Agroforestry - A blog on Agrihortisilviculture

Project report for cultivation of Casuarina in irrigated condition and cultivation of Eucalyptus under rain fed condition.

2011-10-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

A preliminary project report was prepared by me for a corporate farm last year for getting in-principle clearance from their H.O and from their Bankers. I have published that report here below with the belief that this will greatly help our fellow farmers in preparing reports for bankers with repayment schedule easily.

PROJECT REPORT FOR PULP WOOD PLANTATION

Objective:

To establish a pulp wood plantation in 500 acres in the farm lands of M/s.......... Ltd., with Eucalyptus hybrid clones and Casuarina Junghuhniana clones as main crops.

Introduction & Scope:
This report is prepared at the behest of Sri. ............, Regional Manager, ................ Ltd.,Tirunelveli by A.Vishnu Sankar, (Mob.........................), President of the Tirunelveli District Tree Growers Association and an approved contractor (Readers please note: I am not a contractor now) to undertake the Farm Forestry scheme of TNPL, Karur.

It is a welcome gesture from M/s................ Ltd., to utilize the vast tracts of cultivable drylands (rainfed farm lands) in their possession in Southern districts of Tamilnadu, to a productive cum profitable purpose with bare minimum investment.

As many farmers / corporate entities have now come to realize that the cultivation of horticulture crops in rain fed dry lands is unremunerative, most of them are turning to the most promising Agroforestry / Silviculture cultivation. Mostly, preference is given to ‘Fast Growing Trees of commercial importance’ in order to cut short the long gestation period a tree growing project normally involves.

In general the following fast growing timber trees are recommended for the plains of southern India:

1. Gmelina arborea (Kumil , Kumula maram in Tamil )

2. Melia dubia (Malai Vembu in Tamil )

3. Casuarina junghuhniana (Indonesian / Junguniana Savukku in Tamil )

4. Ailanthus excelsa (Perumaram, Pee maram, Peematti in Tamil)

5. Grewia tiliaefolia (Thadasu , Sadachi in Tamil )

6. Khaya senegalansis (Kaya or Senegal Mahogany in Tamil)

7. Albizia falcataria (Kattumaram in Tamil )

8. Pterocarpus santalinus (Red Sanders / Sivappu Santhanam in Tamil )

9. Acacia auriculiformis (Pencil Tree in Tamil )

10. Anthocephalus cadamba (Vellai Kadambu in Tamil)

11. Eucalyptus - (Tamil: Thaila maram)

12. Bamboo (Varieties: Bambusa nutans, B. Bamboos, B. tulda, B. vulgaris, B. Balcooa)

Selection of appropriate Tree varieties:

Bearing in mind the factors such as our soil type, soil fertility, soil depth, MSL, rainfall, impossibility of providing supplementary irrigation, dry land tree cultivation in 100% rain fed condition, and above all the marketability of the wood , we can safely select only the following two varieties:

1) Casuarina junghuhniana clones
2) Eucalyptus clones.

For commercial cultivation of the above two tree species, good technical guidance, supply of high yielding clonal planting materials and buy back agreement with a reliable buyer are utmost necessity. ‘TNPL’ will naturally fit into that slot of reliable buyer with whom we can enter into a contract agreement for the cultivation of Casuarina junghuhniana clones and Eucalyptus clones under Farm Forestry scheme.

TAMIL NADU NEWSPRINT AND PAPERS LIMITED:

Government of Tamil Nadu Enterprise) Kagithapuram – 639 136. Karur District
Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) is a Government of Tamil Nadu Enterprise producing Newsprint and Printing & Writing paper at its Mill located at Kagithapuram in Karur District with an installed capacity of 2.45 lakh MT per annum. TNPL is producing different varieties paper of acceptable quality primarily from Bagasse and pulpwood and currently taking up the expansion of paper production capacity from 2.45 Lac MT to 4 Lac MT per annum. TNPL, therefore, requires continuous availability of about 4.5 Lac MT of pulpwood per annum. Against this backdrop, TNPL has embarked upon development of plantation in the year 2004-05 and launched a plantation scheme called Farm Forestry scheme.

FARM FORESTRY SCHEME:

Through this farm forestry scheme, the Company motivates and facilitates the farmers to take up pulpwood plantation. Under this scheme, dry land farmers in the State are encouraged to cultivate pulpwood trees. The salient features of the Scheme are:

Dry land farmers in the State are encouraged to cultivate pulpwood trees in their lands, which are currently barren.

TNPL provides high quality seedlings/clones to the farmers at concessional rates. (Rs.3.50 / Clone).

TNPL enters into an agreement with the farmers to buy the pulpwood at the prevailing market price at the time of harvest or at the minimum support price guaranteed at the time of entering into contract whichever is higher. (current price Rs.2000 / Ton).

TNPL provides assistance to the eligible farmers in obtaining bank finance. The principal amount together with interest is to be repaid after the harvest.

TNPL provides free technical assistance for planting and advisory services after planting of seedlings/clones in farmers' lands.

TNPL arranges harvesting and transport of pulpwood from the farmers' field to factory at company’s cost.

TNPL has established an area of about 50,000 acres under farm forestry scheme involving about 10000 farmers in 15 districts of Tamil Nadu within a span of five years and is committed to raise plantation in about 15000 acres every year to attain the target of 1,00,000 acres by the end of 2012.

The above plantation scheme is being implemented throughout Tamil Nadu through 10 regional offices providing advice and technical assistance to tree growers. The designated officer of TNPL for Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari District is Mr.Krishnasamy, Mob.94425 91418.

Casuarina:
All information relating to Casuarina cultivation, tips to increase yield, photographs of fields with Casuarina plantations, Clonal production centre of TNPL Etc., can be had from this blog: agrowmania .blogspot .com . Please click this 'Casuarina Link'.

Cultivation details can be also had from: http ://www .fcrinaip .org /casuarina _cultivation .php

This crop requires supplementary irrigation in peak and prolonged summer that is difficult to provide by the promoters with the poor irrigation facility available at present in the field. Retaining moisture in the soil by providing flood irrigation at least once in a month is necessary for Casuarina cultivation. Though this crop is most suited for our soil, it is advisable to reduce the area under Casuarina, to eliminate risks.

So the given mandate of selecting tree crops for cultivation in 100% dryland should be altered to include this crop by providing irrigation facility.

The safest way is to go for drip irrigation system thereby we can increase the area with minimum water usage and to obtain a bountiful harvest. We can take up Casuarina cultivation in a minimum of 50 acres in the fields where water availability is adequate.

Cost of cultivation of Casuarina junghuhniana:

Please note that the cost figures and yield estimates are only symbolic and sketchy. The calculations may vary depending upon the fertility of the soil, spacing, dosage of fertilizer, irrigation schedule; proper and timely pruning and other related Good Agriculture Practices.

Please note that a small fraction of farmers are getting a yield of 70 Tons and above in an acre and the majority farmers are able to get only 40 Tons – 50 Tons from 31/2 to 4 years crop will explain many questions on the yield front. So a realistic,achievable target of (Average yield ) 55 tons / Acre was taken for the estimates.

'EUCALYPTUS' Cultivation:

This species is one of the fastest growing trees in the world, a favoured species for the commercial plantations companies owing to its:

● fast growth,
● greater vigour,
● drought resistant nature,
● insect resistant characters,
● adaptability to a variety of agroclimatic conditions,
● adaptability to varied soil conditions (from good to degraded soils).
● moderately salt tolerant,
● relatively fire resistant,
● strong coppice capability (Ratooning),

Details about introduction, cultivation and management of Eucalyptus can be had from this link: http ://www .fcrinaip .org /eucalyptus _cultivation .php

YIELD:

The growing stock and yield in eucalyptus plantations varies considerably depending on the site, the climatic conditions and the inputs.

