Development of Moringa at World Vegetable Centre

This study compares the properties of 4 different moringa species, which the World Vegetable Centre have grown since 2001. The species include M. oleifera, M. stenopetala, M. peregrina and M. drouhardii.  

Summary

“After more than a decade, considerable progress in research and development for moringa has been achieved in the areas of germplasm collection and conservation, variety evaluation, and nutrition value at the World Vegetable Center. The Center has now 70 accessions of moringa collected mostly from South and Southeast Asia, Africa and the USA representing four species (M. oleifera, M. peregrina, M. stenopetala and M. drouhardii). M. oleifera constitutes by far the largest group of accessions (97%). Field variety evaluation studies identified 10 promising accessions in terms of important horticultural traits such as leaf and young shoot biomass yield, stem diameter and number of side branches. Nutritional studies indicated that high levels of nutrients, antioxidants and glucosinolates, and low oxalate contents are common features of the four moringa species. While M. oleifera has the highest nutrient content, M. peregrina has the highest antioxidant content among the four species. Growing and harvest season influenced the nutritional quality of leaves. Vitamin A content increased during the hot-wet season while iron and vitamin C were highest during the cool-dry season. Promising accessions are being multiplied to meet the increasing demand for seed and planting materials of moringa. Future research will be focusing on improved crop management and propagation methods.”