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Neem trees are normally planted everywhere in India, for
purification of air. Billions of trees
exist all over India. If the seeds fallen on ground are
collected, and oil is extracted at village
level expellers, thousands of tons of oil will be available for
Lighting the Lamps in rural area.
It is the best oil for lighting. Since these are spread over a
large area, collection of seeds for
BioDiesel manufacture is not viable. (A compact plantation can
support a BioDiesel plant).
Climate : The Neem has adapted to a wide range of climates. It
thrives well in hot weather,where the maximum shade temperature is
as high as 49C and tolerates cold up to 0C on
altitudes up to 1500 meters. Today, Neem is well established
plant in at least 30 countries
world-wide, in Asia, Africa and Central and South America. Some
small scale plantations are
also reportedly successful in the United States of America.
Soil : The Neem grows on almost all types of soils including
clay, saline and alkaline soils,
with pH up to 8.5, but does well on black cotton soil and deep,
well-drained soil with good
sub-soil water. Unlike most other multipurpose tree species, it
thrives well on dry, stony,
shallow soils and even on soils having hard calcareous or clay
pan, at a shallow depth. The
tree improves the soil fertility and water-holding capacity as
it has a unique property of
calcium mining, which changes the acidic soils into neutral.
Requirement of Water : Neem tree needs little water and plenty
of sunlight. The tree growsnaturally in areas where the rainfall is
in the range of 450 to 1200 mm. However, it has been
introduced successfully even in areas where the rainfall is as
low as 200 - 250 mm. It cannot
withstand water-logged areas and poorly drained soils.
Time to Mature : The Neem grows slowly during the first year of
planting. Young neem
plants cannot tolerate intensive shade, frost or excessive cold.
A Neem tree normally begins
to bear fruit between 3 and 5 years and becomes fully productive
in 10 years. A mature tree
produce 30 - 50 kg. fruit every year.
Life of Tree : It is estimated that a Neem tree has a productive
life span of 150 - 200 years.
Organic Farming : The Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica A. juss) and
its derivatives have
great relevance in organic farming practices. The tree is a
renewable resource for home
grown agro-chemicals and nutrients which are bio-degradable,
non-toxic and effective.
Pest Control : Neem seeds and leaves contain many compounds
which are useful for pest
control. Unlike chemical insecticides, neem compounds work on
the insect's hormonal
system, not on the digestive or nervous system and therefore
does not lead to development of
resistance in future generations. Neem has had a long history of
use primarily against
household and storage pests and to some extent against crop
pests in the Indian sub-continent.
Crop Pests : M. N. Nagendra Prasad, Lecturer in Biotechnology,
S. J. College of
Engineering, Mysore, 23 has been working on a destructive
disease of neem for last 8 years.
The disease is called die-back caused by a pathogen called
Phomopsis azadirachtae, a
deuteromycetes fungi. He has published quite a number of papers
on the severity and the
incidence of it in different parts of India. The disease is so
destructive that it can kill the treecompletely over a period of
time and further incidence is as high as 90% in karnataka and
Tamilnadu, if you need any other details on it contact him at
[email protected]
Fertilizer : Indian farmers have traditionally used deoiled Neem
cake as a fertilizer in their
fields. The dual activity of Neem cake as fertilizer and pest
repellent, has made it a favoured
input. Neem leaves have also been used to enrich the soil.
Together, they are widely used in
India to fertilize cash crops. When Neem cake is ploughed into
the soil it also protects plant
roots from nematodes and white ants. Farmers in southern parts
of India puddle neem leaves
into flooded rice fields before the rice seedlings are
transplanted.
Analysis of 100 kg of Neem Seed Cake
Contents Amount in KgsNitrogen 3.56
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Destructive%20diseases%20of%20neem&body=Mr.%20Nagendra%20Prasad,mailto:[email protected]?subject=Destructive%20diseases%20of%20neem&body=Mr.%20Nagendra%20Prasad,
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Phosphorous 0.83
Potassium 1.67
Calcium 0.77
Magnesium 0.75
Neem for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Conservation
: In the past two
decades, "Green Revolution Technologies" have more than doubled
the yield potential of rice
and wheat, especially in Asia. These high-input production
systems requiring massive
quantities of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, and machines.