Eucalyptus clonal plantations perform better than seedling origin plantations. Apart from increase in productivity, the rotation period is reduced by half.

As per TNPL records, the average yield from the well managed private plantations of Eucalyptus clones is about 40 Tons/acre in 5 years.

YEAR WISE BREAKUP OF PROJECT COST FOR CASUARINA 50 ACRES AND EUCALYPTUS UNDER 450 ACRES :

CONCLUSION:
Any agricultural project involves some amount of risk in it, as agriculture is subjected to vagaries of monsoon which is not under the control of the farmer. To compound the matter further, unscientific approach by the farmer without proper understanding of soil health, wrong selection of crops and inadequate funding leads to ‘high-risk zone’ that is called AGRICULTURE.

But here, we have prepared a significant project, wherein importance has been given to solutions (to risks) and thereby eliminating risks in the planning stage itself. The main ideas conceived by us to make our project a grand success are summarized here below:

Selecting drought tolerant tree varieties for drought prone area.

Both the selected crops are some of the fastest growing trees in the world.

Both the crops have adaptability to varied soil / agroclimatic conditions.

No need for fencing the crop area as cattle do not graze these two crops.

Possibility of theft is almost Nil when compared to Horticultural crops.

Reducing the area under Casuarina to our irrigation capacity.

Provision of drip irrigation system for Casuarina for higher yields.

Selection of Hybrid clonal Casuarina jughuhniana variety for higher yields.

Selection of Hybrid clonal Eucalyptus for higher yields.

Procurement of high quality planting materials from TNPL at concessional rates.

Planting coincides with the onset of North East monsoon, hence mortality of plants will be Nil and their establishment in the soil will be far better.

It has been planned to provide sufficient plant spacing for efficient use of machines instead of manpower for deweeding.

Marketing the harvested produce is made simpler by entering into ‘Contract agreement’ with the market leader - ‘TNPL’.

Harvesting cost, Loading cost and Transportation of pulpwood from our lands to the TNPL’s factory at Kagithapuram, Karur will be borne by TNPL thereby saving not only our money but also our precious time and considerable energy.

As Eucalyptus has coppice capability, the plantation can be retained for 18 years.

We can get more income from the ratoon crops of Eucalyptus because of faster and more cycles and reduced expenditure in the ratoon stages.

Free technical assistance for planting and advisory services after planting can be had from TNPL.

TNPL and M/s Forest College and Research Institute, (FC & RI) Mettupalayam are Consortia partners in the NAIP-ICAR sponsored project. Hence we can avail free technical assistance from FC & RI also.

We can arrange inspection of our fields by experienced officers from the ‘Forest Department of Tamilnadu’ and the scientists from ‘Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding’ (IFGTB), Coimbatore also.

Hence, considering all the above positive features I recommend you to implement the project in whole as per the project implementation schedule for attaining a 100% success in this maiden venture.

Please find here in attached a model format of ‘Contract Agreement of TNPL’ for perusal.

Thanking you,

A.Vishnu Sankar.

Leaf and bark pattern of Dalbergia sissoo and Dalbergia latifolia:

2011-09-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

This post has become necessary to clear the doubts among our readers about the identification of Dalbergia sissoo (Sisu) and Dalbergia latifolia (Eeti, Thothakathi, East Indian Rose wood).

Sissoo leaves have pointing tip whereas the leaves of Latifolia are blunt and rounded.
While the bark of D.Sissoo is dark brown, very rough thick layer and with cracks, the bark of D.Latifolia is gray in colour, thin and smooth in appearance.

Refer the following links also:
Link 1
Link 2
and my previous posts on Sissoo.

(Please note that the pictures showing leaf pattern of Dalbergia latifolia were taken with the trunk of Gmelina arborea (Kumil) in the background).

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Melia Dubia ( Tamil: Malai Vembu ) plantation and veneer:

2011-08-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

A Melia dubia mother plant bed in FCRI, Mettupalayam.

A 'Melia dubia' plantation 1 year and 8 months old in FCRI, Mettupalayam.

Veneer (a layer of plywood) is a thin sheet of wood of uniform thickness cut on a lathe by rotating a log against a knife blade in a peeling operation. Since Melia dubia is a low grade timber; it is widely being used as inner and back veneer in plywood making and it is not used as face veneer.

A rotary cut veneer from Melia dubia, 60” in Width, 4 mm in thickness on display at FCRI, Mettupalayam.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Stem borer attack in Melia dubia (Malai vembu)

2011-08-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
A keen follower of this blog has sent the following queries and pictures for clarification.

Question:

I have planted around 600 Malai Vembu in my agriculture land in Salem @ a spacing of 10 feet x 10 feet. The trees are about 8 month old, drip irrigated and have attained a height of about 10 to 12 feet. I am facing two problems now. There is bulging of stem in some plants and the earlier occurred plants broke subsequently. This bulging of stem occurs at various heights of the plant. Is it Stem borer ('Thandu Puzhu' in Tamil)? Whether Phorate application controls it?

Secondly I notice branches shooting out and in some trees they fall down on their own on reaching a length of 3 to 4 feet. Shall I allow these branches to grow? Please suggest me solutions for these.

Answer: The above pictures were sent to Dr.K.K.Suresh, Prof & Head, Dept. of Forestry and Silviculture, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, and Mr.Sivakumar, Senior Scientist, IFGTB, Coimbatore for their opinion. Replies received:

It looks like stem borer. You may make your observation in the point of breaking of stem for any bore hole for confirming the presence of stem borer.

The treatment recommended for Casuarina stem borer attack may be followed. Inserting wire through the bore hole to remove the feeding larvae and applying insecticide soaked cotton (15ml of dichlorvos). Injecting insecticide into the holes where the larvae puss out their frass is the effective method. Inject after removal of frass.

Application of Phorate in the soil may not be appropriate at this chronic stage. Since the pest is a borer, application of phorate in the soil around the stem disrupts its life cycle and multiplication.

For clear examination, send cut portion of the infected region through courier for a clear examination and for recommending the right control measure.

Once the stem break you will notice new shoots coming out just below the broken portion. You have to cut the tree at the base and allow the coppice shoot at the base to come up (See the picture below) and not the shoot at the top (near the broken point), as this may dislodge if there is heavy wind.

Breaking of branches may also be due to attack by some insects as this tree does not shed branches of its own as done in Eucalyptus.

Remove and burn all broken branches in which the breeding takes place.

If the pest attack exceeds the threshold limit, spraying of 0.2% dichlorvos with 0.2% Chlorpyrifos or Monocrotophos as foliar application followed by soil application of 20 gm of Phorate or Carbofuran per plant will give desired result.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks on behalf of all the readers to the above two scientists for giving this detailed reply.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar.

Leaf pattern of Dalbergia Sissoo (Tamil : Sissoo)

2011-08-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I am uploading this picture to help you differentiate Dalbergia sissoo from Dalbergia latifolia (Eetti, Rose wood). Sissoo leaves have pointing tip where as the leaves of Latifolia are blunt and rounded.

Leaf pattern of Sissoo:

Intricate wood carving from Sissoo wood panel:

A Dalbergia latifolia tree:

Please click the link to differentiate between Sissoo and Eetii
or 'East Indian Rose Wood' from 'Indian Rose Wood'.

