Assessment of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf extract as natural biostimulant on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) crop production Singh Pankaj*, Singh Sanjay1, Reddy GRS Institute of Forest Biodiversity, Dulapally, Kompally (S.O), Hyderabad - 500 100 1Forest Research Centre for Eco-Rehabilitation, 3/1 Lajpatrai Road, Prayagraj - 211 002 *Email: singhpankaj522@gmail.com
Online published on 10 May, 2021. Abstract The present study aims to assess the effect of aqueous and low concentrated aqueous-ethanolic Moringa oleifera leaves extract (MOLE) as natural biostimulant on the productivity and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). MOLE was prepared from fresh leaves (500 g in 500 ml distilled water) and designated as 100 per cent. From this, 12.5 per cent MOLE was taken common to all treatments except control whereas 10, 20 and 30 per cent aqueous ethanol was used to dilute. Five different treatments viz., T1- control, distilled water spray only, T2-12.5 per cent MOLE in distilled water, T3-12.5 per cent MOLE in 10 per cent aqueous ethanol, T4-12.5 per cent MOLE in 20 per cent aqueous ethanol and T5-12.5 per cent MOLE in 30 per cent aqueous ethanol were employed as foliar application mixed with surfactant for proper adherence, once a week starting from flower bud initiation till most of the fruits matured for harvesting. Increase in tomato yield i.e. fresh weight was 163.98 per cent and dry weight 167.85 per cent as compared to control was recorded with 12.5 per cent MOLE in 20 per cent ethanol (T4). The study indicates that Moringa oleifera leaf extract can be successfully used in vegetable production to improve productivity and yield in an environmentally friendly manner reducing fertilizer and pesticide consumption. Top Keywords Biostimulant, Crop productivity, Eco-friendly, Foliar spray. Top |