India is playing a crucial role in development of neem
as pesticide in agriculture and pest control industry.
Neem in India is used for many purposes
Veterinary medicine
Unani medicine
Cosmetics
Malaria control
- public health
CROP PROTECTION AGENT
Nitrogen efficiency
Agro-forestry
Silviculture
Ayurvedic medicine
Ancient medicine
Agriculture
Modren medicine
Antifertility and other medical application
Neem is widely planted in India. It has a vast potential for improvement. It can be genetically
improved and bred for various uses. No work seems to have been done on this important
aspect. This article discusses the naturalized and wild gene resources of neem and the tree’
s improvement potential.
Neem has a high species diversity and it
shows genetic variation in its widely
distributed naturalized populations in India
and in recently introduced ones in other
countries. The best adapted and broad
genetic based provenances for improvement
work are always collected from the species
wild distribution range. Neem’s wild range is,
however, not identified.
Azadirachta indica has however been
considered to be wild in Burma by several
taxonomists and by Brandis in particular. It is
interesting that A. indica var. siamensis is
found wild in the country neighboring Burma,
i.e., Thailand from where its distribution
range extends into Cambodia and Laos.
The possibility of neem being wild in Burma or in nearby regions is, therefore, high although
Deccan and Siwaliks in Indian can also be probable places of origin. A study of neem
populations in these regions is required to be undertaken to determine this issue.
Techniques of storage of neem oil without loss of viability are required to be developed as
short seed viability is a major bottleneck for success in genetic improvement of neem. No
provenance work has been done systematically in the species. Seed origins must be
collected from Indo-Southeastern region and from regions where introduced and naturalized
since ancient times as in India. These seed origins need to be evaluated in provenance
trials laid out in the controlled conditions and replicated in different regions for selection for
desert adaptability, fodder and wood production and production of high azadirachtin content.
Evaluation of the Thai variety of neem and its natural hybrids with neem indicates the
possibility of utilization of hybridization in neem improvement. The Indian seed origins
(provenances) are also valuable for breeding work and need to be collected and tested.
Moreover, genus Azadirachta has only two species and the other species besides neem, viz.,
A. excelsa is also found in the neighborhood countries, i.e., in the Philippines, Malaya,
Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea and Aru.