Melia dubia (malai vembu) yield statistics:

2011-07-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Tamil agricultural magazine “Pasumai Vikatan”, in it’s July 10, 2011 issue, has published yield statistics of Melia dubia (Malai vembu) in irrigated fields. I have also personally visited those farms at Sennampatty village of Erode district to verify the veracity of yield claims.

Spacing in feet ----Yield / acre / Annum / Tons

4 x 4 --------------------27

5 x 5 --------------------29

6 x 6 --------------------27

7 x 7 --------------------21

Farmers have obtained better yield in 5’ x 5’ spacing. Please bear in mind that the above smaller spacing is recommended only when you go for supplying the produce to biomass power companies where quantity matters and size or quality of log doesn’t matter.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Agroforestry practices and cropping patterns

2011-04-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

A Ppt presentation explaining the following concepts is presented here:

The basic concepts of Agroforestry,

the agroforestry practices,

cropping patterns for tree crops,

list of fodder giving trees,

list of Nitrogen fixing trees,

seed treatment method and inoculation with VAM,

list of economically important fast growing tree species,

trees that have gained wide spread acceptance among the farmers,

list of long standing, hard wood trees that have good market value

and the Govt. subsidy for medicinal value trees.

Click this thumbnail to view the presentation:

(Pictures, drawings and illustrations shown in this presentation are taken from various websites and they are used here for educative purpose only and not for any monetary gains).

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Anthocephalus cadamba ( Vellai Kadambu in Tamil)

2011-04-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

The Forest Extension division of Department of Forests, Tamilnadu, India has come out with a video with narrartion from the Chief Conservator of forests (Extension), Mr. Irulandi to promote the cultivation of Anthocephalus cadamba ( Vellai Kadambu in Tamil).

(To know the difference with Manja Kadambu click this link: Haldinia cardifolia (Tamil :Manja Kadambu).

To view the video click this youtube link.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Importance of trees

2011-04-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

The Forest Extension division of Department of Forests, Tamilnadu has released a video with a nice little speech about the importance of trees by M.Karthi, a cute little girl from Coimbatore. A must see video for tree lovers!

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Viability of Fresh water fish culture in mini pond.

2011-04-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I am a beneficiary under Tamilnadu ‘IAMWARM’-Phase-II, Nitchebanathi river/ Kalingalar sub-basin scheme through which a farm pond was excavated in my field by Agricultural Engineering Department of Tirunelveli.

I am greatly benefitted by the above scheme particularly from the pond wherein I was able to store the harvested rain water for a period of more than 4 months resulting in good water supply in my nearby open well.

The policy makers of the above project have devised a plan to promote aquaculture in these ponds to augment some income generation to the farmers. They envisaged a net revenue of Rs.10000/- per pond and farmers were provided with fishlings, fish feed and fish culture techniques free of cost by the Fisheries Department.

My experience as a first time fish farmer was rather good (or should I say 'palatable') since I had been getting fish to my kitchen throughout the year. On this account, I hereby express my wholehearted thanks to the officials who trained me well in fresh water aquaculture.

Economic viability of Aquaculture in small Farm ponds:

It is clearly stated in trial reports and text books of Fisheries College and Research Institute that inland fresh water aquaculture in such small ponds as 'unviable' due to various factors. This assessment is found to be correct in my experience also.

The details of fish varieties released in the pond, quantity of feed provided and the quantity of fish harvested are given below:

Pond size : Top 42m x 24m, Bottom 40m x 22m, Depth 1.45m.

Initial stocking date: : 23-12-2009

Fish varieties and quantity released: Katla–400 + Rogu–200 + Mirugal –400 = 1000. (Roughly 1 fish per 1 square metre. These Gangetic carp varieties can withstand tough climatic conditions when compared to native varieties)

Inputs from the farm provided as fish feed: Groundnut cake 100 Kg, Cow dung 4 tractor loads, rice bran, harvested grain residues of black gram, red gram and paddy, rice unfit for human consumption, cooked rice and other crop residues.

Fish feed supplied by the Dept.(FREE of cost) : 600 Kg. (“Grobest Fish feed -9201' - 50 Kg.x 12 bags, Value Rs.12,000/-) Daily feeding rate @2 to 3% of total fish body weight for 2 times per day.

Date of Harvest : 04-04-2011

Yield : 447 kg.

Average weight of fish : 650 gm.

Harvest charges : NIL (Included in the price)

Selling Price : Rs. 45 per Kg.

Gross income : Rs.20,115/-

Notes:

We were able to store rain water initially for 4 months from Jan 09 to Apr 09 and then for 2 months from Nov 10 to Dec 10 only and for the rest of the period well water was used to maintain a very low water level of 1.5 feet only.

Due to low water level and scanty feeding there was no marked improvement in ‘weight gain’ of fishes noticed after Oct,2010.

No mortality even during peak summer periods when the water level was as low as 1 feet.

No infections or diseases noticed.

Weight of Mirugal and Rogu (min.500 gm to max 750 gm) were better than Katla which had not gained weight more than 0.350 gm. Few CC varieties which some how got mixed with the fishlings gained a weight in the range of 2 to 2.5 Kg.

The total cost of fishlings at the time of initial stocking, value of feed provided to the fishes and the labour cost involved for feeding and pond maintenance came to Rs.20000/- approx. Please note that the gross income from the sale of harvested fish was also Rs.20000/- approx. So, there was no profit or no gain for an one year effort.

Cost of fishlings Rs.2000 + Cost of Fish feed Rs.12,000/- totaling Rs.14000 was fully paid by the Fisheries Department. What would have happened to me if I had purchased fishlings and the fish feed out of my pocket is anybody's guess!

Yours friendly, A.Vishnu Sankar

Pictures of Melia dubia trial plot:

2011-03-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Please go through our earlier post in this link where pictures of Melia dubia (Malai vembu) in trial plot was published. Now see what it looks like exactly after one year!

Melia dubia (Malai vembu) bordering Sugar cane field:

Melia dubia (Malai vembu) as intercrop with Mango:

Melia dubia (Malai vembu) as intercrop with Mango):

Casuarina Jhunghuhniana as intercrop with Melia dubia (Malai vembu): (In the foreground is Kaya senegalansis with thick foliage and Gmelina arborea (Kumil) with withered leaves)

Casuarina junghuhniana as intercrop with Melia dubia (Malai vembu):

Melia dubia trial plot is without irrigation for the past 6 months and we left it to the mercy of rain God. Due to severe drought wells are dry and there is no water even to provide thro' drip irrigation system. Melia sheds all its leaves except in the apical part and survives the hot summer.

The Gmelina arborea (Kumil) planted along with the above Melia dubia, could not able to survive this extreme drought condition and dried up.

See the drought symptoms in the leaves of Casuarina jughuhniana also:

Regards,

Vishnu Sankar

A Book on Melia dubia (Malai vembu)

2011-03-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

Dear farmer friends,

Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding Institute (IFGTB), Coimbatore, in collaboration with Tamilnadu Forest Dept. (Extension), has organized a Tree Growers Mela on Feb, 24 & 25, 2011 with an obejective to familiarise farmers with modern and improved tree farming methods and market opportunities.

At the inagural function IFGTB has released a nice looking, very informative book titled "Melia dubia" (Malai Vembu) with about 55 pictures in both Tamil and English version. It was authored by Mrs.Rekha R.Warrier with active support from fellow scientists and the Director of IFGTB, Dr.N.Krishna Kumar,IFS.

Though this magic tree has caught the attention of farmers due to its fast growth and high economic returns they have been left in the lurch as there is dearth of information and authentic source to know about its growth performance, yield, log quality, pulping details and above all its basic cultivation technique. IFGTB has brought out this book at a right time and information provided in this booklet will be of great use for all those concerned with the cultivation of Melia dubia (Malai vembu).

