From vankante@UVS.EDU.SR Tue Aug 31 11:05:07 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 02:02:51 -0400 From: "Percy E. van Kanten" To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Re: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree Bob Thomson writes: > Does anyone on the "network" have information about this tree or can you > point us to someone who does? I am no botanist but with the help of the Encyclopedia of Suriname I will try to give a fast first answer. I will also seek additional information from more able coleagues at our University. Two related plants, bith refered to as "Neem" grow in Suriname. Both are originally from Asia and have been brought to Suriname by immigrants from India and/or Indonesia. Both are of the family of Meliaceae (and thus it seems tom me that they are related to the Mahogany) and both have feather-like compound leaves. The leaves of both are known to be effective medicine against scabies and rash. One is Melia azedarach L. with 1 cm long light purple flowers and a yellow or brownish fruit. The other is Melia azadirachta L. (= Azadirachta indica Juss) with white flowers. The latter has cultural/religious significance for Hindu's; in India it is a sacred tree. An extract of its leaves is used against fever. The plant contains a bitter resinous gum that has anitseptic properties. Its leaves are used to prevent rice to be invested by insects. I did not find anything about use as fertilizer. Hope this helps. Regards, Percy van Kanten _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Ir Percy E. van Kanten | vankante@uvs.edu.sr | phone/fax (+597) 47 7129 University of Suriname | POBox 755,Paramaribo,Suriname From london@calypso Tue Aug 31 11:10:16 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 11:08:44 EDT From: Larry London To: london@sunsite.unc.edu Subject: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree This section is from the document '/.pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/mailing-lists/devel-l/devel-l.002'. >From caribdesk@IGC.APC.ORG Mon Aug 30 22:35:28 1993 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 12:04:51 PDT From: Bob Thomson To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree >From bthomson@web.apc.org Mon Aug 30 11:56:07 1993 Received: from web.apc.org by igc.apc.org (4.1/Revision: 1.104 ) id AA29554; Mon, 30 Aug 93 11:56:00 PDT Received: by web.apc.org (Smail3.1.28.1 #6) id m0oXELr-0001q0C; Mon, 30 Aug 93 14:53 EDT Message-Id: Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 14:53 EDT From: bthomson@web.apc.org (Bob Thomson) To: igc!caribdesk Subject: Information on the Nim (Neem?) tree Status: RO /* Written 1:09 pm Aug 30, 1993 by bthomson in web:at.general */ /* ---------- "Information on the Nim (Neem?) tree" ---------- */ From: Bob Thomson Subject: Information on the Nim (Neem?) tree Greetings from IFAT, the International Federation for Alternative Trade. I've just had a visitor from UCIRI, a co-op coffee producers federation in Mexico which exports organic coffee to a number of alternative trading organizations that are members of IFAT. They have some seeds of a plant called the Nim or Neem tree which is good for nitrogen fixation and has properties which also make it a good organic pesticide. It originally comes from Bangladesh but apparently is well established in Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa. They got seeds from a farm in the Canary Islands. They've been looking for information about the tree, its cultivation and properties for some time and have found very little in the way of written material. Does anyone on the "network" have information about this tree or can you point us to someone who does? The UCIRI representative will be coming back to our office on Wednesday (Sept.1) and it would be a nice demonstration of the power of computer networking to be able to show him that one can actually use all this fancy technology to find information that is useful to small farmers. From london@calypso Tue Aug 31 11:10:28 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 11:08:58 EDT From: Larry London To: london@sunsite.unc.edu Subject: Re: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree This section is from the document '/.pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/mailing-lists/devel-l/devel-l.002'. >From aphilipp@NAS.EDU Mon Aug 30 22:36:40 1993 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 15:35:20 EST From: Alwin Philippa To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Re: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree Bob, The National Academy of Sciences' Office of International Affairs recently published a report " NEEM: A TREE FOR SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS" (ISBN 0-309-04686-6, 1992, 152 pp,, $19.00 +S&H). The report can by ordered through the National Academy Press (Phone: 1-800-624-6242) Alwin Philippa National Academy of Sciences Washington, D.C. From london@calypso Tue Aug 31 11:10:45 