VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF ANNUAL MORINGA (MORINGA OLEIFERA LAM.): A REVIEW OF PROPAGATION METHODS, AUXIN RESPONSE AND NURSERY MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam., commonly known as drumstick tree or murungai, is an important multipurpose vegetable and tree crop cultivated extensively in tropical and subtropical regions. In India, annual cultivars such as PKM 1 and PKM 2 are commercially important because of their productivity and suitability for intensive cultivation. Although moringa is commonly propagated through seed, seed-derived plants may exhibit variability in growth and other desirable characteristics. Vegetative propagation provides an alternative approach for multiplying selected mother plants and producing relatively uniform planting material. This review synthesizes recent research on hardwood cuttings, semi-hardwood cuttings, air layering, grafting and other clonal propagation approaches in M. oleifera, with particular emphasis on annual cultivars PKM 1 and PKM 2. Recent experimental evidence demonstrates that propagation success is influenced by cultivar, propagule maturity and size, propagation method, auxin concentration, rooting medium and nursery environment. Among the conventional methods evaluated in annual moringa, air layering has shown particularly promising results. PKM 2 air layering treated with 4000 ppm indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) recorded early rooting and sprouting together with greater root and shoot biomass, whereas semi-hardwood cuttings treated with 1500 ppm IBA produced the longest roots in PKM 2. Recent studies have additionally demonstrated the potential of shorter hardwood cuttings, grafting, basal branch cuttings and improved nursery media. The review highlights the need for cultivar-specific propagation protocols, multi-season validation, economic assessment and large-scale nursery testing. An integrated approach combining elite mother plant selection, standardized propagule characteristics, optimized auxin treatment, suitable rooting media, effective hardening and field validation can contribute to the commercial production of vigorous and uniform annual moringa planting material.