Some excerpts from the book: (Especially for farmers who seek details to improve germination rate of Melia seeds).

Fruit collection: It is best to adopt ground collection of fallen fruits than obtain them by climbing and shaking of the branches. .... Care should be taken to collect only the ripe yellow or brown fruits. Green fruits indicate immaturity and should not be collected.

Processing and handling: After collection, the fruits can be transported to the place of processing in gunny bags or Bamboo baskets. Ripe yellow fruits can be depulped easily if the fruits undergo fermentation and heating as the pulp is difficult to remove. ...... fermentation can be hastened by soaking the fruits in slightly acidified water (pH 5.5 - 5.6) or in lime water (diluted Calcium Hydroxide solution). Once fermented, the fruits are macerated in Bamboo baskets and thoroughly washed under running water so that even a small quantity of pulp is not adhered to the seeds. Sand can be used as an abrasive to remove the pulp thoroughly. ..... If the pulp is not thorougly removed, the drupes are susceptible to fungal infestation.

Storage and viability: The drupes thus extracted have to be sun-dried for ten days in shade. Cleaned and dried drupes can then be stored in gunny bags or sealed tins for one or two years without losing viability.

Seed Processing and pretreatments: Reports state very poor germination in Melia. ..... Various pretreatments like:

hot water soaking (60-70 degree C),

boiling water treatment (100 Degree C),

roasting drupes at 60 degree C for 5-10 minutes,

storing of drupes in farm yard manure,

treatment with concentrated sulphuric acid,

drupes collected from the spittings of goats,

soaking of drupes in cow dung slurry for two to fifteen days,

cutting the hard endocarp of drupes and soaking drupes in cold water for a week

have been suggested to improve the germination rate of Melia dubia. ..... The major constraints in germination identified in the species at IFGTB are the source of collection, time and medium of sowing. (Seeds stored for a min of one year show better germination over fresh ones).

NURSERY: (Seed sowing) The drupes should be graded in water to remove floating drupes prior to sowing. Cleaned and dried drupes should be sown in the open raised nursery beds, in drilled lines, 5cm apart. About 6-7 kgs of dried drupes containing about 1500 numbers are required for one standard nursery bed (10x1m). The drupes sown need to be watered regularly.

The content of the book also includes 1.Maintenance of seedlings 2. Vegetative propagation 3. Plantation methods 4. Silvicultural characteristics 5. Planting space 6. Pests and diseases 7. Recommended intercrops 8. Wood properties 9. Timber characteristics 10. Wood processing 11. Uses 12. Growth statistics 13.Economics 14. Problems in identification of Melia dubia and Melia azedarach.

The above book is available in both Tamil and English version and can be purchased from: The Director, IFGTB, PB:1061, Forest campus, Coimbatore - 641 002, Tamilnadu. Price Rs.100/-

"Plant Melia for prosperity"

Regards,

A.Vishnu Sankar

Workshop on cultivation of Tree crops in dry lands

2010-08-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Topic: WORKSHOP ON CULTIVATION OF TREES IN
DRY LANDS

arranged by the Department of Forest Extension, Tirunelveli
Division, and Tirunelveli District Tree Growers association.

Venue:

Donavur Fellowship premises, Near Kalakad, Tirunelveli District, Tamilnadu.

Location:

Tirunelveli to Nanguneri 40 Kms, Nanguneri to Kalakau 20 Kms, Kalakadu to Donavur 8 Kms,

Mode of Transport:

Two private minibuses and Vans of Forest Extension Division of Tamilnadu are exclusively arranged to bring in participants from Kalakadu Bus stand.

Date and programme timings:

I day - 02/09/2010 Time 10.30 AM to 5.00 PM
II day - 03/09/2010 Time 10.00 AM to 3.00 PM

Fees if any for Registration, Food and Accommodation:

No registration fee.
Food will be provided free of cost.
Accommodation for the night stay on 02/09/2010 is free.
Transport from the seminar hall to the lodge on 02/09/10 evening and back to the seminar hall on 03/09/10 Morning are free.

Programme for I day - 02/09/2010:

'Cultivation of 'Ailanthus'- by Dr.P.Rajendran, Associate Prof, Dept. of Tree Breeding, Forest college & Research Institute, Mettupalayam.

'Cultivation of Eucalyptus and the benefits of selecting Euclayptus clones as planting material.' - Resource person from F.C & R.I.

'Cultivation of 'Melia dubia'- Resource person from IFGTB.

'Cultivation of Neem and Albizia lebbeck' by Shri.S.Saravanan, IFGTB (Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding Institute)

Programme for II day - 03/09/2010:

'Cultivation of Trees in dry lands and the selection of suitable intercrops' by Dr.T.Rengarajan, Associate Prof, Dept of Agronomy, TNAU, Tamilnadu Agriculture University, Agriculture Research Station, Kovilpatti.

'Various Soil types and selecting appropriate Tree variety that suits your soil type' by Dr. Salia, Professor, Dept. of Soil Sciences, TNAU, Tamilnadu Agriculture University, Madurai.

'Contract Farming in dry lands' by Sri. Srinivasan, Plantation Manager, TNPL, Tamilnadu News Prints and Papers Limited, Karur.

'Soil and water conservation in Dry lands' by Shri. Chandran, Executive Engineer, Agriculture Engineering Department, Tirunelveli.

PARTICIPATE FOR YOUR PROSPERITY .

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar
President,
Tirunelveli District Tree Growers Association

Melia dubia ( Tamil: Malai Vembu ) cultivation

2010-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Melia dubia ( Tamil: Malai Vembu ) cultivation is fast catching up in Tamilnadu in recent years and my mailbox is flooded mostly with requests seeking clarifications about it's cultivation techniques.

I have given below the questions raised by one such follower of this blog:

We are planting Melia dubia ( Malai Vembu ) as border tree in our dry land ( having little water with a small bore well). We just planted yesterday with a 10'spacing apart. Dug a pit of 2.5' x 2.5' x 2.5'. As the monsoon starts settling down, we decided to plant the saplings now. The sapling height itself approx. 4 feet now. We have added some organic manure while planting. Watering we are planning alternative days as of now. Soil type is very good RED SOIL. We planted 15 trees as a sample now and wanted to see them for a week and plant the rest ( 100 plus). Please throw us some more suggestions / advice as we are new to this farming. Will post some pictures later next week.

1. Watering frequency and Watering location ( like how far from the stem and pit area diameter).

2. Is the watering to be continuous or can be scaled down after some time.

3. We prefer not to use any fertilisers though we prefer organic manures. Any recommendation for frequency of using manure and also watering methods during and after placing manure.

4. As of now we are planting only on East-West direction to avoid shades for cultivation. Any suggestions on shade for North-South plantation.

5. Please suggest proper pruning methods and timings.

My response for the clarifications raised is summed up hereunder:

The planting procedure you had followed for Malai vembu and the spacing provided are flawless and very precise as per the recommendations. As for the rest of your queries, my suggestions are:

Q1: Watering frequency and Watering location ( like how far from the stem and pit area diameter).

Q2: Is the watering to be continuous or can be scaled down after some time.

If the crop is flood irrigated, then watering in alternative days as you have planned is more than sufficient for the first 2 to 3 weeks after planting. Once the plant establishes well in the soil, weekly irrigation is enough.

