Neem Cultivation

Booklet No. 457 Medicinal Plants: MPS - 14

Contents Preface I. Introduction II. Morphology III. Climate IV. Soil V. Growth and Flowering VI. Seed and Storage VII. Propagation VIII. Direct Sowing IX. Nursery Practices X. Cuttings XI. Planting Techniques XII. Irrigation and Weeding XIII. Plantation Growth XIV. Plant Protection XV. Yield and Economics XVI. Uses 1. Preface Neem, also known as 'Margosa' is a large ever green tree commonly found throughout India. It is a very useful roadside and avenue tree in dry and moderately dry climate and an excellent shade tree during the hot season when the other trees are bare. Every part of the tree is economically and medicinally important. The various aspects of neem are covered in this booklet Dr. K. T. Chandy, Agricultural & Environmental Education I. Introduction Neem is one of the most valuable trees in the tropics. It has many commercially exploited by-products. The tree is medicinally valuable because of its amoebicidal, antiallergic, anti-fungal, insecticidal, antidermatic, anti-inflammatory properties. It is cited as a tree conducive to the welfare of the family if planted in the garden or in the house. In the forest literature it is recommended for afforestation of dry areas, soil conservation, reclamation of alkaline soils and along avenues for shade and ornamental purposes. Neem belongs to the family Meliaceae, genus Azadirachta and species indica. It is native to India but cultivated throughout South east Asia, Australia, Africa, the Caribbean and many countries in Central and South America. In India it occurs throughout the country, especially in the drier regions of tropical dry deciduous and thorn forests and in tropical ever green forests of the states namely Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Andaman and Nirobar islands.

It is known by several names in different regions in India given in table 1. Table 1 : Vernacular names of neem Sl.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Language Bengali Hindi Kannada Malayalam Gujarat Marati Punjabi Tamil Telugu Name Nim Nim Bavina Veppu Limba Limba Nimb Veppam Vepa

Neem is a deep rooted medium sized tree. It attains a height of about 20 mts height usually, ever green except for periods of extreme drought. Neem is rarely leafless and it is in full foliage in summer when other trees are leafless. New leaves appear in March-April. It has a short bole with wide spreading branches forming a round or oval crown. The bark is thick grey with reddish hard and durable heart wood and the inner bark is reddish brown. Leaves are alternate, 20-25 cms long and glabrous. Leaflets may be 9-17 in number, sub-opposite 5-10 x 13 cms, lanceolate, unequal sided, deeply serrate, acuminate, bright green and shining above, sub sessile or with minute petioles. flowers are greenish-white, sweet scented, 5 mm long in axillary panicles. Fruits are drupes 1-2 cms long ovoid oblong, generally one seeded, greenishyellow when ripe. Seed viability is very short. III. Climate Azadirachta indica is a tree with wide climatic adaptability. In its range, the maximum temperature may exceed 40C and the minimum temperature varies from 20 to 150 C. It cannot withstand frost especially in the seedling and sapling stages. Due to its frost sensitivity, neem is restricted to altitudes below 1250 mts. In arid tropical and subtropical zones it is almost successful in a mean average annual rainfall of 450-1150 mm. It will tolerate rainfall as low as 130 mm a year. It can also tolerate long dry seasons. The relative humidity in its natural range of distribution in July varies from 60-90% and in January 40-90 percent. IV. Soil The tree grows well on moist soils as well as dry, stony, clay and shallow soils. But will not grow on seasonally water - logged soils or on deep dry sands where the dry season water table is below 18 metres. It does well on black-soils. The roots seem to have an unusual ability to extract nutrients and moisture from highly leached sandy soils, as it has deep tap root system. The optimum pH is 6.2 or above, although neem will grow well at pH 5.0 bringing surface soils to neutral pH by its leaf litter. It does not grow well on saline soils but can persists on such soils where a few species do grow. These species if planted in deep pits, break the kankar pan of saline sites and replacing the saline soils plug by non-saline soil with the addition of farm yard manure and gypsum. In general the tree performs better when drainage is good and the sub-soil water level is fairly high.

