMES RANCID AND HENCE, USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PERFUMES.
CLIMATIC CONDITION
DRUMSTICK CAN SURVIVE IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS WITH MINIMAL WATER REQUIREMENT. THEY CAN THRIVE IN POOR SOILS ALSO.HOT AND HUMID CLIMATE IS SUITABLE FOR GROWTHAND DRY CLIMATE FOR FLOWERING. THE TEMPERATURE OF 25 TO 30 DEGREE C IS SUITABLE FOR FLOWERINGIN DRUMSTICK
SUITABLE SOIL AND IT’S PREPARATION
THE MORINGA/DRUMSTICK PLANT GROWS BEST IN WELLDRAINED SANDY OR LOAMY SOIL WITH A SLIGHTLY ACID PH OF 6.2 TO NEUTRAL 7.0. IT CAN TOLERATE POORSOIL INCLUDING COASTAL AREAS.
NURSERY RAISING
IN DRUMSTICK FARMING, IF YOU WANT TO USE NURSERY RAISED PLANTS, USE POLYBAGS WITH DIMENSIONS OF ABOUT 18CM IN HEIGHT AND 12CM IN DIAMETER. THE SOIL MIXTURE FOR THESACKS SHOULD BE LIGHT, I.E. 3 PARTS SOIL TO 1 PART SAND. PLANT TWO OR THREE SEEDS IN EACH SACK, ONETO TWO CENTIMETERS DEEP. KEEP MOIST BUT NOT TOO WET. GERMINATION WILL OCCUR WITHIN 5 TO 12DAYS, DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF THE SEED AND PRE-TREATMENT METHOD USED. REMOVE EXTRASEEDLINGS, LEAVING ONE IN EACH SACK. SEEDLINGS CAN BE OUT-PLANTED WHEN THEY ARE 60-90CMHIGH. WHEN OUT-PLANTING, CUT A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SACK BIG ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE ROOTS TOEMERGE. BE SURE TO RETAIN THE SOIL AROUND THE ROOTS OF THE SEEDLING.TO ENCOURAGE RAPID GERMINATION, ONE OF THREE PRE-SEEDING TREATMENTS CAN BE CARRIED OUT INDRUMSTICK FARMING
PREPARATION OF LAND
IF PLANTING A LARGE PLOT IT IS RECOMMENDED TO FIRSTPLOUGH THE LAND. PRIOR TO PLANTING A SEED OR SEEDLING, DIG A PLANTING PIT ABOUT 50CM IN DEPTHAND THE SAME IN WIDTH. THIS PLANTING HOLE SERVES TO LOOSEN THE SOIL AND HELPS TO RETAINMOISTEN IN THE ROOT ZONE, ENABLING THE SEEDLINGS’ ROOTS DEVELOP RAPIDLY. COMPOST OR MANUREAT THE RATE OF 5KG PER PIT CAN BE MIXED WITH THE FRESH TOPSOIL AROUND THE PIT AND USED TO FILL THE PIT. AVOID USING THE SOIL TAKEN OUT OF THE PIT FOR THIS PURPOSE: FRESH TOPSOIL CONTAINSBENEFICIAL MICROBES THAT CAN PROMOTE MORE EFFECTIVE ROOT GROWTH. THE DAY BEFORE OUT PLANTING,WATER THE FILLED PITS OR WAIT UNTIL A GOOD RAIN BEFORE OUT-PLANTING SEEDLINGS. FILL IN THE HOLEBEFORE TRANSPLANTING THE SEEDLING. IN AREAS OF HEAVY RAINFALL, THE SOIL CAN BE SHAPED IN THEFORM OF A MOUND TO ENCOURAGE DRAINAGE. DO NOT WATER HEAVILY FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS. IF THESEEDLINGS FALL OVER, TIE THEM TO STICK 40CM HIGH FOR SUPPORT
METHOD OF SOWING
- DIRECT SEEDING IN DRUMSTICK FARMING :- IF WATER IS AVAILABLE FOR IRRIGATION (I.E., IN A BACKYARDGARDEN), TREES CAN BE SEEDED DIRECTLY AND GROWN ANY TIME DURING THE YEAR. PREPARE A PLANTINGPIT FIRST, WATER, AND THEN FILL IN THE PIT WITH TOPSOIL MIXED WITH COMPOST OR MANURE BEFOREPLANTING SEEDS. IN A LARGE FIELD, TREES CAN BE SEEDED DIRECTLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WET SEASON.