If you have provided drip irrigation system, follow daily wetting @ 5 - 8 litres / plant, 0.5 feet away from the plant for the first 3 months (8lph dripper 1 number/plant). After 6 months and during summer 16 - 20 litres / plant, 1.5 feet away on either side of the plant (8lph dripper 2 numbers/plant).

This suggestions are only indicative and don't strictly follow these as there will be entirely different requirements with different soil types.

Q3: We prefer not to use any chemical fertilisers and proposed to use organic manures. Any recommendation for frequency of using manure and also watering methods during and after placing manure.

Add 20gms of VAM for each plant at the pit at the time of planting. Since you are very particular about organic practices, opt Rock phosphate and Gypsum as effective amendments.

Mix Azos + Phospho + Pseudomonas + T.viridi and Neem cake with FYM and apply liberally in the pit at the time of planting.

The same mixture should be applied yearly twice, at the time of N.E and S.W monsoon rains, 1.5 - 2 ' around the base plant.

Q4: As of now we are planting only on East-West direction to avoid shades for cultivation. Any suggestions on shade for North-South plantation.

The characteristic features of Melia dubia tree are its very fast growth, good height and the limited canopy. These characters along with the not much noticed or studied character of root competition with the adjacent crops, makes it an ideal border crop. So North-South plantation with the spacing of 10' x 10' will not harm the main crop in the field.

Q5: Please suggest proper pruning methods and timings.

Straight pole fetches good price in the market. Farmers with some basic knowledge about the tree's branching pattern and pruning techniques will definitely stand to gain.

In good irrigated fertile soils, the plant usually produces 3 to 4 side branches when it attains the height of 12' -14'. Prune the branches 2" -3" away from the main stem in the initial stage itself using secateurs. Pruning well developed branches may cause injury to the main trunk, so extreme care should be taken to prune the branches at the early stages itself.

You will notice the same kind of branching pattern second time, when the plant attains the height of 18' - 20'. Some farmers prefer not to prune those branches formed at the height of 18', thereby curtailing the tree's vertical growth and allowing for girth increment.

When planted in dry lands and in drought prone areas, the tree branches at the height of 6' - 8' itself. It is also quite natural for any tree to form branches if it's apical tip got damaged due to pest attack, mechanical injury or by cattle gracing.

"Plant Melia for prosperity"

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Pigeon pea (Red gram, Thuvarai in Tamil) production technology

2010-07-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I have given below a brief account of pigeon pea cultivation practices as recommended by 'ICRISAT' (International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics).

In the second part of this same article, my actual cultivation experience of pigeon pea is explained in detail.

I. Pigeon pea (Red gram, Thuvarai in Tamil) production Practices:

Native plant of India.

It's drought tolerance and the ability to use residual moisture during the dry season makes it an important crop.

It is a slow growing crop mainly cultivated in the raining season.

When cultivated in fertile soils with proper irrigation the plants attain 3 -4 m height.

At a wider spacing it may form a bush and at narrow spacing it remains compact and upright.

Root nodules of 'Rhizobia' forms on the root system.

Pigeon pea is sensitive to water logging. So, plant them in well drained soil for good root and nodule development.

Before sowing at least two ploughing is necessary. Summer ploughing helps in minimizing the weed and to conserve moisture.

Cultivation in ridges and furrows system is recommended.

Sowing Depth: 4 to 5 cm.
Response to Nutrients:
Effect of Nitrogen is almost negligible. However a starter application of 25 kg of N / ha is beneficial.
Response to 'P' application has been positive. Application of 17 -26 kgs / ha increases yield by 300-600 kgs/ha.
Pigeon pea does not respond to K application unless it is grown on low Potassium available soils.
Most of the pigeon pea cultivars are susceptible to Zinc deficiency. So foliar application of 2-4 ppm of Zinc Sulphate @ 0.5% with 0.25 % lime have been effective.
NPK requirement: 20 : 17 : 17

It is observed that rhizobial inoculation increase the grain yield from 19 to 68%.

IRRIGATION:

Irrigation at the time of flower initiation and pod setting are essential. The drought stress symptoms are indicated by the leaves pointing towards the sun at noon.
Excessive moisture promotes vegetative growth. Proper irrigation increases the seed yield by about 150 - 160% over the non-irrigated control at ICRISAT.

HARVEST: It should be harvested when 80% of the pods become brown.

II. My actual cultivation experience of pigeon pea:

Initially, ICRISAT's 'ICPL 87119'- a bold seed variety was sown. But heavy monsoon rains badly affected the seeds and only about 20% germination rate was observed. Gap filling for the remaining 80% is not feasible, so destroyed all the plants by ploughing and opted for a fresh crop.

Next variety selected: ICPL 85063.

Area : 3 acres.

Field preparation: Ridges and furrows.

Spacing: Row to Row - 2.5 feet on ridge slope. (Actual spacing requirement for the plant is 3 feet. Do not reduce the spacing in fertile soils with irrigation facility. The ICRISAT's recommendation of 70 cm spacing is for dry lands.

Spacing: Plant to plant - 2 feet. (ICRISAT's recommendation of 20cm - 30cm is too narrow. Better go for above 1.5 feet - 2 feet spacing to avoid overcrowding. In my experience, I got more grain yield from sparsely populated areas. Please note that, at a wider spacing the plant will grow as a bush and at narrow spacing it remains compact and upright.)

Seed requirement: If you sow single seed per pit, about 4 kgs (approx.) of seeds may be required for a spacing of 75cm x 60cm and if you opt for 2 seeds per pit then about 8 kgs (approx.) of seeds will be required. The quantity of seed requirement will also vary depending upon the size and weight of selected seed variety.

About 1000 plants were raised in plugtrays / protrays for gap filling.

Presoaking of Seeds: Soaking the seeds in good water for 6 hours before sowing is an essential activity.

Seed Treatment: Since the procured seeds were already treated with the chemical fungicide 'Thiram', seed treatment using 'Rhizobium' was not done. So 'Rhizobium' was broadcasted over the field.

Inter crop: Black gram in a single row on opposite side of the red gram sown ridge.
Intercrop duration: 90 days.
Deweeding: A total of 5 manual deweeding was done.
Basal :

FYM 5 Tons per Acre broadcasted before first ploughing..

Rhizobium 1 kg + Azosphyrillum 2 Kgs + Phosphobacterium 2 kgs + Viridi 500 gms were thoroughly mixed with FYM 50 Kgs and broadcasted over an acre before I irrigation.

2 Kgs of Micronutrient Mixture for Pulses (M.N. mixture No:VII in Tamilnadu) mixed with 20 kgs of sand per acre was broadcasted before III irrigation.

Maturity / Age: 160 - 180 days.

Irrigation: To arrest the vegetative growth of the plant, irrigation was stopped by 140 th day to induce flowering.

After flowering, controlled irrigation was provided enabling the pods to get filled up.

Fertilisers:N:P:K applied was 46:32:32 against the ICRISAT recommended dosage of 20:17:17.

Top dressing of M.N Mixture 5 kg per acre on 60th day.

Foliar application of Zn So4 two times.

Pest Control:

Steps to control Pod borer attack.

Used 'Phremon traps' / 'Lures' of 'Helicoverpa armigera' @ 10 per acre at the time of flowering and changed them after 45 days with fresh ones.

Foliar spray of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.T, Brand: HALT) @ 4%/litre - 3 applications with a gap of 15 days between each spray.

Released 'Trichogramma Kilonis' an egg parasite @ 3 cc per acre (15 strips of eggs) - 3 times with a gap of 15 days between each one.

Harvesting procedure (Conventional): Cut the stem at the base ==> bundle the plants ==> shift them to thrashing floor ==> bundles to be stacked in upright position for 2-3 days for effective drying and fall of leaves ==> beat the dry plants with sticks ==> remove dusts and collect seeds.