V. Growth and Flowering The seeds have no dormancy and germinates quickly. Germination is epigenous. The seedlings have moderate rate of growth and attain a height of about 20 to 30 cms by the end of the first season. Growth continues almost throughout the year in South India, but in North India the growth of the seedlings ceases by about November and new growth starts in March the following year. Important factors affecting seedlings growth are moisture availability and weed competition. While a limited supply of soil moisture restricts plant growth, excessive soil moisture causes the tap root to rot. The growth from sapling stage onward is fairly rapid; annual girth increment of about 2-3 cms is normally obtained and in irrigated plantations it can go up to 8 cms also. Leaf shedding and flowering are controlled by the climatic conditions of the locality. The trees become leafless only for a short period during February-March. The new leaves appear in March-April soon after the old ones have fallen. It flowers differently under different soil-climatic regions viz. during December in Karnataka, in January in Kerala, in the first week of March in Madhya Pradesh, first week in April in northern India and the first week of May in the sub-Hima-layan region. VI. Seed and Storage Only fruits at the yellow-green colored stage are pricked from the branches or they can be collected by sweeping the ripe fruits from the floor. The fruits are de-pulped immediately after collection. Soaking in cold water for a few hours help in removing the pulp. Fruits are then rubbed over a coffee weir and floated in water to separate the seed from pulp. The ratio of pulp to seed is 1:2. Storing neem seeds for five months at 40% natural moisture content at 16C temperature is possible. For short storage, the seeds are stored in closed polythene bags and , exposed to air once a week to keep them viable. Long term storage of neem seeds for more than 10 years is done at 4% moisture content and-20C temperature. For this purpose the seeds are dried very quickly i.e. within a few hours after de-pulping in a mono layer at a temperature more than 20C (to prevent chilling damage) under a fan. Shade drying and storage of seed in cloth bags at temperature up to 4C is also done to improve seed viability. Storage of seeds in earthen pot containing wet sand (30% moisture) helps to retain viability up to 60% at the end of 3 months. The viability of the seeds fall under too weeks of collection and hence they should not be sown after 7 weeks of collection. Germination capacity of fresh seeds is 70-W% and so seeds should be sown as soon as possible after collection. On an average 5000 seeds weigh one kilograms. For viability the seeds can be cut across with a sharp blade and the cotyledons are examined. If the cotyledons are green, the seeds are, sound and if these have turned yellow or brown, the seeds will not germinate. VII. Propagation

The propagation can be either by natural or artificial regeneration. A. Natural regeneration Mature trees seed profusely. The seeds are dispersed by birds under natural conditions. Since the neem fruits and seeds ripen at the onset of rainy season, the seeds ordinarily reach the grounds at a right time for germination. Usually it takes a week or two to germinate. The seedling with a moderate rate of growth attain a height of about 20-30 cms at the end of first year. B. Artificial regeneration The plant coppices well and produces root suckers in dry localities. It withstands pollarding but fire kills it outright. Direct sowing, transplanting, cuttings or stump planting are the common methods. The plants establish an extensive root system before aerial growth picks up. Air layered branches treated with INA & NAA in linoleic paste at 0.1 % root satisfactorily. The methods of artificial regeneration are dealt separately in the following chapter. VIII. Direct Sowing Direct sowing of freshly collected seed has proved very successful and is preferred to other methods. It is done in patches or in lines. The soil is worked 10 a depth of about 15 cms and the seeds arc sown at a depth of 1.5 cms. Patches are spaced about 3 x 3 mts and the spacing between the lines may be about 3mts. A seed rate of about 3-4 kg/ha is sufficient weeding of the patches or lines is necessary to save young seedlings from being smothered by weeds. Seedlings are thinned at the time of weeding where 2 seedlings per patch or 2 seedlings per metre of line are retained. The areas sown need 10 be fenced to protect the seedlings against browsing. IX. Nursery Practices The nursery could be either a temporary or permanent one. The soil in either case should have a perennial water source and located on a flat ground with well drained soil. On a hill side, a moderate slope preferably on the northern side is chosen. The germination rate of neem varies between 15% (stored seed) and 85% (fresh seed). Hence to ensure higher viability of the seeds, their immediate sowing in the nursery is recommended. Sowing of seeds in the nursery beds made of fine river sand is done in drills of 15 cms apart. The seeds are sown 2.5, cms deep at a distance of one cm. in the lines and lightly covered with earth to safeguard against birds and insects which often eat the radicles of the germinated seeds on the surface. The beds are sparingly watered to prevent caking. Germination starts in about 8 days and continues for about 3 weeks. Seeds are sown 3-4 months before planting date. Alternatively, seed can be sown directly into pots. Germination occurs in about 1-2 weeks. Once the hypocotyl is erect the seedling is transplanted into the containers. The potting mix comprises of 50% sandy loam, 40% river sand and 10% compost by volume. Seedlings can be planted at 15 x 15 cms distance when they are two months old which provide more space for growth in the nursery. They do not require any shading. Soil working and weeding are beneficial. When the seedlings are 7-10 cms tall with tap root system about 15

