The Neem Tree
The Neem tree -Azadirachta Indica - is an evergreen, native to South India, that grows up to 60 ft high. It is found in the tropical dry deciduous/evergreen and thorny forests and drier parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. It has been planted and naturalized throughout Africa and grows in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Japan and tropical regions of Australia and America. Ancient Indian texts refer to Neem as Sarva Roga Nivarini, "the curer of all ailments."
The medicinal properties of Neem have been described in ancient Indian medical texts (4000 B.C.) such as the Atharva Veda, Ghrhyasutras and the Sutragranthas. The sanskrit name, nimba, is a derivative of the term nimbati syasthyamdadati - meaning 'to give good health'.
Literally, every part of the tree has a use. The products of the Neem tree are known to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic.
The leaf and bark are used in teas, cosmetics, skin care, pet care and medicinal preparations.
Neem twigs are used as tooth brushes and ward against gum disease.
Neem oil, which is extracted from the seed kernel is excellent for its healing properties and is used in creams, lotions and soaps. It is also known to have insect deterrent properties. In recent years the growth hormone regulating and anti-feedant properties of Neem oil have prompted a considerable amount of research. The United States Department of Agriculture has been studying Neem since 1972 and Neem formulations have been approved by the EPA for insecticidal use. Neem oil is also an effective fungicide.
The residue is Neem cake which is recognized as both a fertilizer and a nematicide.
There are some excellent resources for information on the various uses of neem. Some sites & papers the Neem Resource would like to recommend are:
www.plasmaneem.com
www.neemfoundation.org
Neem Oil
Neem has been available in the U.S. as a registered pest control product since 1985. Neem oil is derived from a tree native to India and has been used for pest control in some cultures for ages. Its major benefits are that it has little if any toxicity to humans, and on the whole, little effect on natural enemies of pests. The insecticidal ingredients are alcohol soluble, and the residual 'Clarified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil' has fungicidal properties.
An Article about the Benefits of Neem Oil
English Title: Deterrent effects of four neem-based formulations on gravid female boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) feeding and oviposition on cotton squares.
Personal Authors: Showler, A. T., Greenberg, S. M., Arnason, J. T.
Author Affiliation: USDA-ARS APMRU, Weslaco, TX 78596, USA.
Editors: No editors
Document Title: Journal of Economic Entomology, 2004 (Vol. 97) (No. 2) 414-421
Abstract:
Three commercial neem-based insecticides, Agroneem, Ecozin, and Neemix, and a neem seed extract formulation, bitters, containing 1,036, 16,506, 471, and 223 µg/ml azadirachtin, respectively, were assessed for feeding and oviposition deterrence against gravid female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, in the laboratory. In choice assays, excised cotton squares dipped in the separate formulations were first physically contacted by the weevils' tarsi or antennae fewer times than nontreated control squares. In choice and no-choice assays, each formulation repelled the weevils for ≥90 min. After 24 h in the choice assays, feeding punctures on the squares treated with Agroneem, Ecozin, or bitters were significantly fewer compared with controls. Egg punctures on the Ecozin- and the bitters-treated squares were significantly fewer than on control squares after 24 h. In the no-choice assay, no significant difference was detected. Aging the formulations under outdoor conditions for 24 h before weevils were exposed resulted in 46-60% and 62-82% reductions in feeding and oviposition punctures, respectively, compared with controls. Agroneem- and bitters-treated squares had >37% fewer feeding punctures after being aged for 48 h. No significant difference was detected after 72 h of aging. Because the deterrence of the gravid female boll weevils was not correlated with amounts of azadirachtin, azadirachtin does not seem to be the only, or the most influential, component of neem that induced the observed deterrence.
Publisher: Entomological Society of America
5
Effects on Insects The growing accumulation of experience demonstrates that neem products work by intervening at several stages of an insect's life. The ingredients from this tree approximate the shape and structure of hormones vital to the lives of insects (not to mention some other invertebrates and even some microbes). The bodies of these insects absorb the neem compounds as if they were the real hormones, but this only blocks their endocrine systems. The resulting deep-seated behavioral and physiological aberrations leave the insects so confused in brain and body that they cannot reproduce and their populations plummet.
Increasingly, approaches of this kind are seen as desirable methods of pest control: pests don't have to be killed instantly if their populations can be incapacitated in ways that are harmless to people and the planet as a whole. In the 1990s this is particularly important: many synthetic pesticides are being withdrawn, few replacements are being registered, and rising numbers of insects are developing resistance to the shrinking number of remaining chemical controls.