Using Mechanical thrasher: By using "All purpose mechanical Thrashers", one can reduce the cost of harvesting expenses considerably.

Yield attained: Total yield 2115 Kgs in 3 acres (i.e) 705 Kgs per acre.
Yield attained from the inter crop-Blackgram: 140 Kgs per acre

Gross income per acre: Pigeon pea: Kgs.705 x Rs 36 = 25380

Gross income from Black gram:Kgs.140 x Rs 42 = 5880

Total income from Pigeon pea and Black gram: Rs.31300

Expenses per acre:Rs. 9800 approx.

(About 50% of this expense was incurred in harvesting and for manual cleaning. I was not able to get the mechanical thrasher at the time of harvest, though it had been booked well in advance. If I had got the mechanical thrasher in time, I would have minimized the harvesting expenses and the total expenses would be around Rs.7000 only)

Net income per acre from both main crop and inter crop: Rs. 21500 (Rd) in a period of 6 months.

Please note that organic practices were adopted for pest control and chemical fertilizers were used to attain the recommended N:P:K level.

I have learned a very good lesson from this crop and I will be more happy if our dear farmers took a balanced view of the recommendations to attain more yield and mechanize the farming activity to get more profits.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar.

Agricultural Technologies developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)

2010-07-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is the country's premier national institute for agricultural research, education and extension. The institute has generated technologies, package of practices and processes for higher crop productivity.

The proponents of organic agriculture are strongly criticizing the role IARI played at the time of 'Green revolution and post Green revolution eras, when it introduced dwarf wheat and rice varieties, chemical fertilizers as necessary inputs for the responsive varieties to push up crop productivity at farmer's fields in the name of country's self sufficiency.

The criticism of the emerging group of 'Organic growers' about the present day farming as prescribed by the scientific community all over the world cannot be simply rubbed aside since they point to the unpalatable hard facts, faulty govt. policies and the resultant problems to the farmers.

The wrong policies ultimately led the nation to witness a steady negative growth in agriculture in the past decade, erosion of profits in agriculture to an unsustainable levels and above all the deterioration of the soil health due to excessive chemical use.

The primary concern of every government is to check the prices and they conveniently and purposely forgot to fix remunerative prices for the agricultural produce. Attaining country's self sufficiency in food production by robbing the hapless farmer (robbing the fruits of his labour and robbing the health of his farm soil) in the name of 'modern agricultural technology' is nothing but bringing disgrace to our nation for which we all should be feel ashamed of.

Other than the technological advancements to enhance 'Crop productivity', there are many more agricultural technologies, developed by the scientific community to bring in prosperity to the farming community.

Some of the farmer friendly technologies released by IARI are enumerated below:

Division of Genetics:

More than 100 high yielding (?) (demerits already discussed), pest as well as disease resistant varieties of Rice and Wheat were released.

Developed and released improved varieties for maize, chickpea, pearl millet, pigeonpea, mungbean, fieldpea, lentil and oil seed crops like Mustard.

Division of Vegetable Science:

Developed more than 200 improved varieties of 43 vegetable crops and two dozen hybrids for commercially important vegetables like Brinjal, Bottle gourd, Bitter gourd, sponge gourd, Cucumber Etc.,

Low cost Poly-house Technology for Raising Nursery.

Ratooning of Brinjal.

Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology:

Varieties / Hybrids for Mango,Grape, Citrus, Papaya Etc.,

High Density Planting technology developed for Mango, Kinnow, Guava and Papaya.

Division of Floriculture and Landscaping:

Varieties developed for Marigold, French Marigold, Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum and Rose.

Division of Seed Science and Technology:

Farmer Participatory Seed production programmes: The breeder seed of the varieties / parental lines of hybrids were provided to the farmers for production of quality seeds under regular supervision and monitoring by the scientists.

Farmers are provided with hands on training in seed production technology and storage practices.

Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology:

Plug tray / Protray Nursery Raising Technology for Vegetables.

Low cost insect proof net house technology for virus free nursery raising in Vegetables.

Plastic low tunnel technology for off season cultivation of vegetables.

Production Technology of Tomato under Zero Energy Greenhouse.

With this technology, a farmer can obtain about 3.5 Kg of Tomato seeds woth Rs.70,000 from 100 Square meter area and 15 Kg of hybrid seed of Brinjal of worth Rs.60,000 from 500 Square meter area.

Production technology of Parthenocarpic Cucumber under Zero Energy naturally ventilated Greenhouse:

Division of Entomology:

Suggestions for effective management of insect pests in Rice, Wheat, Vegetables, pulses Etc.,

Integrated Pest Management regime

Plant based formulations

Alternatives and supplements to agrochemicals.

Division of Agricultural Chemicals:
PUSA HYDROGEL:

This product is to enhance the crop productivity per unit area with the available water and nutrients in moisture stress areas.

Natural polymer based. (Not Synthetic)
Absorbs water 400 times of its dry weight and gradually releases the same.
Exhibits maximum absorbency @ temperatures (40-50*C) characteristic of arid soils.
Less affected by salts as compared to commercially available purely synthetic products.
Low rates of soil application - 1-2 Kgs / ha for nursery horticulture crops; 5-7 Kg / ha for field crops.

Division of Plant Pathology:

Bio-formulations for the Management of Plant Diseases.

Biological control of Plant Pathogens.

Division of Agronomy:

Zero-tillage Technology for Efficient Resource conservation.

Nitrogen Economy through Summer Legumes in Cereal based Cropping Systems.

Bed planting Technology for Enhancing Crop Productivity.

More Rice with Less Water. (SRI - System of Rice Intensification)

Division of Agricultural Physics:

Agromet-advisory services to the farmers. Weather based weekly advisories are released for the benefit of farmers.

Division of Microbiology:

Research and production of bio fertilizers.

Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry:

Soil test based balanced fertilizer recommendations for targeted yield of crops.

Division Agricultural Engineering:

Has developed number of farm equipments and machinery for Crop production and Agro-processing to make farm operations more easy, efficient, cost effective and with considerable saving time and energy.

Pusa Agua Ferti Seed Drill (Rear View):

Pusa Agua Ferti Seed Drill (Front View):

Bund former:

Model of Laser Leveller:

Water Technology Center:
For Low Rainfall receiving Rainfed regions:

Surface mulching

(a) Application of Biological Mulching Material on the ground.
(b) Plastic mulching.
(c) Incorporation or mixing the biological materials in the soil.

Cultivation of low water requiring crops.

For Highly Arid Rainfed Regions:

Deep ploughing of field before monsoon.
Marginal and peripheral bunding.
Pot / pitcher Irrigation system.

For Very High Rainfall receiving Rainfed regions:

Construction of Engineering structure

(a) Ploughing against land slope

(b) Rain water harvesting tanks / ponds and proper re-use.

(d) Cover management.

AFFORESTATION

Division of Plant Physiology:

Improving the productivity by cultural / Management practices for all the crops.
Post Harvest Management of fruits and flowers.

Dear friends,

The effort of the scientific community to reach the farming community with latest technologies is at a snails pace. It is imperative on the part of our government to augment speedy deployment and utilization of implementable technologies for the benefit of the farmers as well our Nation.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

High Density Planting Technology

2010-06-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Many farmers falsely believe (especially Mango. Kinnow and Guava growers) that 'HIGH DENSITY PLANTING TECHNOLOGY' (hereafter 'HDP') is nothing but to plant more number of trees, get yields up to 6-7 years and when the canopy of the trees in one row touches the next row thereby curtailing farming operations and reduction in yield, simply fell / uproot the trees in alternate rows and continue farming with the remaining plants.

