S02 - Session P6 - Moringa oleifera: a future plant for low-emission agriculture

Authors: Adrian Mangar, Svetla Sofkova-Bobcheva *, Craig McGill, Stefan Muetzel, Adrian Molenaar, Axay Bhuker, Virender Singh Mor, Anurag Malik

Moringa oleifera grows in a wide range of tropical and subtropical environments and is used in many countries as a human and animal food because of its high nutritional content and ease of propagation. The objective of this study was to assess M. oleifera genetic resources for the development of novel crop systems in NZ to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This involved conducting a pre-breeding characterization of M. oleifera germplasm for salt tolerance and its effect on rumen methane emissions compared with pasture species. An initial screening of two oven-dried and ground samples using in rumen batch culture system showed that the Moringa samples had slightly lower gas production and a lower methane production compared with ryegrass resulting in a lower proportion of methane compared to ryegrass but similar to white clover. The differences are probably driven by a high production of propionic and butyric acids. Pre-breeding characterization of six provenances, four from Guyana and two from India were grown in a greenhouse at three levels of salinity (0 mM, 52 mM and 156 mM NaCl). The plants were grown in five blocks. For each treatment, ten seeds were sown in two pots. The three salt treatments were applied every seven days for 21 days by immersing pots for 30 minutes in the respective salt solution. Photosynthesis and plant height were measured during the salt application and sodium ion content of leaves and plant biomass were measured at the end of the experiment period. Plant survival at 156mM was variable, but at 52 mM all plants survived, suggesting M . oleifera can tolerate moderately saline soils. Future work should include screening of more Moringa provenances from salinity-prone areas and determining the genetic variability among these provenances so crop improvement for salt tolerance can be considered in future breeding programmes.