- GROWING FROM CUTTINGS IN DRUMSTICK FARMING :- USE HARD WOOD, NOT GREEN WOOD, FOR CUTTINGS.CUTTINGS SHOULD BE 45CM TO 1.5M LONG AND 10CM THICK. CUTTINGS CAN BE PLANTED DIRECTLY ORPLANTED IN SACKS IN THE NURSERY. WHEN PLANTING DIRECTLY, PLANT THE CUTTINGS IN LIGHT, SANDY SOIL.PLANT ONE-THIRD OF THE LENGTH IN THE GROUND (I.E., IF THE CUTTING IS 1.5M LONG, PLANT IT 50CMDEEP). DO NOT OVER WATER; IF THE SOIL IS TOO HEAVY OR WET, THE ROOTS MAY ROT. WHEN THE CUTTINGSARE PLANTED IN THE NURSERY, THE ROOT SYSTEM IS SLOW TO DEVELOP. ADD PHOSPHORUS TO THE SOIL IFARE PLANTED IN THE NURSERY, THE ROOT SYSTEM IS SLOW TO DEVELOP. ADD PHOSPHORUS TO THE SOIL IFPOSSIBLE TO ENCOURAGE ROOT DEVELOPMENT. CUTTINGS PLANTED IN A NURSERY CAN BE OUT-PLANTEDAFTER 2 OR 3 MONTHS.
PLANT SPACING
FOR INTENSIVE DRUMSTICK OR MORINGA PRODUCTION, PLANTTHE TREE EVERY 3 METERS IN ROWS 3 METERS APART. TO ENSURE SUFFICIENT SUNLIGHT AND AIRFLOW, IT ISALSO RECOMMENDED TO PLANT THE TREES IN AN EAST-WEST DIRECTION. WHEN THE TREES ARE PART OF ANALLEY-CROPPING SYSTEM, THERE SHOULD BE 10 METERS BETWEEN THE ROWS. THE AREA BETWEEN TREESSHOULD BE KEPT FREE OF WEEDS.
APPLICATION OF MANURES AND FERTILIZER
MORINGA TREES WILL GENERALLY GROW WELLWITHOUT ADDING VERY MUCH FERTILIZER.FARM YARD MANURE @ 8-10 KG PER PLANT HAS TO BE APPLIEDTO THE PLANTING PIT 8-10 DAYS BEFORE PLANTING OF SEEDLINGS AND 50 KG EACH OF NITROGEN,PHOSPHORUS AND POTASH PER HA. IS TO BE APPLIED AT THE TIME OF PLANTING AND THE SAME DOSE ISREPEATED AT EVERY SIX MONTHS INTERVAL FOR THE CROP IN DRUMSTICK FARMING
IRRIGATION AND WATER SUPPLY
MORINGA/DUMSTICK PLANTS DO NOT NEED MUCHWATERING. IN VERY DRY CONDITIONS, WATER REGULARLY FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS AND AFTERWARDS ONLYWHEN THE TREE IS OBVIOUSLY SUFFERING. MORINGA TREES WILL FLOWER AND PRODUCE PODS WHENEVERTHERE IS SUFFICIENT WATER AVAILABLE. IF RAINFALL IS CONTINUOUS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, MORINGA TREESWILL HAVE A NEARLY CONTINUOUS YIELD. IN ARID CONDITIONS, FLOWERING CAN BE INDUCED THROUGHIRRIGATION.THIS CROP IS QUITE HARDY AND DURING DRY SEASON REQUIRES IRRIGATION ONCE IN TWO WEEKSAND FOR COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION DRIP IRRIGATION (HTTP://AGRIFARMING.IN/TAG/DRIP-IRRIGATION) CAN BEADOPTED WITH DAILY APPLICATION RATE OF 12 TO 16 LITRES OF WATER PER TREE DURING SUMMER AND HALFTHIS RATE DURING OTHER SEASONS. WHERE WATER SOURCES ARE SCARCE LIFE SAVING IRRIGATION OR POTWATERING ONCE IN TWO WEEKS DURING DRY PERIOD WILL SUSTAIN THE CROP.
PRUNING
PRUNING OF PLANTS CAN BE PRACTICED AFTER ONE AND A HALF YEAR OFPLANTING COINCIDING WITH WINTER MONTHS AT AN HEIGHT OF ABOUT 3 FEET AND ALLOW 4 -5 BRANCHESPER TREE 2 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL.
PESTS AND DISEASES
HARVESTING AND YIELD
WHEN HARVESTING PODS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, HARVEST WHEN THEPODS ARE STILL YOUNG (ABOUT 1CM IN DIAMETER) AND SNAP EASILY. OLDER PODS DEVELOP A TOUGHEXTERIOR, BUT THE WHITE SEEDS AND FLESH REMAIN EDIBLE UNTIL THE RIPENING PROCESS BEGINS. WHEN PRODUCING SEED FOR PLANTING OR FOR OIL EXTRACTION, ALLOW THE PODS TO DRY AND TURN BROWN ON THE TREE. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO PROP UP A BRANCH THAT HOLDS MANY PODS TO PREVENTIT BREAKING OFF. HARVEST THE PODS BEFORE THEY SPLIT OPEN AND SEEDS FALL TO THE GROUND. SEEDS CAN BE STORED IN WELL-VENTILATED SACKS IN DRY, SHADY PLACES.
YIELD
THIS BASICALLY DEPENDS ON SEED TYPE/VARIETY CULTIVATED. THE YIELD COULD BE AROUND 50 – 55 TONNES OF PODS PER HECTARE (220 PODS PER TREE PER YEAR).