However, disregarding the
ecological integrity of land, forests, and water resources,
endanger the flora and fauna, and
cannot be sustained over generations. Also, we cannot look to
the sea in future as fishing
stocks in many parts of the world are already in crisis due to
over fishing or pollution. To a
great extent, future food security and economic independence of
developing countries would
depend on improving the productivity of biophysical resources
through the application of
sustainable production methods, by improving tolerance of crops
to adverse environmental
conditions, and by reducing crop and post-harvest losses caused
by pests and diseases.Environmentally Friendly Agricultural
Technologies : Appropriate technologies, which
do not assault the nature, would have key roles to play in
ensuring food security, in
improving human health, and in rehabilitating and conserving the
environment to safeguard
the well being of the posterity. Instead of striving for more
"Green Revolutions" with
emphasis on miracle seeds, hard-hitting, synthetic and
engineered pesticides, and increased
use of fertilizers, the future must look to natural ways and
processes for augmenting
agricultural productivity. In fact, all development efforts and
activities should be within well
defined ecological rules rather than within narrow economic
gains. Sustainable agricultural
systems must be ecologically sound for long-term food
sufficiency, equitable in providing
social justice, and ethical in respecting both future
generations and other species. For
developing countries, the use of the neem tree may provide a key
component in more
sustainable agricultural system including pest and nutrient
management, human health, and
environmental conservation.
Neem and Environment : Neem has powerful pest controlling
activities and medicinal
properties. More importantly, pesticides made from neem are much
safer compared to
synthetic pesticides. The side-effects of the synthetic
pesticides are often not less serious than
the problems themselves. They cause environmental contamination
and are a great risk to
human health. As a consequence, there has been an intense search
for safer pesticides.
Environmental Service by Neem : Neem in Indian culture has been
ranked higher than
'Kalpavriksha', the mythological wish-fulfilling tree. In
'Sharh-e-Mufridat Al-Qanoon', neem
has been named as 'Shajar-e-Mubarak', 'the blessed tree',
because of its highly beneficialproperties. Although scientific
studies are wanting, neem is reputed to purify air and the
environment of noxious elements. Its shade not only cools but
prevents the occurrence of
many diseases.
During hot summer months in northern parts of the Indian
subcontinent, the temperature
under the neem tree is ~10C less than the surrounding
temperature. Ten air conditioners
operated together may not do the job as efficiently and
economically as a full grown neem.
Restoration of the health of degraded soils and ultimate use of
such reclaimed waste landsthrough neem is another example of its
value as an environmental panacea.
Neem in Reforestation and Agro-Forestry : Neem is a very
valuable forestry species in
India and Africa and is also becoming popular in Tropical
America, the middle-east countries
and in Australia. Being a hardy, multipurpose tree, it is ideal
for reforestation programs andfor rehabilitating degraded, semiarid
and arid lands.
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Biomass Production and Utilization : Full grown neem trees yield
10 to 100 tons of dried
biomass per hectare, depending on rainfall, site
characteristics, spacing, ecotype or genotype.
Leaves comprise about 50% of the biomass; fruits and wood
constitute one-quarter each.
Improved management of neem stands can yield harvests of about
12.5 cubic meter (40 tons)
of high quality solid wood per hectare.
Neem wood is hard and relatively heavy and used for religious
icons in some parts of India.The wood seasons well, except for end
splitting. Being durable and termite resistant, neem
wood is used in making fence posts, poles for house
construction, furniture etc.
Economic Potential of Neem : According to some estimates, there
are about 20 million
neem trees in India. A neem tree normally starts fruiting after
3-5 years. In about 10 years it
becomes fully productive. Under favourable conditions fresh
fruit yield per fully grown tree
is about 50 kg per year. There is a potential of about 540,000
tons of seed, which can yield
about 107,000 tons of oil and 425,000 tons of cake. However, in
spite of good demand, only
about 25 to 30 percent of the neem seed is collected in India,
indicating a large untapped
potential.
The recovery of oil from poor quality seeds is not good. That is
why the price paid for such
seeds is low. Collection and drying of seeds are the main
problems at the village level. Theseed needs to be de-pulped
immediately after collection, sun dried and stored till crushed
for
oil extraction. Any delay in de-pulping the seed and drying
affects the quality in respect of oil
content. Properly dried seeds can be stored up to one year,
although it has been recommended
to store for a minimum of three months after collection for
maximum oil recovery.
Appropriate Method for Storing Neem Seeds : As the dried sees
can also become mouldy
during storage, they should only be stored in airy containers
(e.g. jute sacks or baskets).
Airtight containers such as plastic bags or pots are
unsuitable.
Other Uses of Neem Oil : Apart from pesticide application for
storage and protection, neem
oil has been a trusted remedy for a naturally healthy skin in
the villages of India. Derived
from the seeds of the neem tree it contains all the disinfecting
and healing properties of the
tree, in a concentrated easily usable form. For centuries, this
therapeutic oil has provided
protection and oil is used for soap making, pharmaceuticals such
as creams. Neem oil is
currently used in cosmetics for creams, lotions and
shampoos.