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 11:09:17 EDT From: Larry London To: london@sunsite.unc.edu Subject: Re: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree This section is from the document '/.pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/mailing-lists/devel-l/devel-l.002'. >From veerasam@CC.GATECH.EDU Tue Aug 31 11:04:18 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 01:30:05 EDT From: Veerasamy Aravindan To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Re: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree Being from a place where neem trees are just one of things you get for granted, I did not pay much attention to how it is being cultivated... It just grows on the roadside and is a common site in the southern parts of India. It is not "cultivated", but grows on its own. I understand that I am kinda "lay man"-ish here. However, I know that neem trees have good medicinal properties. Traditional medicinal pratice (called Ayurvedic medicine as opposed to the Allopathic western medicine) uses neem seeds and leaves for quite a few illnesses. Neem leaves have some property (think it is anti-bacterial) which makes it a good medicine against different poxes (I have seen it commonly used for chicken pox). My 2 cents worth... --Samy (veerasam@cc.gatech.edu) > >From bthomson@web.apc.org Mon Aug 30 11:56:07 1993 > Subject: Information on the Nim (Neem?) tree > > > I've just had a visitor from UCIRI, a co-op coffee producers federation in > Mexico which exports organic coffee to a number of alternative trading > organizations that are members of IFAT. > > They have some seeds of a plant called the Nim or Neem tree which is good > for nitrogen fixation and has properties which also make it a good organic > pesticide. It originally comes from Bangladesh but apparently is well > established in Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa. They got seeds from > a farm in the Canary Islands. They've been looking for information about > the tree, its cultivation and properties for some time and have found very > little in the way of written material. > > Does anyone on the "network" have information about this tree or can you > point us to someone who does? > From markh@ORA.COM Wed Sep 1 10:16:48 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 23:53:45 PDT From: Mark Harrington To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Neem Tree ECHO (Educ concerns for hunger org) has the seeds and some info on propagation and use available. Apparently the twigs are excel lent toothbrushes as well. they are slightly alkaline and neutralize the acidic plaque. They have an interesting intern newsletter. ECHO, 17430 Durrance Rd., North Ft. Myers FL 33917-2200 voice 813 543 3246 Cheers... -- Mark Harrington email: markh@ora.com phone: (H) 707-526-0867 (W) 707-576-2434 From Brij.Mathur@F165.N109.Z1.FIDONET.ORG Wed Sep 1 10:39:20 1993 Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 17:20:00 -0400 From: Brij Mathur To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree Provide mailing address to Brij Mathur at VITA to receive information NEEM. * Origin: VITAnet - Arlington, Virginia : 703/527-1392 (1:109/165) From KAREN_WESTLEY.parti@PARTI.INFORUM.ORG Wed Sep 1 10:48:33 1993 Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 09:30:00 -0400 From: KAREN_WESTLEY.parti@PARTI.INFORUM.ORG To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: BOOK ON NEEM Book on Neem Natural Crop Protection in the Tropics by Gaby Stoll (1988) contains useful information on neem as an organic pesticide. You can order the book from UNIPUB 4511-F Assembly Drive Lanham, MD 20705-4391 tel: (301) 459-4391 The book costs US$25 Hope this is useful. Karen Westley International Ag-Sieve Rodale Institute From MIKE_SANDS.parti@PARTI.INFORUM.ORG Wed Sep 1 20:15:33 1993 Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 14:15:01 -0400 From: MIKE_SANDS.parti@PARTI.INFORUM.ORG To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: MORE INFO ON NEEM Neem has been grown for years in much of South and Sotheast Asia as well as Africa. It is known to have a wide variety of uses, most importantly insecticidal and medicinal. Your mention of it as a fixer of Nitrogen is new to me, and quite frankly I would view it with some skepticism. One example of it's insecticidal properties was demonstrated in the following reference: Olaifa, J.I. & A.O. Adenuga 1988. Neem products for protecting field cassava from grasshopper damage. Insect Science and its Application 9(2):267-270. The authors had significant results using both Neem oil extract (from the seeds) and Neem kernel water extract for the control of grasshoppers in cassava. Both neem products outperformed the chemical control products. A bit of promotion here: The above information is available on a bimonthly basis in the "INTERNATIONAL AG-SIEVE, a sifting of news about regenerative agriculture". Subscriptions to the printed version are $16/year from: Circulation Manager INTERNATIONAL AG-SIEVE