Moringa is known for its ability to grow in a wide range of soils. We hypothesized, however, that moringa leaf production can be increased by applying fertility inputs at the base of the trees.
We wanted to know:
- Do moringa trees benefit from fertility inputs?
- If so, how many grams of nitrogen (from NPK fertilizer) per tree are needed to maximize moringa leaf yield in a sandy soil?
- Does it make any difference, in terms of moringa yield, if NPK fertilizer is combined with compost?
Moringa trees responded favorably to added fertility. In comparison to no fertility, the largest increase (73%) in moringa yield occurred with 25 g of N per tree, regardless of whether or not compost was applied. However, with the data averaged across NPK-N rates, compost increased leaf yield by 23%. It seems best, therefore, to combine NPK fertilize with compost.