The World Vegetable Center has a collection of over 50 moringa accessions, majority of which belong to M. oleifera. The planting of this species in southern Taiwan started some 35 years ago. The World Vegetable Center initiated research on moringa in 2001. A small project was established to introduce and evaluate a number of moringa accessions collected from Asia, Africa and USA. The accessions were evaluated for growth characteristics and horticultural traits, aiming at high leaf production and nutritional value. A total of 50 accessions were collected and from this collection, seeds of 42 accessions representing four species (Moringa oleifera, M. stenopetala, M. drouhardii and M. peregrina) were germinated and transplanted to the field for seed multiplication, characterization and evaluation. Twenty-two accessions produced sufficient seeds for replicated evaluation trials and seed distribution. Ten promising accessions were selected and evaluated in replicated trials over a two-year period. Among those, three accessions showed fresh young shoot yield averaging 20-40 t ha^-1. The effects of leaf type (age), harvest season and variety on nutrient content were investigated as a component of this study. Results showed no significant differences for most nutrient contents among accessions. Mature leaves are more nutritious than young leaves or shoots. Nutrient content varied with harvest season. Calcium, vitamins A and E were higher in hot-wet season in southern Taiwan than during winter, whereas Fe and vitamin C were higher in cool-dry season than in summer. Subsequent field evaluation studies revealed the variability of Moringa accessions in terms of horticultural traits. The accessions varied significantly in plant height, stem diameter, leaf and stem biomass, number of side shoots, tolerance to flooding and survival after heavy rainfall and strong wind brought about by tropical typhoons. Superior and promising accessions are being multiplied to meet the increasing demand for seed and planting materials of moringa. During the last ten years, the World Vegetable Center has distributed moringa germplasm to universities, government organizations, non-governmental organizations and private companies in 15 countries. The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, Vietnam, Egypt, The Netherlands, and Pakistan were the top recipient countries. Moringa is also distributed in seed kits for home garden projects in Asia and Africa....

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is a perennial softwood vegetable tree widely grown in the tropics of Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Most parts of the tree are edible. The leaves and flowers are eaten as salad, as cooked vegetables, added to soups and sauces, or used to make tea. The young, tender pods - known as drumsticks - are highly valued as a vegetable in Asia. Moringa is nutrient-dense and rich in essential micronutrients and vitamins as well as antioxidants and bioavailable iron. According to data available at AVRDC's Nutrition Lab, moringa exceeds the micronutrient content of tomato, based on 100 g FW, by a factor of 9 to 38: β-carotene content - 15.28 mg (×38); vitamin C - 459 mg (×24); vitamin E - 25.25 mg (×22); iron - 10.09 mg (×19); folates - 93 µg (×19); antioxidant activity - 2858 TE (×9). Moringa is also rich in protein: 100 g of fresh moringa leaves contain 9.4 g of protein comprising all essential amino acids in nutritionally balanced proportions. Boiling fresh moringa leaves and dried powder in water enhances aqueous antioxidant activity and increases bioavailable iron by a factor of 3. Dried leaf powder is processed into moringa capsules and used as a dietary supplement. Depending on the genotype, leaf fresh weight of the first two harvests ranges from 560 g to 2.3 kg plant^-1. Total fresh matter yield at first harvest (leaves and young shoots) depends on plant density and varies from 19.6 to 78 t ha^-1 with a plant density of 95,000 and 1 million plants, respectively. Moringa has great potential to generate income for smallholder farmers and to enhance environmental services by controlling soil and wind erosion, and by providing shade and clean water. Given its multiple uses and wide range of adaptability, moringa is an ideal crop for sustainable food production....

The major objective of this study was to evaluate a subset of the AVRDC Moringa oleifera germplasm collection for important horticultural traits in the Philippines and Taiwan. The 18 AVRDC moringa accessions originated from India, Laos, Philippines, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand and USA. Three-month-old seedlings were transplanted onto single-row raised beds spaced 1.5 m apart. Plants were arranged in a randomized block design with three replications. Data were collected on plant height, stem diameter, number of branches, canopy width, fresh and dry biomass (stems and leaves), days to flowering, and pod/seed yield. In Taiwan, one month after transplanting four accessions attained a plant height of above 1 m. Number of side branches ranged from 9 to 14 per plant. Differences in plant height and stem diameter were significant at 70 days after transplanting (DAT). Tallest plants (2.9 m) were observed in LSQUOMo-35RSQUO from Tanzania while LSQUOMo-8RSQUO from Thailand produced the largest stem diameter (36 cm). Leaf fresh weight and dry biomass was highest (15.8 and 9.2 t ha^-1, respectively) for LSQUOMo-35RSQUO at 70 DAT. Survival and stand count decreased after two strong typhoons and severe flooding in 2009 and 2010. In the Philippines, accessions LSQUOMo-2RSQUO (USA) and LSQUOMo-40RSQUO (India) produced the tallest plants 28 weeks after second pruning. Mean stem diameter ranged from 3.5 cm (LSQUOMo-34RSQUO) to 8.5 cm (LSQUOMo-4RSQUO). LSQUOMo-38RSQUO (Thailand) produced the highest number of branches. Two accessions from Thailand (LSQUOMo-4RSQUO and LSQUOMo-14RSQUO) resulted in the highest leaf fresh weight, which exceeded 20 t ha^-1 from two prunings, while LSQUOMo-29RSQUO (India) produced the highest dry leaf biomass. Most accessions tolerated waterlogged conditions with 60-100% plant survival stand count. The results indicate that there are moringa accessions with promising horticultural traits for the high rainfall climate of Southeast Asia....