The precise effects of the various neem-tree extracts on a given insect species are often difficult to pinpoint. Neem's complexity of ingredients and its mixed modes of action vastly complicate clarification. Moreover, the studies to date are hard to compare because they have used differing test insects, dosages, and formulations. Further, the materials used in various tests have often been handled and stored differently, taken from differing parts of the tree, or produced under different environmental conditions.
But, for all the uncertainty over details, various neem extracts are known to act on various insects in the following ways:
· Disrupting or inhibiting the development of eggs, larvae, or pupae;
· Blocking the molting of larvae or nymphs;
· Disrupting mating and sexual communication;
· Repelling larvae and adults;
· Deterring females from laying eggs;
Neem Oil:
High quality Neem seed kernels are crushed to extract Neem Oil using a proprietary cold pressing process that enhances / retains natural levels of azadirachtin to a minimum of 1800 ppm.
Research has shown that the seed oil of Azadirachta indica (Neem) can control nearly 200 species of insects. It is significant that some of these pests are resistant to pesticides, or are inherently difficult to control with conventional pesticides (floral thrips, diamond back moth & several leaf miners). Thus Neem is a broad spectrum pesticide and even compatible with most chemical pesticides. Neem works by intervening at several stages of the life of an insect. It may not kill the pests instantaneously but incapacitate it in several other ways.
Neem Biopesticides are well suited for an “Integrated Pest Management” (IPM) Program because of the following salient features:
· Neem Pesticide is a natural product, absolutely non-toxic, 100% biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
· None or lesser quantity of synthetic pesticides need to be used, thereby reducing the environmental load.
· If synthetic pesticides are used, Neem oil can be mixed with the synthetic pesticides and in fact enhances their action.
· Several synthetic pesticides being single chemical compounds cause easy development of resistant species of pests. Neem consists of several compounds hence development of resistance is impossible.
· Neem does not destroy natural predators and parasites of pests thereby allowing these natural enemies to keep a check on the pest population.
· Neem also has a systemic action and seedlings can absorb and accumulate the neem compounds to make the whole plant pest resistant.
· Neem has a broad spectrum of action active on more than 200 species of pests.
· Neem is harmless to non-target and beneficial organisms like pollinators, honey bees, mammals and other vertebrates.
Neem Oil is also highly cost effective. Just one litre of Neem Oil is required per spraying for the protection of one hectare of crop.
Micro Nutrient Analysis of neem oil:
Neem Oil is used as a "liquid plant feed" or liquid fertilizer.
Azadirachtin 1800ppm
Total Nitrogen 1.20% by mass
Phosphorus as p 0.07% by mass
Potassium as K 0.01% by mass
Magnesium as Mg 0.03% by mass
Copper as Cu 10 ppm
Magnesium as Mn 0.40 ppm
Zinc as Zn 20.00 ppm
Iron content 14.00 ppm
Neem Oil is extremely simple to use as a foliar spray to control pests
Specification: 1800 ppm Azadirachtin
Dosage: 1.0 liter per hectare
Suggested dilution: 1:200 in water
Packing: In 200 litre sea worthy barrels.
Pest control:
Some of the pests controlled by neem are Aphids, Army Worms, Beet Army Worms, Blow Flies, Brown Plant Hopper, Caterpillars, Chinch Bugs, Colorado Potato Beetle, Cotton Boil Worm, Cowpea Weevil, Desert Locust. There are many others Diamondback Moths, Fungus Gnats, Grain Borer, Green Rice Leaf Hopper, Greenhouse White Flies, Gypsy Moths, Horn Flies, Horn Worms, Japanese Beetles, Kharpa Beetle, Leaf Beetle, Leaf Hopper, Leaf Miners, Loopers, Mealy Bugs, Mexican Bean Beetle, Migratory Locust, Pink Boll Worm, Plant Bugs, Potato Tuber Moth, Red Cotton Bug, Red Flour Beetle, Rice Gal Midge, Rice Hispa, Rice Leaf Folder, Rice Weevil, Sorghum Shoot Fly, Spiny Boll Worm, Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Sweet Potato White Flies Thrips, Tobacco Caterpillar, Tobacco Horn Worm, Vegetable Leaf Miner, Web Worms, Weevils.
Personal Authors: Showler, A. T., Greenberg, S. M., Arnason, J. T.
Author Affiliation: USDA-ARS APMRU, Weslaco, TX 78596, USA.