Rodale Institute 611 Siegfriedale Road Kutztown, PA 19530 USA Tel: 215-683-1400 Fax: 215/683-8548 Email: agsieve.topic@parti.inforum.org From Rafe.Ronkin@P18.F151.N109.Z1.FIDONET.ORG Thu Sep 2 10:31:31 1993 Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 22:13:00 -0400 From: Rafe Ronkin To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L Subject: Info needed on Nim (Neem?) tree > Does anyone on the "network" have information about > this tree or can you > point us to someone who does? Bob, The American Heritage Dictionary, 3d ed. says neem is "a tall, usually evergreen East Indian tree (Azadirachta indica) widely cultivated in tropical Asia for its timber, resin, bitter bark, and aromatic seed oil. [Hindi nim, from Sanskrit nimbah.]" These days, people are finding all kinds of "promising" and actual pharmaceutical chemicals in neem. In many rural parts of India, people chew and brush their teeth with neem twigs (I think the twigs are full of salicylates) as they walk to work in the morning. And some Indians believe that neem embodies male principles (not necessarily pharmacological) in contrast to the peepul or bo tree, Ficus religiosa. -Rafe- R. R. Ronkin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3212 McKinley Street NW Volunteer: community service Washington, DC 20015 Tel. +1 (202) 244-7023 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Origin: Rafe's point. (1:109/151.18) From DHARRIS@upei.ca Thu Mar 3 12:48:41 1994 Date: Wed, 19 Jan 1994 10:00:47 -0400 From: Don Harris Reply to: Agriculture Discussion To: Multiple recipients of list AGRIC-L Subject: Neem seeds Not too long ago there was a discussion on the net of the neem tree and all its benefits. Does anyone know where this discussion is archived or more importantly a source for neem seeds? Please reply directly to me, thanks. Don Harris National Research Council University of Prince Edward Island 550 University Ave., Charlottetown, P.E.I. Canada, C0A 1R0 902-566-0794, Fax: 902-566-0756 dharris@upei.ca From conrad@richters.com Tue Nov 8 23:22:16 EST 1994 Article: 47116 of rec.gardens Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!EU.net!uunet!fonorola!infoshare!whome!scilink!uunet.ca!uunet.ca!richtr!conrad From: conrad@richters.com (Conrad Richter) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: Re: REQUEST: Neem tree info Message-ID: <2092uc4w165w@richters.com> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 94 07:45:12 EST References: <39123p$17t@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us> Organization: Richters Herbs Lines: 43 z005114b@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us (Joan Bradley) writes: > I am now the proud owner of a neem tree in a one-gallon pot. It was > a gift. How much water and fertilizer does it need? How big does it get? > I'm in South Florida. How do they fare in this area? I'd appreciate > learning about this before I plant it and would hope some of the > knowledgeable people "out there" could help. A gift? You what enlightened friends you have. Neem is a fascinating plant with some pretty remarkable medical, insect-inhibiting and other commercially useful properties. It has been the subject of a lot of research in the last few decades. This summer I collected seeds in Ghana where it has become naturalized as it has in much of the tropics. It is very hardy -- ethnic East Indians tell me it is almost weedy in its disposition, and indeed the USDA has some concerns over its potential to become the next _Schinus_ in Florida. (I say they need not have much concern for while it is agressive I have never seen it become a nuisance.) I understand that there are people trying to develop strains that are frost tolerant, but as far as I know nothing significant has come of the efforts yet. So, for now, assume that it will suffer badly if it gets hit by frost. Indeed, it doesn't even like temperatures below 60F -- in our greenhouses they suffer badly during the winter months when our greenhouses drop to 50F nightly. Neem will grow in full or partial shade, needs heavy feeding (high N) and doesn't mind copious water if it can get it. I have the notion to promote neem as a house plant, since it seems to do very well in bright windows. Would require the occasional heavy pruning, but otherwise it requires little care. And it has its own pest defense system... There is a book out on neem put out by the National Research Council called _Neem: A Tree for Solving Global Problems_ (1992). (We are planning to list it in our next catalogue. Sorry, Adam, I couldn't help myself, but at least I avoided mentioning the price.) Conrad Richter RICHTERS HERBS | Info: info@richters.com Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0, Canada | Catalog Requests: catalog@richters.com Tel +1-905-640-6677 Fax 640-6641 | Conrad Richter: conrad@richters.com From steve.pickett@ectech.com Tue Nov 8 23:25:15 EST 1994 Article: 47180 of rec.gardens Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!iat.holonet.net!ectech!steve.pickett