UPDATE ON NEEM TREES
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Azadirachta indica
FAMILY: Meliaceae
A representative from a chemical company proposing to put in a plantation near Georgetown on the Gilbert River, said in an interview on ABC radio that Neem was not just another get-rich-quick scheme, but an important new crop in Australian agriculture.
Neem has been introduced into Australia by both government departments and private people attracted by its long history of usefulness to man. The ancient Egyptians used an extract of the crushed leaf to prevent locusts eating their crops. In India it has been used for centuries as the basis for many traditional medicines (e.g. in the treatment of stomach worms and malaria), and it has also been used in libraries against bookworm, and in clothing against moths.
More recently it has been planted in Pakistan and Nigeria to reclaim degraded land, and also in Saudi Arabia where it grows 4-5 metres in a year, even though irrigated with brackish water.
Neem could contribute to the greening of Australia, as it grows well in barren country, liking a hot wet summer and a warm winter. As well as its useful insect-repelling properties, the neem tree, which is in the mahogany family, has good timber, and the wood is naturally termite-resistant. Neem improves the land it is grown on, as all foliage, bark, etc. that falls to the ground is as good as manure. It can also be planted amongst fruit crops as an on-site insect repeller, the speaker claimed.
DPI trials in Ayr have grown it to 4m in 12 months. It reaches a total height of 15m. It is also being trialled at Kamerunga HRS and research work is being carried out at the University of Queensland on selecting good varieties.
DATE: September 1990
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