Editors: No editors
Document Title: Journal of Economic Entomology, 2004 (Vol. 97) (No. 2) 414-421
Abstract:
Three commercial neem-based insecticides, Agroneem, Ecozin, and Neemix, and a neem seed extract formulation, bitters, containing 1,036, 16,506, 471, and 223 µg/ml azadirachtin, respectively, were assessed for feeding and oviposition deterrence against gravid female boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, in the laboratory. In choice assays, excised cotton squares dipped in the separate formulations were first physically contacted by the weevils' tarsi or antennae fewer times than nontreated control squares. In choice and no-choice assays, each formulation repelled the weevils for ≥90 min. After 24 h in the choice assays, feeding punctures on the squares treated with Agroneem, Ecozin, or bitters were significantly fewer compared with controls. Egg punctures on the Ecozin- and the bitters-treated squares were significantly fewer than on control squares after 24 h. In the no-choice assay, no significant difference was detected. Aging the formulations under outdoor conditions for 24 h before weevils were exposed resulted in 46-60% and 62-82% reductions in feeding and oviposition punctures, respectively, compared with controls. Agroneem- and bitters-treated squares had >37% fewer feeding punctures after being aged for 48 h. No significant difference was detected after 72 h of aging. Because the deterrence of the gravid female boll weevils was not correlated with amounts of azadirachtin, azadirachtin does not seem to be the only, or the most influential, component of neem that induced the observed deterrence.
Publisher: Entomological Society of America
5
Effects on Insects The growing accumulation of experience demonstrates that neem products work by intervening at several stages of an insect's life. The ingredients from this tree approximate the shape and structure of hormones vital to the lives of insects (not to mention some other invertebrates and even some microbes). The bodies of these insects absorb the neem compounds as if they were the real hormones, but this only blocks their endocrine systems. The resulting deep-seated behavioral and physiological aberrations leave the insects so confused in brain and body that they cannot reproduce and their populations plummet.
Increasingly, approaches of this kind are seen as desirable methods of pest control: pests don't have to be killed instantly if their populations can be incapacitated in ways that are harmless to people and the planet as a whole. In the 1990s this is particularly important: many synthetic pesticides are being withdrawn, few replacements are being registered, and rising numbers of insects are developing resistance to the shrinking number of remaining chemical controls.
The precise effects of the various neem-tree extracts on a given insect species are often difficult to pinpoint. Neem's complexity of ingredients and its mixed modes of action vastly complicate clarification. Moreover, the studies to date are hard to compare because they have used differing test insects, dosages, and formulations. Further, the materials used in various tests have often been handled and stored differently, taken from differing parts of the tree, or produced under different environmental conditions.
But, for all the uncertainty over details, various neem extracts are known to act on various insects in the following ways:
· Disrupting or inhibiting the development of eggs, larvae, or pupae;
· Blocking the molting of larvae or nymphs;
· Disrupting mating and sexual communication;
· Repelling larvae and adults;
· Deterring females from laying eggs;
Neem Oil:
High quality Neem seed kernels are crushed to extract Neem Oil using a proprietary cold pressing process that enhances / retains natural levels of azadirachtin to a minimum of 1800 ppm.
Research has shown that the seed oil of Azadirachta indica (Neem) can control nearly 200 species of insects. It is significant that some of these pests are resistant to pesticides, or are inherently difficult to control with conventional pesticides (floral thrips, diamond back moth & several leaf miners). Thus Neem is a broad spectrum pesticide and even compatible with most chemical pesticides. Neem works by intervening at several stages of the life of an insect. It may not kill the pests instantaneously but incapacitate it in several other ways.
Neem Biopesticides are well suited for an “Integrated Pest Management” (IPM) Program because of the following salient features:
· Neem Pesticide is a natural product, absolutely non-toxic, 100% biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
· None or lesser quantity of synthetic pesticides need to be used, thereby reducing the environmental load.
· If synthetic pesticides are used, Neem oil can be mixed with the synthetic pesticides and in fact enhances their action.
· Several synthetic pesticides being single chemical compounds cause easy development of resistant species of pests. Neem consists of several compounds hence development of resistance is impossible.
· Neem does not destroy natural predators and parasites of pests thereby allowing these natural enemies to keep a check on the pest population.
· Neem also has a systemic action and seedlings can absorb and accumulate the neem compounds to make the whole plant pest resistant.
· Neem has a broad spectrum of action active on more than 200 species of pests.
· Neem is harmless to non-target and beneficial organisms like pollinators, honey bees, mammals and other vertebrates.
Neem Oil is also highly cost effective. Just one litre of Neem Oil is required per spraying for the protection of one hectare of crop.
