The Neem Tree (Azadirachta Indica) is a native of India. Every part of the tree is useful, has medicinal, cosmetic and pest inhibiting properties.

Traditionally, the Neem tree's pesticidal and medicinal properties have been known and used for centuries in India.The bark of the neem tree is used for cosmetics, health care products and medicinal preparations. The leaves are medicinal The kernel of the neem fruit is crushed to yield an oil which is used chiefly in pest controlling preparations and also in medicinal, cosmetic and health care products. The residue after crushing the kernel is neem cake, which is an excellent organic fertilizer. Even the twigs of the tree are used as toothbrushes for dental hygiene. Small wonder that scientists have yet to come across a more beneficial tree!

Ingredients:
Neem is made up of about 40 different active compounds called Tetranortriperpernoids, or more specifically, liminoids. Chemically these active ingredients or liminoids, are more akin to steroids. When ingested by the insect, they create hormonal disruptions which prevent the insect from feeding, breeding or metamorphosing.

The main active ingredient of Neem is Azadirachtin, a tetranortriterpenoid. It exhibits antifeedant, insect repellent and insect sterilization properties. It is so potent that quantities as low as 1 ppm will totally repel certain insects. It interferes with ecdysone, the key insect molting hormone and prevents larvae and pupae from completing the molting process.Insects treated with Azadirachtin during the larval and pupal stages, comprising 60-70 percent of their lives, generally die within 3 - 14 days. Unlike chemical insecticides, it works on the insect's hormonal system, not on the digestive or nervous system, and does not lead to development of resistance in future generations.

Neem Cake is an excellent organic fertilizer. The high azadirachtin content in Neem Cake protects crops against parasite nematodes and enriches the soil. Special grades of neem cake, meet the quarantine regulations of certain countries. Indian farmers have traditionally used deoiled Neem Cake as a fertilizer in their fields, the dual activity of Neem cake as fertilizer and pest repellant has made it a favored input. Neem leaves have also been used to enrich the soil, together, they are widely used in India to fertilize cash crops. Then neem cake is ploughed in to the soil it also protects plant roots from Nematodes and white ants, Farmers in southern parts of India puddle neem leaves into flooded rice fields before the rice seedling are transplanted.

Application to the neem cake to crops provides them with various nutrients, besides the neem cake can also reduce  the number of soil insect pests, fungi, bacteria and nematodes and protects the cope from damage caused by these organisms. Neem cake can also reduce alkalinity in the soil by producing organic acids when mixed with the soil. The calcium and megneesium present in neem cake also aid in removing alkalinity.

For cash crops such as turmeric, sugarcane, banana and cardamom, 200 Kg per hectare of neem cake applied. For black pepper and beetelvine 250 grams per plant is applied. Neem cake is also extensively used for citrus, Trees, Jasmine, Roses, and vegetables crops as organic manure.

Good soil fertility means good crop yields. Preventing the loss of plant nutrients from an eco system is important for soil fertility management. Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) are the three major elements that determine soil fertility and should be ideally present in 4:2:1 ratio; Aberrations affect fertility and therefore crop yield. Urea containing 46% of Nitrogen is applied to crops in the largest amounts; but less then ˝ of this N, in the form of Nitrate is available to the crops. The rest is lost through ‘Leaching’ or by ‘volatilization’ or by surface run off after a heavy shower. Leaching of soluble Nitrates in to be soil and eventually in to ground water is well known. Nitrate losses of 50 – 70 % through leaching or observed in rice cops in India.

Leaching not only depletes precious Nitrate but also takes away clay, soil, and organic matter, leading to low chemical soil fertility and low plant – available water reserves. Ammonia volatilization can also contribute to a nearly 60% Nitrate loss. Loss through volatilization occurs when the denitrifying bacteria reduce the nitrate to elemental Nitrogen & Nitrous oxide, which escape to the stratosphere and causes ozone depletion and also contribute to green house warming.  On the other hand, nitrate build up in drinking water can reduce the bloods ability to transport oxygen, especially if the nitrates are converted in to Nitrites (blue - baby syndrome), even ruminants are vulnerable to nitrate or nitrite poisoning, leading to poor growth rates, reduced milk production and increased susceptibility to infections and even abortions.

One way to minimize Nitrate loss is to apply the urea more than once in smaller quantities or alternatively, to use a slow – release urea which makes the urea available in the soil for a longer time.

Nematodes controlled by Neem Cake

Neem Cake can also be mixed with organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers (urea and other complex fertilizers) as well to promote the slow release of nitrogen for the plants to absorb.

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.

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.