cms long they can be transplanted with balls of earth around them. Usually one to two year old seedlings are transplanted though one year old seedlings are preferable. In dry areas, it is necessary to plant larger seedlings of at least 45 cms height since the smaller ones are unable to tide over the drought period. This is the reasons why seedlings are kept in the nursery beds for another year before planting in next rains. Usually planting is done in July- August in pits dug in advance is followed by weeding and bush cuttings. X. Cuttings As per the Biotechnology center for Tree Improvement, Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh, mist propagation of terminal cuttings. mid cuttings, epicormic shoots is done by treating with indole butryic acid (IBA) of suitable concentration. The percentage of rooting is highest (80-85%) at 1000 ppm IBA. At a concentration of 2000 ppm IBA it produces about 50% rooting in semi-hard wood mid cuttings. Juvenile cuttings (terminal and epicormic shoots) respond well at lower concentrations and give higher percentage rooting when compared to semi-hard wood cuttings. The percentage of rooting however decreases during the winter (November-December) due to bud dormancy. For stump planting, root and shoot-cuttings are made from 12-13 month old nursery plants. The pits are dug in April - May for July-August plantings. The stumps are prepared keeping 2.5 - 5 cms of shoot portion and 23 cms of root and are planted in crow bar holes of 3045 cubic metres size at the break of rains. In South, stumps from two year old plants have given higher survival and better height growth than one year old root stock. From root-shoot cuttings 53% success has been reported from Maharashtra. The success of root-shoot cuttings depends upon rains and prolonged drought may affect survival to a great extent. XI. Planting Techniques Neem can be easily raised through direct sowing, transplanting, root-shoot cuttings, polypot planting etc. The choice varies with the edaphic, climatic, biotic and economic conditions of the site. For degraded areas, direct sowing is more successful and economical provided adequate protection is given during early stages. It is done either by dibbling in bushes, broadcast sowing, line sowing, sowing on ridges, in trenches, etc. which are described in detail here. A. Dibbling in bushes In Ajmer (Rajasthan), neem seed is successfully dibbled under Euphorbia bushes. For this purpose small pits are made and 3-5 seeds sown in each pit and covered. B. Broadcast sowing This is generally done in ploughed or unploughed land. Very good results are obtained by ploughing up the ground twice. In Tamil Nadu, early ploughing during pre-monsoon showers gives better results than ploughing after the monsoon has set in. In arid areas ploughing is ddne in early spring when the soil is just moist after the winter rain. C. Sowing in lines In Maharashtra, neem is grown along with babul in line sowings in combination with field crops. Here neem is used as a buffer species to control the insect attack to which babul is

susceptible. The area is generally cultivated for two years with any field crops before babul is sown in lines 4.5-5.5 mts. apart. Smaller intervals, earlier proved too close to suit the field crops, usually cotton, sesamum and arhar (Cajanus cajan). Cultivation is continued in the 4th and 5th years and blanks in the lines filled in by further sowing. It is extended by two more years in exceptional cases if in the mean time the lines have not been stocked with seedlings adequately. Else where, sowing in lines 3 mts apart on tilled soil has given good results. D. Sowing on ridges This is prescribed for heavy soils. In Maharashtra, sowing on ridges of about 70 cms high, 60 cm diameter at the top and 2 mts diameter at the base in poor soils has given satisfactory results. The plants reached 90 cm height, 16 months after sowing. In Kamataka, sowing on ridges 3.7 x 1.2 x 46 cms in 2.7 mts apart rows on black cotton soils has been successful with plants attaining a maximum height of 1.4 metres in one year after sowing. E. Sowing in trenches On dry sites, for conserving the moisture, continuous or interrupted trenches are made on which direct sowing is successful. In Tummala method" of Tamil Nadu the trenches are aligned at an angle of 45 degrees to the confours. Similarly, Sunken beds" are in vogue in Kamataka and "saucer method" in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Aerial seeding method succeeds only if sufficient ground cover is assured. These are the methods of direct sowing. The entire/polypot planting is also described in detail as follows. F. Entire/polypot planting Seedlings which attain 20-25 cm height by the beginning of rainy season, are planted out in pits of 30 cubic metres at a spacing of 3 x 3 mts or any: other spacing depending upon the purpose of planting. Pruning of leaves (except at the tip) and roots has been proved successful in Nagpur district of Maharashtra. In Tamilnadu, plants of 45 cm height are used for this purpose as the smaller plants cannot withstand drought. Planting is done during the rainy season. Planting of root-shoot cuttings are already given earlier. Entire/polypot seedlings and root-shoot cuttings are more; relevant for agro-foresting, silvi-pastures and roadside avenue plantation. XII. Irrigation and Weeding Irrigation is done whenever necessary. In arid region it is planted along the canals and are watered for the first 5-7 years. This is the practice in the desert area of Rajasthan. Under Saudi Arabia's arid conditions, neem is usually watered for the first 10-12 years, after which it taps ground water. Strip weeding of young plantations has a positive effect on health and survival. Ordinarily two weedings are sufficient in the first. year and one weeding during the second year. First mechanical thinning in case of transplanted seedlings is done at the age of 5 years. Thinning and weeding are also important in nursery. XIII. Plantation Growth

