M. K. SINGH, VIPAN KUMAR, RAJESH KUMAR ARYA, PAWAN KUMAR, KANIKA, RAVISH PANCHTA, SOMVEER NIMBAL, KANNOJ AND SATYENDER SINGH
KVK, Kurukshetra, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India
MAP Section, Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana), India
Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana), India
Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, FASC, SGT University, Gurugram, India
*(e-mail: rakarayogi@gmail.com)
(Received : 15 January 2026; Accepted : 27 March 2026)
SUMMARY
For arid and semi-arid regions of India, Moringa oleifera Lam. is reflected as an important tree of medicinal value for commercial cultivation. It is also known as Shajana and drumstick and related to the Moringaceae family. Since ancient time, its green leaves, tender and fresh flowers, succulent and immature pods are used for vegetable purpose. Present day, demand of Moringa oleifera Lam. and its products is increasing, due to its diverse uses in nutritional and medicinal areas. It has potential to grow on different soils and environmental conditions. All parts of this tree i.e. pods, flowers, leaves, roots and seeds are utilized due to their richness in antioxidants and essential nutritional components such as vitamins, minerals, bio-chemicals etc. In India, green leaves of Moringa oleifera are utilized as green fodder because of its immense potential to produce green biomass under hot environmental conditions to make availability of green fodder round the year with minimal efforts. A lot of genetic diversity is available in Moringa and by using the available genetic variability and employing the conventional and molecular breeding techniques, the process of development of new varieties is continue.
Key words: Moringa, antioxidants, food, fodder, malnutrition, nutrients and medicinal plant