But, the full meaning of HDP, which is one of the highly successful orchard management practices, its basic concepts and benefits should be taught to every farmer for their ultimate economic uplift.

About HDP:
It is a system in which a higher number of plants of same or different crop species is accommodated (normally dwarf varieties) within a unit area in comparison to the conventional planting density so as to obtain maximum output by utilization of land, light and externally applied inputs Viz, nutrients, water, pesticides etc.

Semi intensive HDP system accommodates 500 -1000 trees/ha.
Intensive HDP system accommodates 1000 -10000 trees/ha employing specialized training systems.
Super intensive HDP system with 20,000 to 1,00,000 plants/ha require more capital to establish and is more productive and profitable, if followed scientifically.

Components of HDP:

Selecting dwarf scion varieties
Dwarfing root stocks and inter stocks
Proper training and pruning
Proper use of chemicals
Suitable crop management practices.

Advantages of HDP:

High density planted plants are precocious (showing premature development), easily manageable because of their small size.
They have higher yield potential with better quality produce resulting in higher returns/unit area.
Better utilization of solar radiation because of dense planting.
HDPT is amenable to modern input application techniques such as drip/fertigation, mechanization etc.,
Higher harvest index as well as early economic returns.
Considering the shrinking land resource, continued decline in cultivable land, rising energy cost and land costs together with the mounting demand for more agricultural produce have given us no other option than to adopt HDP.

Constraints in adoption of HDP system:

Non-availability of complete package for HDP system and there is no efficient extension system to disseminate the HDP knowledge to the willing farmers.
Non availability of planting material for dwarf varieties.
Non availability of vegetatively propagated root stocks in different fruit crops and plantation crops.
Non availability of mechanization technology for the use of in densely planted fields.
Overcrowding of trees in some orchard crops (especially in Mango) after 11-12 years.

Estimated cost and return from traditional and HDP in MANGO:

Sl. No.	PARTICULARS	TRADITIONAL SYSTEM	HDP SYSTEM
1	SPACING	10 m X 10 m	2.5 m X 2.5 m
2	No.OF PLANTS/ha	100	1600
3	COST OF ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD	Rs.30,000	Rs.75,000
4	ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COST	Rs.20,000	Rs.35,000
5	AGE OF STABLE YIELD	8 to 10 years	7 to 8 years
6	PRODUCTION (kg /ha)	6000 to 8000	16,000 to 19,000
7	SALE OF PRODUCE (Rs.7 per kg - Whole sale price)	Rs.42,000 to Rs.56,000	Rs.1,12,000 to 1,33,000
8	NET RETURN	Rs.22,000 to 36,000	Rs.77,000 to 98,000

So, my dear farmer friends. before adopting HDP, acquire full knowledge in tree architecture, physiology of tree size control, development of dwarfing root stocks and about chemical growth retardants for a successful HDP farming venture.

(Source:"Improved Technologies for fruit cultivation" (TB-ICN : 63/2009) Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, ICAR, New Delhi 110 012)

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Tree felling at an alarming rate!

2010-06-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Tree felling is made easier and easier with the advancement of technology. You will marvel at the awesome power of tree felling machines displayed at the videos given below.

But at the end of show, there will be no doubt, that you will be worried man, when the reality strikes you in the face that this kind of rapid denuding of the mother earth takes place daily with thousands of such monstrous machines.

After so many summits, meetings, speeches, agreements and disagreements, solution to this grave problem is still not yet in sight.

Mass tree planting drives with massive government funding (irrespective of GDPs and without any discrimination like developed, developing, under developed countries) all over the world will definitely minimize harmful effects of indiscriminate felling of trees.

For our part as an individual and as a responsible human being, we should act now and plant as many trees as possible to insure our mother earth's safety.

Regards,

Vishnu Sankar

Feller buncher cum cutter:

Feller buncher:

Tips to increase yield in Casuarina junghuhniana plantation:

2010-05-27T08:04:00.001-07:00

Dear Tree growers,

Casuarina junghuhniana has become a preferred crop of farmers in South India because of its following characters:

C. junghuhniana clones are fast growing both in coastal and inland sites.
Nitrogen fixing capacity,
shorter gestation period of only 4 years,
good fuel wood,
good value when harvested for poles,
preferred in construction industry for scaffolding and for supporting Banana plants because of its inherent character of giving straight polls,
drought tolerance capacity,
high calorific value of wood (preferred crop for Biomass power plants),
good pulping traits for manufacture of paper.

Before further reading, readers are requested to go through my previous posts on this subject in this link.

Tips to increase yield in Casuarina junghuhniana plantation:

(Source: "Money spinning Trees - 1, 'Casuarina junghuhniana' A Guide for cultivation' - compiled by Dr. A.Nicodemus and published by 'Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding' (IFGTB) Coimbatore - 641 002, Tamilnadu.)

The amount and quality of wood produced is determined chiefly by the variety used, site quality and cultivation practices adopted.

1. Variety selection (Seed origin):
Casuarina junghuhniana from East Timor have both male and female trees and can be easily propagated through seeds. IFGTB has introduced 6 such new varieties of C.junghuhniana from there and they showed faster growth than local Casuarina. It was found highly drought tolerant and suitable for inland areas and rainfed conditions where it recorded 36% faster growth than local Casuarina. Although it performed well in irrigated areas, the straightness of stem needs further improvement.

2. Variety selection (Clonally propagated):
Casuarina junghuhniana is a natural hybrid of Casuarina equisetifolia X Casuarina junghuhniana. Since vegetative propagation is being done normally from male plants to obtain robustness in growth, the commercially available Casuarina junghuhniana clones are male clones which will naturally produce no seeds.

Propagation is through air layering, rooted cuttings and of late reportedly by tissue culture.

3. Rejecting the weak seedlings:
Almost all the seedlings available in the local nurseries are from unknown sources and their productivity can be considerably increased by selection in the nursery.

The major reason for poor yield in bare root seedlings planted field is that only about 40% of the trees in a plantation significantly contribute to wood production. The rest are weak trees which do not produce merchantable wood.

If the seedlings do not grow uniformly in the first 6 months, weak seedlings caught between vigorously growing neighbours will not be able to grow into healthy trees. Within a year the canopy closes in and the weak trees are suppressed forever. This problem should be addressed by planting uniform sized seedlings and ensuring even growth among them especially in the first 6 months after planting.

Rejecting the weakest 25% of seedlings in the nursery stage itself can significantly increase survival and growth in the plantations.

4. Inoculation with Frankia:
Casuarina is a Nitrogen fixing tree through symbiotic relationship with an actinomycete called Frankia. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen in special structures in the roots called nodules.

Inoculation with Frankia for adequate development of root nodules in seedlings is essential for vigorous growth as well as to increase their adaptability to planting conditions.

In trial plots, Frankia inoculated plant fixed 45 g N2/yr/tree during the two first years of growth and extrapolating this result gives a figure of 90 kg of N2 fixed annually/ha at a planting density of 2,000 trees/ha.

5. Bare foot seedlings Vs Poly bag seedlings:
Growing seedlings in poly bags and root trainers is better than bare foot seedlings especially for planting in rainfed areas.

Polybags (Size: 15 x 8 cm) filled with a potting mixture of sand, farm yard manure and Soil in a ratio of 2:1:1 are suitable for raising casuarina seedlings.