The rate of growth of neem in plantation varies with the quality of soil. It is fairly rapid up to the age of 5 years after which it will slow down. The plant attains a height of 4 mts at 5 years and 10 mts at 25 years. The mean annual girth increment is 2.3 -3. cm. More rapid growth is attained under favorable conditions. In Karnataka naturally grown neem trees of 10 years age give an average height of 6.58 mts and girth of 68.1 centi meters. In alkaline soils of Uttar Pradesh neem attains an average height of 170 cms at the end of first season and 264 cms at second season. Seventh month old root suckers give the average height of 65.7 cm. In Andhra Pradesh following pattern of growth is found (Table 2). Table 2 : Growth Pattern in Neem in Andhra Pradesh Sl.No 1 2 3 4 Age in years 9 8 6 3 Height (mts) 6.1 3.7 3.4 2.4 Girth (cm) 41.9 38.1 11.4 10.2

The rate of development of young neem plantations is fairly rapid after first year. In Atrican countries neem planta- tions yield 108-137 cubic metres of tuel wood per hectare after 8 years and a tree of 16 years age attain a girth of 1.32 metres. XIV. Plant Protection The pests and diseases of neem are mentioned here. A. Insects pests of neem Notwithstanding the possession of extraordinary medicinal properties, the young neem plants are frequented by not less than 60 insect species from allover the world. A few which cause considerable damage to the seedlings and young plants are tip borer ( Laspeyresia koenigiana), tea mosquito (Helopettis antmii) and scale insect (Aonidiella orientalis). In India, 38 species of pests recorded so far. The larvae of Enarmonia koenigana field on rolled leaves and bore tender shoots. The larvae of Cleora cornaria and Odites atmopa defoliate the leaves. The insects like Aspidiotus orientalis, Ceroplastes ceriforus feed on the sap. Rodents devour the fruits greedily and consume most of them after they fall to the ground. Various measures which can be adopted for the control of insect-pests include following of sound silvi-cultural practices, using the natural enemy complex of the fauna and application of systemic insecticides. B. Diseases ofneem The fungi, that cause diseases in neem, are Cercospora subsessilis, Fusarium species, Colletotrichum gleosporiodes, Alternaria alternata, Rhizoctonia solanum Oidium azadirachtae, etc. The species Xylaria azadirachtae has been reported on seeds. Seed in storage has been found contaminated mostly with Aspergillus species. The fungus Alternaria alternata which causes leaf spot and blight during October-November, damaging 80% leaf area, is controlled by the application of blitox.

