Velvel (Acacia leucophloea)

Rotation age (felling age): 4-6 years

Spacing: 2 x 2 m or 1 x 4 m

Seed rate: 2500 plants/ha; app. 100 gm/ha.

Preparatory cultivation: One ploughing with disc is suggested. Pits of 30 x 30 x 30 cm are recommended. Red lateritic soil preferred.

Nursery: Seeds require hot water treatment for encouraging maximum germination upto 96 per cent. Viability of seed is good for upto 6-7 years.  Single seed is dibbled in 10 x 20 cm polythene containers filled with 3:1:1 soil: sand: manure. Seedlings are raised for 4-5 months to reach 50 cm height.

Planting: To be taken up with first few rains of September to October (North east monsoon) Basin formation of 50 cm radius is suggested for capturing rain water.

After cultivation : No weeding is needed.

Plant protection: No serious outbreak of pests or diseases reported so far.

Yield: At the end of 4 years, above ground biomass of 60 tonnes/ha is realisable.

Special features: High survival (above 90 per cent) under rainfed conditions. It is known to form nodules with local Rhizobium. Suitable for low Rainfall  (600-800 mm), alkaline and lateritic soils. It is resistant to termite in the field condition. The stem has very low moisture content (25.0 per cent) as compared to Prosopis (47.0 per cent) and Eucalyptus(49.0 per cent). It is also resistant to browsing. It is thornless. Petioles modified into phyllodes for phytosynthesis.

Use: Fuel wood and fodder.