EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PLANT DENSITY ON THE FORAGE YIELD AND SOME FORAGE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF MORINGA (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

Year 2024, Volume: 29 Issue: 2, 140 - 148, 24.12.2024

Gülcan Demiroğlu Topçu , Şükrü Sezgi Özkan , Hatice Basmacıoğlu Malayoğlu

https://doi.org/10.17557/tjfc.1531051

Abstract

In recent years, sustainable animal husbandry has increasingly emphasized the use of highly adaptable shrub
and tree species as alternative forage crops. Among these, Moringa oleifera Lam., commonly known as Moringa,
has emerged as a promising feed source due to its exceptional nutritional value. This study aimed to evaluate
the potential of Moringa as a forage crop suitable for the Mediterranean climate. The research was conducted
during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons in the experimental fields of the Department of Field Crops, Faculty
of Agriculture, Ege University, Türkiye. The study investigated the effects of four different plant densities (20x60
cm, 30x60 cm, 40x60 cm, and 60x60 cm) on various forage quality traits. The Moringa cultivar "PKM-1" served
as the plant material, and parameters such as plant height, stem diameter, biomass yield, dry matter, crude ash,
crude protein, crude fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and hemicellulose were
determined across two consecutive vegetation periods. Results indicated that, under Mediterranean ecological
conditions, Moringa exhibited average plant heights ranging from 159.2 to 170.3 cm, with total biomass yields
between 33.10 and 69.70 t ha-1. The crude protein content varied from 17.12% to 18.15%, while ADF and NDF
ratios ranged from 35.31% to 37.85% and 45.66% to 49.71%, respectively. Higher planting densities led to
increased biomass yield, with the highest values observed at a 20x60 cm planting density. This density also
demonstrated favorable results for crude protein, NDF, and ADF, suggesting its suitability for optimizing forage
quality in Moringa cultivation.

Keywords

Moringa oleifera, plant density, forage quality, Mediterranean climate, sustainability

Supporting Institution

Ege University Coordinatorship of Scientific Research Projects

Project Number

FGA-2020-22315

Thanks

The authors are grateful to Ege University Coordinatorship of Scientific Research Projects for financial supports (FGA-2020-22315). We would like to thank PhD student Ousman DAHAB ATTEIB and MSc student Djidda OUMAR AMBADI for their help and contributions in the field studies

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