Abstract
Moringa oleifera seed germinates poorly and most seedlings die during early establishment. To solve this problem, the effects of pH and growing medium type on the susceptibility of M. oleifera to fungal diseases during seed emergence and early seedling establishment were evaluated in a 3 x 6 factorial experiment arranged as a randomized complete block design with three replications in a greenhouse experiment. Six growing medium types (sandy soil, clay soil, pine bark, clay + sandy soil, clay + pine bark and sand + pine bark) were evaluated at pH 6.2, 8.2 and in situ pH for each growing medium type. The control was the sterilised media of in situ pH. Seed viability tests showed 90% viability. Analysis of the seed showed the presence of Fusarium spp., Pythium spp., Dreschlera spp., Rhizopus spp. and Chactomium spp. Thus, seed was sterilised prior to planting to eliminate any pathogen from the surface of the seed. Media and pH were found to have a significant effect on the emergence of seeds. In situ, sterilised pine bark and clay gave the highest emergence. After emergence, no seedlings showed any infection indicating that reported seedling deaths could be a result of seed borne diseases. Observations indicated Fusarium spp. infection in the seed that had failed to germinate, whilst those in the sterilised media showed no evidence of fungal attack. This means media used for Moringa ought to be sterilised with hypochlorite or another material or procedure to ensure good seed emergence. Key words: pH, susceptibility, viability, media, pathogens, emergence, sterilised, Fusarium spp.
Highlights
Moringa belongs to the family Moringaceae, a genus comprising of thirteen tree species that grow in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world
The control was the in situ pH and was sterilised for each growing medium type
Growing medium type had a significant effect on emergence, affecting the rate of emergence, with all media except sand exhibiting high germination in the in situ pH growing medium
Summary
Moringa belongs to the family Moringaceae, a genus comprising of thirteen tree species that grow in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Moringa oleifera is a soft wood native to India with great potential in combating extreme hunger and poverty. These nutritious trees grow quickly in many environments and can feed people as well as livestock. The use of Moringa in Zimbabwe has been largely medicinal, especially in the management of HIV/AIDS (Monera and Maponga, 2011). This is not surprising because Moringa has been reported to have numerous clinical benefits (Fahey, 2005). Moringa is an essential part of many individual nutritional gardens in Zimbabwe, though there is no commercial production. Moringa is a proven water purifier with remarkable nutritional value and happens to grow in places where bad water, poor diets and diseases cause high mortalities (Fritz, 2000)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
