ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the origin and distribution, nutritional composition, medicinal values, climatic requirement, soil requirement, cultivated varieties and post-harvest management of drumstick. Although widespread in Africa, drumstick is seldom cultivated intensively in Africa. Drumstick can be grown successfully on all types of soil but sandy loam soils are specifically found to be more suitable. It is a tropical plant and performs well up to an altitude of 600 m above mean sea level. Fresh green leaves and tender pods of drumstick are used extensively in cooking in Asia, Africa and Caribbean cuisine. Only tender growing tips and young leaves are generally used as greens in cooking. Drumstick seed powder can be toxic to animals and particularly to fish. Pod fly, budworm, leaf eating caterpillar, hairy caterpillars, long horn beetle, aphids and thrips are the insect pests that attack drumstick during growing season. Damping off and twig canker are the diseases that attack drumstick during its lifetime.