From: steve.pickett@ectech.com (Steve Pickett) Newsgroups: rec.gardens Subject: REQUEST: Neem tree info Date: Wed, 2 Nov 1994 02:12:00 GMT Message-ID: <9411021011483745@ectech.com> Organization: holonet Lines: 114 TO: z005114b@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us FROM: steve.pickett@ectech.com SUBJECT: Neem Info Z{|}I am now the proud owner of a neem tree in a one-gallon pot. It was Z{|}a gift. How much water and fertilizer does it need? How big does it get? Z{|}I'm in South Florida. How do they fare in this area? I'd appreciate Z{|}learning about this before I plant it and would hope some of the Z{|}knowledgeable people "out there" could help. Z{|}-- Joan, Here is a copy of a message to me on this topic. From: William Glover Date: Fri, 28 Oct 1994 15:44:37 -0400 To: steve.pickett@ectech.com Subject: Neem Tree Q & A Steve Pickett, Glad you received the seeds. Don't know that I'm so glad to have all the questions, but here goes: >How big does the Neem get (height and width)? 40 feet high x 20-30 feet wide in the tropics. >How fast does it grow? Two feet or so a year, in the tropics. >Is the root structure such that it can be planted near a sidewalk (and >not lift the cement)? Nevis, W.I. is where the sidewalk ends. Have no idea, but most any sizeable tree will lift sidewalks. Don't think it would lift sidewalks anywhere in the USA outside of Key West, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands. The Neem is a *tropical* tree; seedlings are killed by frost and larger ones can take only a few degrees below 0 F for a very short time. >Can other things grow under it, or does it sterilize the soil? Grass, sansevierias, stapeliads, and baby neems grow under mine. >What is it's shape (conical, open, twisted, upright, umbrella, spreading, >...)? Upright, erect, and moderately spreading. >Can it be trimmed to have the lower branches up off the ground? Yes. Can stand any amount of pruning. >Can you walk under it? If the lower branches are cut away. >What is the fruit like? Ovoid, yellow, with about 2 mm of flesh around the seed. >What can the fruit be used for (eating, jams, jellies, fodder, compost, Doesn't taste very good. Have no idea if considered edible in India and Sri Lanka. Leaves and branches said to be suitable for cattle fodder, but my neighbor's sheep won't touch them. Primary use for seeds nowadays is for the extraction of azadirachtin for bioinsecticides such as those being marketed under the names of Margosan-O, BioNEEM, and Neemix. >Is it a messy tree? Not especially. Little leaf litter, but abundant fruit fall in season. >How close together can they be planted? I have a number planted 2-3 feet apart as a windscreen. >Why the concerns about it being invasive? It naturalizes readily in warm, arid climates. One should always be concerned about exotics being invasive and crowding out native species. Think about kudzu and water hyacinth in southern US, lantana in Hawaii, prickly pears in Australia, Brazilian pepper trees in Florida, etc. >Lot's of questions. True. Happy you didn't ask how much a big one weighs as my scale is broken. > I looked it up in my Sunset Garden Book, and it was >not listed, neither the common nor the botanical names. As far as I know, on the US mainland neems are only in southern Florida and but recently introduced. Warm regards, William Glover I have also spoken to some local people who have come up dry on info. Even Hortus 3rd didn't have info which suprised one nurserywoman. I'm trying to propagate some seeds, but no luck yet. Let me know how it goes. Steve --- * QMPro 1.52 * Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware of Humanitarians! From paul.maser@megasystem.com Tue Nov 8 23:26:44 EST 1994 Article: 47217 of rec.gardens Newsgroups: rec.gardens Apparently-to: JOAN BRADLEY Subject: REQUEST: Neem tree info From: paul.maser@megasystem.com (Paul Maser) Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!iat.holonet.net!megasys!paul.maser Distribution: world Message-ID: <215.7436.1362.0NA70CF6@megasystem.com> Date: Wed, 2 Nov 94 07:18:00 -0800 Organization: MegaSystem BBS * 702-849-2207 * 10 Nodes * Lines: 21 JB>I am now the proud owner of a neem tree in a one-gallon pot. It was >a gift. How much water and fertilizer does it need? How big does it get? >I'm in South Florida. How do they fare in this area? I'd appreciate >learning about this before I plant it and would hope some of the >knowledgeable people "out there" could help. >-- JB>Joan Bradley I've been raising a couple of neem trees for a few years. A one gallon pot is probably too small, but it appears that you can bonzai them. I finally transplanted mine into twenty gallon pots and they loved it. Now they're up to about four feet and much healthier. They are tropical trees and can't take frost. In southern Florida you can probably leave them outdoors most of the year. I give mine a small amount of miracle grow on occassion. To water, lift the pot and when its almost dry, soak it. Best Regards; Paul