Moringa oleifera Extract as a Natural Plant Biostimulant

Moringa, belonging to Moringaceae, is known as the “Miracle Tree” that has versatile uses in both animals and plants. The extract from Moringa oliefera serves as a cheap, eco-friendly, novel biostimulator, and bioenhancer that increases sustainable agriculture practices and crop production. Moringa contains several essential components like mineral nutrients, phytohormones (e.g., auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins), vitamins, flavonols, phenols, sterols, and tannins, as well as several phytochemicals that make it highly beneficial for plants. It induces seed germination, plant growth, photosynthesis, and yields traits at a low cost. It also increases flowering, improves floral traits, fruiting, post-harvesting, and product quality of the fruit, and decreases senescence. Abiotic stresses have a detrimental effect on plant growth and development. The application of Moringa extracts on plants mitigates abiotic stress like salinity, drought, heavy metal, and heat by promoting the activity of antioxidant enzymes and increasing the content of phenols, flavonols, sugars, and osmolyte, which reduces the level of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and electrolyte leakage. In particular, Moringa accelerates plant growth, relative water content, water use efficiency, mineral content, gas exchange traits, and yield attributes under stressful environmental conditions. Moringa serves as an essential biopesticide against plant pathogens, and is used in disease management and plant sustenance.