AZADIRACHTIN A CONTENT IN NEEM SEEDS (Azadirachta indica A. JUSS) COLLECTED IN SINALOA, MÉXICO

Abstract

Azadirachtin content in neem seeds (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) was evaluated in 2002 from trees planted in Sinaloa, México. Fruits were collected directly from trees and processed in the Toxicology Laboratory at the Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Campus Culiacán. Azadirachtin A content was quantified by reverse phase high resolution liquid chromatography using a UV-VIS detector at 217 nm. Significant differences in azadirachtin A content were found among genotypes from Filipinas and Haiti, probably due to natural genetic variation. Seeds from trees introduced from the Philippines had a mean azadirachtin A content of 2895 µg g-1, as compared to 1994 µg g-1 in trees introduced from Haiti. Fruit maturity stage at harvest determines azadirachtin A content, since yellow fruits had 35 % less azadirachtin than green-yellow fruits.