Moringa stenopetala (Bak.f.) Cufod. contributes to food security, yet is largely grown with traditional methods. This study evaluated growth and leaf biomass under three spacings (30 cm × 30 cm, 50 cm × 50 cm, 75 cm × 75 cm) and three harvesting intervals (60, 90, 120 days) in Ethiopia using a randomized complete block design, measuring root collar diameter (RCD), diameter at breast height (DBH), stem height, leaf dry biomass yield, and survival rate. Analysis was performed with the R statistical software program. The result showed that at 90 days, 75 cm × 75 cm yielded the highest mean RCD (12.07 ± 2.15 mm); at 120 days, 75 cm × 75 cm RCD (16.13 ± 3.02 mm) was approximately 50% higher than 30 cm × 30 cm and nearly 31% higher than 50 × 50 cm. DBH gains occurred at 75 cm × 75 cm between 90 and 120 days. Stem height declined with wider spacing (p < 0.01). Survival peaked at 75 cm × 75 cm (92.62%) and declined at 30 cm × 30 cm (79.12%). Leaf biomass per tree rose with spacing and harvest, however per hectare biomass fell with wider spacing. Overall, 75 × 75 cm optimizes individual growth, survival, and biomass; 30 cm × 30 cm boosts hectare yield if managed for survival. Adopting 75 cm × 75 cm spacing with optimized harvest timing improves individual growth and survival of Moringa stenopetala while enabling higher gains in total hectare yield through targeted management. Future cultivation strategies should aim to balance spacing and harvesting intervals to achieve sustainable productivity, considering both individual plant performance and overall yield efficiency.
Reshad et al. (Sun,) studied this question.