TNAU Agritech Portal :: Special Technology

TNAU Agritech Portal :: Special Technology in Trees

TNAU MELIA DUBIA - INDUSTRIAL WOOD TREE

Silvicultural characteristics

Miniclonal technology for mass multiplication of Melia clones

Natural propagation
Natural propagation is mostly through seeds and the germinability is less. It coppices well and produce root suckers when the roots are injured. It pollards well and clusters of new shoots are thrown out from dormant buds on stems and branches.

Artificial propagation:
Seed propagation
It can be raised either by direct sowing or planting in nursery for raising seedlings or stumps. Direct sowing is recorded to give poorer results than planting of samplings or stumps; the latter is considered the best.

Seed treatment:
Seeds are collected from ripened fruits (Jan – Feb) by rubbing, washing and drying and are stored in sealed tins. The germinability of the seed is less than 25%. In nursery, the seeds are sown in raised nursery beds. The best seed treatment is treating the seeds with cowdung solution for one day. Then the treated seeds are sown over the raised nursery bed. It takes two or three months for the seeds to germinate. Irrigation should be done regularly. The seedling takes 6 months to 12 months to complete its nursery stage.
Alternatively the seeds can be extracted from the fruits without any damage. The seeds are then soaked in 100 ppm GA overnight which has recorded over 50% germination.

Clonal Propagation
FC&RI has developed a miniclonal technology for mass multiplication of Melia clones.

Espacement
Pulpwood                  :           5’x5’               (or)      6’ x 6’
Plywood                    :           4m x 4m          (or)      5m x 5m
Pulp & Plywood         :           a) 6’x 6’ (First two years)
b) Thinning of alternate rows at the beginning of 3rd year
c) Thinning alternate diagonals at the beginning of 5th year
                                         d) Final harvest at the beginning of 7th year