The fungus Cercospora subsessilis which causes leaf spot in the seedlings is effectively controlled by the application of Manconeb in combination with bavistin. Important plantation diseases of neem include ganoderma root rot, pink disease and phomoposis. Twig blight root rot is caused by Ganoderma becidum which occurs sporadically in trees when raised without removing the stump and roots of the original tree crop. It is controlled by following sound silvi cultural practices. The pink disease caused by Corticum salmonicolor is becoming serious particularly in warm and humid conditions. XV. Yield and Economics Seeds of neem are a source of oil which is widely used in soap making and for pharmaceutical purposes. The present production of neem oil is estimated at 83,000 tons per year worth Rs. 50 crores. As a by-product of neem oil industry about 3,30,000 tones of neem cake is produced worth 65 crore rupees. the neem cake is used as organic manure in agriculture. An average tree of 8 mts height gives about 50 kg of dry leaves per year. Two hundred trees in one hectare generally yield 10 ton leaves worth Rs. 10,000. Fruit yield per tree/year ranges from 37 to 55 kilogram. The fresh fruit gives on an average 60% of dry fruit. The kernel which constitutes 10% of dry fruit, yields 45% of fixed oil. After 5-6 years, a grown-up tree yields on an average about 25 kg seeds per year. With an average price of Rs. 2 per kilogram, a tree generates a gross income of Rs. 50/- per year and with about 200 trees per hectare, the annual income is Rs. 10,000 which is higher than the returns of many food crops. The neem tree's wood is used for timber. It takes approximately 30-50 years for harvesting the timber. Its one cubic metre of wood weighs about 925 kg. With an average yield of 0.3 cu m timber per tree at the time of maturity, the total yield / per hectare is around 6 cubic metres which may fetch a gross income of Rs. 1,80,000/- for a farmer. The annual biomass increment of neem plantation has been reported at 3-10 cu mt/ha, which is considered as medium fast growth. The cost-benefit analysis of neem also indicates that the cultivation of neem trees on wasteland is more profitable than cultivating food crops in un-irrigated areas. As most of the small farmers own unproductive and marginal plantation areas, which are not ideal for crop production, neem can be cultivated either as a sole crop or in field bunds to improve their livelihood. Fuel wood yield per tree at the age of 50 years is 50 kg in Rajasthan but subject to amortized cost revenues constraints, the economic optima 25 kg per tree after 23 years, which is 50 quintal per hectare worth Rs. 2500 per year. XVI. Uses Almost every part of the tree is bitter and finds application in indigenous medicines. Neem extracts have been reported to possess anti-diabetic, anti bacterial and antiviral properties and they have been used successfully in cases of stomach worms and ulcers. The stem and root bark and young fruits are reported to possess astringent, tonic and antiperiodic properties. The bark is reported to be more beneficial in malarial fever and useful in cutaneous diseases.

The bark exudes a clear, bright, amber colored gum known as the East-India gum, which is inferior to gum arcibica in its adhesive property. This gum is particularly used by the silk dyers in the preparation of colors. The bark yields the fiber, locally used for making rope. The twigs and leaves are fed to cattle. In South India neem leaves are fed to goats and cattle to increase the milk production immediately after pasturation tender twigs are used to clean teeth particularly in pyorrhea. The leaves are also kept amongst woolens and books to protect them against pests. The dried leaves are excellent protection against rice weevil and red flour beetle. The leaves also protect potatoes in storage. The fruit is used as a tonic, antiperiodic in urinary disease and in the treatment of piles. The dried fruits when boiled in water are useful in cutaneous diseases. For oil extraction seed should be stored for at least 3 months. Seed consist of 45% kernel and 55% shell. The seed is decorticated in stone grinders. The powdered form of fruit or vernal when mixed with wheat protects it against rice weevil, grubs and grain borer. The suspension of kernel (0.1%) when sprayed, protects various crops of vegetables, cereals and fruits against locusts. The kernels yield a greenish yellow bitter oil known as "Oil of ' margo sa". Seed contains 23.5% oil. The oil is used in some chronic skin diseases and ulcers. Its external application is useful in case of rheumatism, leprosy and sprain. The warm oil relieves ear trouble, dental and gum trouble. The oil also possess antiseptic and antifungal properties and it is used in cosmetic preparations such as hair oil, creams, soaps, washing and tooth pastes. Regular application of hair oil has prevent baldness and greying of hair. The cake left after the extraction of oil is used as food for livestock, as manure and insecticides. Keeping quality of cake is good. The cake is an inhibitor of nitrification which is helpful if in the efficient use of nitrogenous fertilizers. The shell from the seeds can be used for the production of activated carbon and tooth powder. The powdered shells are used as fillers in thermosething moulding compositions. The dried flowers are also eaten either raw or in curries , and soups or as a fried dish in South India. The tree is a good source of timber and fire wood. The uses and medicinal properties of the neem tree are described in detail in the booklet No. 470 -"Neem: Utilization". %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%