Adaptability of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Lam. (Horseradish) Tree Seedlings to Three Temperature Regimes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Abstract
Moringa oleifera trees are naturally found in tropical climates around the world and therefore the extent of their adaptability to cooler climates was the main objective of this study. A total of 264 trees, made up of an equal number hardened and non-hardened seedlings were randomly assigned to three temperature-controlled greenhouses each with a different fluctuating night/day temperature regime (TR) namely; 10/20°C ± 2°C, 15/25°C ± 2°C and 20/30°C ± 2°C. During the 32-week trial period, biweekly measurements of tree height, stem diameter and leaf area estimates of each individual tree within all three temperature regimes (TRS) were taken. The 20/30°C TR was the most favorable towards overall tree growth, as the highest values were obtained across most measured parameters. The increase in temperature resulted in growth rate increases of over 650% between the 10/20°C and 20/30°C and over 250% between the 10/20°C and 15/25°C night/day TRS. The hardening-off pre-treatment increased both final tree height and stem diameter, resulting in increases of 3.09X (10/20°C), 1.44X (15/25°C) and 1.23X (20/30°C) compared to their non-hardened off counterparts. The average tree leaf area increases followed a similar trend in both tree height and stem diameter, but expressed more volatility at the higher TRS. Although the average leaf area increased with the increase in TR and remained higher for the duration of the trial, cycles of regular leaf drop and renewed flushes were prevalent at both the 15/25°C and 20/30°C temperature treatments.
- S. A. A. Jahn, “Using Moringa oleifera Seeds as Coagulant in Developing Countries,” Journal of the American Water Works Association, Vol. 80, No. 6, 1988, pp. 43-50.
- G. Folkard, J. Sutherland and R. Shaw, “Water Clarification Using Moringa oleifera Coagulant. Water and Environmental Health at London and Loughborough (WELL),” Loughborough University, Loughborough, 1999, pp. 109-112.
- U. Rashid, F. Anwar, B. R. Moser and G. Knothe, “Moringa oleifera Oil: A Possible Source of Biodiesel,” Bioresource Technology, Vol. 99, No. 17, 2008, pp. 8175-8179. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2008.03.066
- M. D. Poeet, “Biodiesel Crop Implementation in Hawaii,” Hawaii Agricultural Research Center, Hawaii, 2006, pp. 5-10.
- L. J. Fuglie, “The Miracle Tree, the Multiple Attributes of Moringa,” Church World Service, Dakar, 2001, p. 85.
- W. Siegfried, O. Viret, B. Huber and R. Wohlhauser, “Dosage of Plant Protection Products Adapted to Leaf Area Index in Viticulture,” Crop Protection, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2007, pp. 73-82. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2006.04.002
- R. G. D. Steele and J. H. Torrie, “Principles and Procedures of Statistics,” 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980.
- P. Villar-Salvador, L. Oca?a, J. Pe?uelas and I. Carrasco, “Effect of Water Stress Conditioning on the Water Relations, Root Growth Capacity, and the Nitrogen and Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentration of Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo Pine) Seedlings,” Annals of Forest Science, Vol. 56, No. 6, 1999, pp. 459-465. doi:10.1051/forest:19990602
- M. J. Sánchez-Blanco, T. Ferrández, A. Navarro, S. Ba?on and J. J. Alarcón, “Effects of Irrigation and Air Humidity Preconditioning on Water Relations, Growth and Survival of Rosmarinus officinalis Plants during and after Transplanting,” Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 161, No. 10, 2004, pp. 1133-1142. doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2004.01.011
- S. Ba?on, J. Ochoa, J. A. Franco, J. J. Alarcón and M. J. Sánchez-Blanco, “Hardening of Oleander Seedlings by Deficit Irrigation and Low Air Humidity,” Environmental and Experimental Botany, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2006, pp. 36-43. doi:10.1016/j.envexpbot.2004.12.004
- C. M. Menzel and B. F. Paxton, “The Effect of Temperature on Growth and Dry Matter Production of Lychee Seedlings,” Scientia Horticulturae, Vol. 26, No. 1, 1985, pp. 17-23. doi:10.1016/0304-4238(85)90097-4
- T. Trochoulias and E. Lahav, “The Effect of Temperature on Growth and Dry-Matter Production of Macadamia,” Scientia Horticulturae, Vol. 19, No. 1-2, 1983, pp. 167-176. doi:10.1016/0304-4238(83)90058-4