Interventions of Plant Geometry and Harvesting Heights on Growth and Leaf Yield Parameters in Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

Abstract

The present study aimed to understand the interventions of plant geometry and harvesting heights on growth and leaf yield parameters in Moringa. The crop geometry of moringa highly influenced the leaf yield. An experiment has been conducted in 2021 at Western block farm, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam under irrigated conditions to study the effect of crop geometries and harvesting heights on leaf yield of moringa var. PKM 1. Treatments combination consists of four crop geometries viz., 1.50m x 0.25m (S1), 1.50m x 0.50m (S2), 1.50m x 0.25m x 0.25m (S3), 1.50m x 0.50m x 0.50m (S4) and three harvesting heights of 30 cm (T1), 45 cm (T2) and 60 cm (T3). The study laid out in a Split plot design with three replications. The growth parameters such as plant height and a number of compound leaves were significantly higher in the closer spacing of 1.50m x 0.25m x 0.25m whereas a number of primary branches and stem girth were significantly higher in the wider spacing of 1.50 m x 0.50 m. Harvesting heights have no influence on the growth parameters. Moringa raised under spacing 1.50 m x 0.25 m x 0.25 m in conjunction with harvesting height of 30 cm (S3T1) significantly influenced the yield parameters such as compound leaf yield, fresh leaflets weight, dry leaf weight, and found maximum.