Neem A Tree for Solving Global Problems (1992) / Chapter Skim
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1 The Vision
1 The Vision
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The Subcontinent contains an estimated 18 million neem trees, most of them lined along roadsides or clustered around markets or backyards to provide relief from the sun. Under normal circumstances neem's seeds are viable for only a few weeks, but earlier this century people somehow managed to introduce this Indian tree to West Africa, where it has since grown well.
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Apart from masses of fruits and seeds, a big tree like this provides a dense shade that is much appreciated in the hot zones where it thrives. (Agricultural Research Service.
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Indian scientists took up neem research as far back as the 1920s, but their work was little appreciated elsewhere until 1959 when a German entomologist witnessed a locust plague in the Sudan. During this onslaught of billions of winged marauders, Heinrich Schmutterer noticed that neem trees were the only green things left standing.
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In field tests, neem materials have yielded similarly promising results. For instance, in one test in Ohio, soybeans sprayed with neem extract stayed untouched for up to 14 days; untreated plants in the same field were chewed to pieces by various species of insects, seemingly overnight.
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The extracts from neem seeds can also be purified and the most effective ingredients isolated from the rest of the mix. This process allows standardization and uniform formulations that can be produced for commercial use in even the worlds most sophisticated pesticide markets.
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After four locust nymphs (fifth instar) were treated with neem oil, three got only halfway out of terminal molt and died.
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Perhaps the most important quality is that neem products appear to have little or no toxicity to warm-blooded animals. Birds and bats eat the sweet pulp of the fruits of neem trees without apparent ill effects.
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As shown in this laboratory assay using the Mexican bean beetle, neem products can control insect pests remarkably well. A concentration of little more than l part per million (ppm)
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This possibility is significant because most developing countries are in the tropics, where year-round warmth often allows pest populations to build to unacceptable levels. The problems attendant on using synthetic pesticides, therefore, are particularly severe in the Third World.
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Moreover, the tree grows quickly, often thrives in poor soils, and neutralizes soil acidity with its alkaline leaves. Only recently, however, has anyone begun to use neem products in pest control in West Africa.
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Of thousands of plant extracts tested, neem was by far the best. In trials, crude alcohol extracts of neem seeds proved effective at very low concentrations against 60 species of insects, 45 of which are extremely damaging to American crops and stored products causing billions of dollars of losses to the nation each year.
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actually may improve the local soils and help foster sustainable crop production. Although neem's ability to promote health and its value as a safe pest control is still only in the realm of possibility, there is no doubt that neem trees can provide the poor and the landless with oil, feed, fertilizer, wood, and other essential resources.
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Two related neem formulations, BioNeem~ for the consumer market and Benefits for lawn and turf care, are also available." · A neem newsletter has begun publication in the United States.t · More than 70,000 neem trees have been planted in Florida, Puerto Rico, and Mexico (Yucatan and Baja California)
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