Effects of Moringa on Growth Yield Snap Beans.Effects of Moringa on Growth Yield Snap Beans.

Extracts from fresh Moringa leaves could  be used to produce an effective plant growth enhancer, increasing yield.

ABSTRACT:
Two  field  experiments  were  carried  out  to  evaluate  the  effects  of  Moringa  leaf  extract  on  the growth,  yield and yield components  of snap bean. The results  showed  that Moringa  leaf extract applied at 11, 20, 33 and 50% concentration to snap bean plants at 10 days after emergence significantly (P = 0.05) increased vegetative growth, leaf chlorophyll content, plant dry matter (shoot and root), yield components  and fresh pod yield. The snap bean response  to increasing  Moringa extract  concentration  was  quadratic  with  respect  to  plant  height,  leaf  area,  leaf  number,  leaf chlorophyll   content,   shoot   dry  matter   and  root  dry  matter.   However,   Moringa   leaf  extract significantly (P = 0.05) reduced shoot and root water contents. Due to the Moringa extracts-induced increase in vegetative growth, leaf chlorophyll content, yield components and yield of snap beans, it was concluded that Moringa leaf extract could be used to enhance the growth and development  of snap beans.

Since  animal  protein  is  more  expensive than plant protein, legumes are important in less developed countries for the supply of relatively inexpensive proteins for rural and urban populations. However, grain yield of commercial crops of common beans is less than 1.0 tons/ha in most developing countries. In order to meet the rising food demand, emphasis has to be put on improving yields per hectare. This can be achieved  through  plant  breeding, biotechnology and application of plant growth regulators to positively modify plant growth to economic advantage.

Extracts  from fresh Moringa  leaves could  be used to produce an  effective  plant  growth  enhancer,  increasing yield  by  25-30%  for  nearly  any  crop  [5].  The active growth  enhancing  substances  in Moringa leaf  extract  are  reported  to  be  zeatin, dihydrozeatin and isopentyladenine which are natural  (endogenous)  cytokinins  [5,6].  The moringa  leaf is also composed  of proteins, minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids, glucosinolates, isothiocyanates and phenolics.

The use of Moringa leaf extracts as a possible plant growth enhancer or natural plant growth regulator has the potential to increase agricultural   production.  A  number  of  factors  such  as naturally-occurring toxicants (glycoalkaloids in potatoes), natural contaminants (mycotoxins and bacterial  toxins),  heavy  metals  (cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury), environmental pollutants, pesticide residues and microbial contamination threaten the safety of fruits and vegetables.  The use of Moringa leaf extract as a possible plant growth enhancer can provide a relatively environmentally safe, easily accessible and affordable means of increasing crop yields to meet the increasing  demand of food. The use of natural  plant  growth  enhancers  could  improve the situation for small scale and commercial farmers.  Therefore,  the  objective  of  this  study was to evaluate the effects of Moringa (Moringa oleifera  Lam)  leaf  extract  on  growth,  yield  and yield components  of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Two field experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of Moringa leaf extract on the growth, yield and yield components of snap bean. The results showed that Moringa leaf extract applied at 11, 20, 33 and 50% concentration to snap bean plants at 10 days after emergence significantly (P = 0.05) increased vegetative growth, leaf chlorophyll content, plant dry matter (shoot and root), yield components and fresh pod yield.

The snap bean response to increasing Moringa extract concentration was quadratic with respect to plant height, leaf area, leaf number, leaf chlorophyll content, shoot dry matter and root dry matter. However, Moringa leaf extract significantly (P = 0.05) reduced shoot and root water contents. Due to the Moringa extracts-induced increase in vegetative growth, leaf chlorophyll content, yield components and yield of snap beans, it was concluded that Moringa leaf extract could be used to enhance the growth and development of snap beans.

CONCLUSION
Due   to   the   induced   increase   of   vegetative growth, yield and yield components of snap bean plants by Moringa  leaf extract,  it was concluded that Moringa  leaf extract has the potential  to be used as a natural growth enhancer as a cheap source of plant growth hormones to modify the growth  and  development  of snap  beans  plants. The    researcher    recommended     that    further studies on Moringa  leaf extracts be investigated on other crops.

More in detail about this study:V. E. Emongor1
http://sciencedomain.org/abstract/7220
DOI : 10.9734/BJAST/2015/14795
Effects of Moringa Leaf Extract on Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Snap Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris.
A Study of V. E. Emongor.
This work was carried out by author VEE, who designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, interpretation and discussion of data, literature searches, wrote, edited and proof read the final manuscript.

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