Varietal Performance and Time-Course Trade-offs in Moringa oleifera for Agroforestry in Terai Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i7.1840-1853.8656Keywords:
Agroforestry, Varietal performance, Survival rate, Genotype, Climate-resilience, DiversificationAbstract
Moringa oleifera is widely promoted for nutrition, income diversification, and carbon benefits in South Asia, yet comparative performance of improved cultivars versus local germplasm under Nepal’s Terai conditions remains under‐quantified. We conducted a randomized complete block trial in Chandrapur, Rautahat district using five varieties of Moringa: Local, PKM-1, PKM-2, ODC-3, MoMAX and evaluated plant height, stem Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), oven-dry biomass, number of branches, pod production, and survival at 15, 17, and 19 months after transplanting (MAT). Data was analyzed by ANOVA with Duncan’s Multiple Range Test and using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results demonstrated that height did not differ significantly across varieties, although PKM-2 tended to be tallest at 19 MAT (6.09 m) and PKM-1 shortest (4.50 m). DBH differences were significant at 17 and 19 MAT where Local landrace consistently had the largest stems, exceeding PKM-1, PKM-2, ODC-3, and MoMAX. Biomass differed markedly at 19 MAT where Local achieved the greatest oven-dry biomass (29.3 t ha⁻¹), PKM-2 and MoMAX got intermediate, and PKM-1 and ODC-3 were lower. Branch numbers did not differ among varieties. Reproductive output measured using number of pods diverged strongly: at 19 MAT, ODC-3 produced the most pods (56.8 plant⁻¹), PKM-2 and MoMAX were intermediate, PKM-1 was low, and Local did not produce pods at given MATs. Survival was uniformly high (mean = 92.8%), led by ODC-3 (96%). Principal component analysis confirmed functional niches: Local for wood/biomass, PKM-2 for vertical vigor, ODC-3 for pods and field resilience, MoMAX as an intermediate generalist, and PKM-1 the weakest overall. Results underscore the genotype × environment × management interactions and support goal-oriented recommendations: Local for biomass/carbon in low-input systems, PKM-2 for canopy/fodder, and ODC-3 for pod-led enterprises, informing Nepal’s agroforestry scaling and climate-resilient farming agendas.
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