Micro Nutrient Analysis of neem oil:
Neem Oil is used as a "liquid plant feed" or liquid fertilizer.
Azadirachtin 1800ppm
Total Nitrogen 1.20% by mass
Phosphorus as p 0.07% by mass
Potassium as K 0.01% by mass
Magnesium as Mg 0.03% by mass
Copper as Cu 10 ppm
Magnesium as Mn 0.40 ppm
Zinc as Zn 20.00 ppm
Iron content 14.00 ppm
Neem Oil is extremely simple to use as a foliar spray to control pests
Specification: 1800 ppm Azadirachtin
Dosage: 1.0 liter per hectare
Suggested dilution: 1:200 in water
Packing: In 200 litre sea worthy barrels.
Pest control:
Some of the pests controlled by neem are Aphids, Army Worms, Beet Army Worms, Blow Flies, Brown Plant Hopper, Caterpillars, Chinch Bugs, Colorado Potato Beetle, Cotton Boil Worm, Cowpea Weevil, Desert Locust. There are many others Diamondback Moths, Fungus Gnats, Grain Borer, Green Rice Leaf Hopper, Greenhouse White Flies, Gypsy Moths, Horn Flies, Horn Worms, Japanese Beetles, Kharpa Beetle, Leaf Beetle, Leaf Hopper, Leaf Miners, Loopers, Mealy Bugs, Mexican Bean Beetle, Migratory Locust, Pink Boll Worm, Plant Bugs, Potato Tuber Moth, Red Cotton Bug, Red Flour Beetle, Rice Gal Midge, Rice Hispa, Rice Leaf Folder, Rice Weevil, Sorghum Shoot Fly, Spiny Boll Worm, Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Sweet Potato White Flies Thrips, Tobacco Caterpillar, Tobacco Horn Worm, Vegetable Leaf Miner, Web Worms, Weevils.
- Chitin inhibitors. These chemicals (e.g., diflubenzuron and teflubenzuron) inhibit the molting process (apolysis) by blocking the activity of chitin synthetase, an enzyme needed by epidermal cells when constructing a new exoskeleton. Because of this mode of action, chitin inhibitors are highly specific to arthropods. They act rather slowly (2-5 days), but eventually disrupt any process that involves construction of new cuticle (e.g., molting, hatching, pupation). They are most effective when used against the immature stages of a pest. Diflubenzuron, currently registered under the trade name Dimilin, is used for controlling gypsy moths, boll weevils, and various other pests.
Another article speaking of the benefits found in the use of Neem Oil
a.What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year?
Evaluation of New Classes of Chemicals for Efficacy Against Horn Flies. In a continuing effort to find alternatives to conventional pesticides, research at the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory is exploring the use of natural products for control of horn flies and stable flies. We have shown that azadirachtin, an extract of neem seed with IGR-like activity, is capable of inhibiting production of adult horn flies and stable flies in manure, but is not practical because of its degradation. To avoid the rapid degradation of the active agent, new more stable formulations of azadirachtin have been developed as a feed premix and were fed to cattle as a feed-additive at levels of 1-6 mg/kg/body weight. Dosages of approximately 2.5 mg/kg body weight/day provided 50% control of immature stages of the horn fly in the manure of treated cattle. Approximately 6 mg/kg body weight/day was required to provide 50% control of stable flies and house flies in the manure of cattle. The ability to incorporate this natural extract into feed stock of cattle could enable fly control. A commercial concern is using this data to seek FDA registration of the formulations as feed-additives for use as a larvicide against these economically important pests of cattle.
Evaluation of New Classes of Chemicals for Efficacy Against Horn Flies. In a continuing effort to find alternatives to conventional pesticides, research at the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory is exploring the use of natural products for control of horn flies and stable flies. We have shown that azadirachtin, an extract of neem seed with IGR-like activity, is capable of inhibiting production of adult horn flies and stable flies in manure, but is not practical because of its degradation. To avoid the rapid degradation of the active agent, new more stable formulations of azadirachtin have been developed as a feed premix and were fed to cattle as a feed-additive at levels of 1-6 mg/kg/body weight. Dosages of approximately 2.5 mg/kg body weight/day provided 50% control of immature stages of the horn fly in the manure of treated cattle. Approximately 6 mg/kg body weight/day was required to provide 50% control of stable flies and house flies in the manure of cattle. The ability to incorporate this natural extract into feed stock of cattle could enable fly control. A commercial concern is using this data to seek FDA registration of the formulations as feed-additives for use as a larvicide against these economically important pests of cattle.