AZADIRACHTIN

Azadirachtin is just one of more than 70 limanoids produced by the neem tree. It is a powerful insect antifeedant and growth regulator.

Azadirachtin occurs in all parts of the neem tree, but is concentrated in the kernel. The concentration of azadirachtin in neem kernels varies with environmental factors and genetic makeup, but may be as high as 10 g/kg of seed kernels. A single tree yields about 2 kg of kernels each year.

Due to the expense of isolating azadirachtin from natural sources, there has been some attempt to synthesize the molecule. To date, two halves of the molecule have been successfully synthesized, but the whole molecule has not. Neither half is biologically active on its own. Researchers estimate that the production of synthetic azadirachtin is still many years away, and will be orders of magnitude more expensive than isolation of the natural product.

Neem

Growth regulating effects

Antifeedant effects

Moulting

Links and References