6. Management if planted in clay soils:
Though Casuarina adopts well in all types of soil it is better to avoid planting them in high clay soil where it exhibits stunted growth. Before planting Casuarina in clay soils, dig pits of size 1'x1' and fill them with tank silt or red soil with good organic matter there by allowing the young plants to establish well initially.

7. Planting time:
Seedling, whether it is bare foot or poly bag raised, whether it is going to be planted in rainfed area or in wet lands, it is recommended to plant one month before the monsoon rain. This will help the plants to establish well before the arrival of monsoon and grow faster than those planted during the rain.

8. Adequate spacing determines yield:
The recommended spacing between trees and rows is generally 1 Metre for bare root seedlings of Casuarina equsetifolia (4100 plants/Acre) and 1.5 metres for Casuarina junghuhniana (1750 plants/Acre).

Farmers who cultivate Casuarina regulary know that spacing determines the girth of the planted casuarina. It is quite natural that in closely planted fields (very narrow spacing of 2.5' x 3.5' or in some cases with even lower spacings of 2' x 3') girth / Wt of individual tree obtained will be less. Adopting a row-column design (i.e 1.5 to 2m between rows and 1 to 1.5m between trees) for planting will reduce competition for light and increase nutrient uptake.

9. Casuality replacement:
Casuality replacement should be completed within one month after planting. Here too, seedlings grown in large sized polybags should be used to fill the gaps to maintain uniformity in plant size.

10. Irrigation:
Unlike other tree crops Casuarina needs regular irrigation. A well established Casuarina seedlings planted in sandy soil need watering every 8 - 10 days and if planted in clay soil, irrigation for every 15 - 20 days is enough. A notable growth and yield is noticed in drip irrigated plots.

10. Fertilizer application:
In coastal Tamilnadu and Puducherry, 150Kgs of DAP is applied per Acre at 6-12 and 18-24 months. Another recommendation is to apply 11Kg of Urea and 94 Kg of Super phosphate at 4 stages: immediately after establishment, 6, 12 and 18 months after planting.
The composition, amount and frequency of fertilizer application for Casuarina greatly varies between regions and even among farmers within the same region.
Fertilizer application ensures optimal availability of nutrients for all trees so that they can express their full potential leading to increased wood production per unit area.

11. A little trade secret to Casuarina Growers:
Moisture content (i.e. difference between green weight and dry weight) in C.junghuhniana is 84% whereas local casuarina ( C. equisetifolia) has only 62% water. A mere 5% moisture loss will bring in a catastrophic revenue loss of Rs.5,000- per acre to the farmer. So the felled woods (C.junghuhniana in particular)should be immediately sent to the market to get more weight and there by more revenue.

(For Nursery techniques, germination, transplantation, Vegetative propagation and Insect and disease management details, please refer:"Money spinning Trees - 1, 'Casuarina junghuhniana' A Guide for cultivation' - compiled by Dr. A.Nicodemus and published by 'Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding' (IFGTB) Coimbatore - 641 002, Tamilnadu.)

Regards,

Vishnu Sankar

Coppice capability (Ratoon crop) of Casuarina Junghuhniana

2010-04-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

In my previous posts in this blog and in some other agriculture portals, I had again and again stated that Casuarina junghuhniana unlike Casuarina equesetifolia has coppice capability (Ratoon growth).

My argument was based on the firm contention of some scientists of the Forest department and some private nurseries. Casuarina junghuhniana clones were released in Tamilnadu for cultivation some 6 years back only. Since it can be harvested in 4 to 5 years, it is the appropriate time for assessment and serious attempts were made for the past 2 years by many farmers and scientists to assess the coppice capability of Casuarina junghuhniana in the field.

Since large ratoon plantations of junghuhniana are yet to be harvested, it remains to be seen how much yield a farmer gets when compared to the first crop.

So the results we are getting now from farmers on growth, robustness and yield of ratoon crop were not encouraging when compared with the primary crop, even though the percentage of coppice growth was found to be satisfactory.

For more details log on to: ifgtb.icfre.

Casuarina Junghuhniana clones under R&D at TNPL, Karur:

Mass production of Casuarina Junghuhniana clones in mist chambers at TNPL, Karur:

Casuarina Junghuhniana clones under R&D at TNPL, Karur:

Casuarina Junghuhniana clones under R&D at TNPL, Karur:

Casuarina Junghuhniana clonal plant:

Casuarina Junghuhniana clonal plants in nursery:

Field preparation for the planting of Casuarina Junghuhniana:

Casuarina Junghuhniana performs well under drip irrigation:

Casuarina Junghuhniana as intercrop with Melia dubia:

Casuarina Junghuhniana trial plot at TNPL:

Casuarina Junghuhniana trial plot at TNPL:

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar.

Biological Control of Ipomoea carnea the aquatic weed

2010-04-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

A series of workshops on "Biological control of 'Ipomoea carnea' (Neyveli kattamanakku in Tamil) and Water Hyacinth 'Eichhornia crassipes' (Aagaya thamarai in Tamil) for sustainable irrigation management and environmental conservations" were conducted by Agricultural and environmental research stations of Tamilnadu Agricultural University in many stations, catalyzed and supported by the 'Tamilnadu State council for Science and Technology'.

Ipomoea carnea (Neyveli Kattamanakku in Tamil)
Picture courtesy: Wikipedia

Seed of Ipomoea carnea: (Picture courtesy: Wikipedia)

Water Hyacinth 'Eichhornia crassipes (Aagaya thamarai in Tamil)
Picture courtesy:TNAU Agritech

I happened to attend one such meeting which was presided by the District Collector wherein various methods to control the spread of this highly invasive weed was discussed.

Manual removal and mechanical removal of Ipomoea carnea is not possible because of so many factors such as man power availability, cost involved, clearing operations in muddy ponds and water ways and the main problem of weed regrowth in a very short time.

Chemical control (spraying weedicides such as 2-4D, Glyphosate Etc.,) though effective to some extent can not guarantee the re emergence of this highly proliferating aquatic weed. Even though these toxic chemicals are sprayed on the floating plants only, some amount of weedicide gets mixed with water leading to death of fishes and other aquatic organisms. Water from such ponds should not be used for irrigation as this is extremely harmful for the cultivated plants in the hapless farmer's field. To put it simply, adopting this control measure is an environmental hazard.

Waterhyacinth is the native of Amazon, introduced into the river Hoogly, in India by the Queen Victoria when she visited Calcutta during the British rule. At that time her intention was to beautify the river Hoogly like that of Thames in London.

This exotic plant doubles in 10 days and we are now witnessing large, floating mats of waterhyacinth in every ponds and rivers, obstructing navigation, clogging irrigation channels and most importantly acts as mosquito breeding ground. It is estimated that 200 tons of this weed can be harvested from an acre year after year. Such is it's amazing rate of growth.

In order to control the growth of these weeds, scientists all over the world are studying and utilizing the following organisms which feed on these aquatic weeds.

Water hyacinth Weevils
Water hyacinth mites
Fish ( Grass carp)
Pond snail
Grass hopper
Fungi
Snail(Pila globosa)

Out of the above identified organisms the 'Water hyacinth Weevils' namely 'Neochetina bruchi' and 'Neochetina eichhorniae' are found to be more effective to control the spread of this Water hyacinth namely Ipomoea carnea.

In the picture N. eichhorniae is in left, N. bruchi is in right. (Picture:Cornwell University)

Their habitat is water hyacinth, they feed on water hyacinth and their whole life cycle is within the water hyacinth weed only. Although declines of these waterhyacinth populations were well documented by the scientists and readily attributable to biological control, the documentation was never published. (Source:Cornwell University)

So for good to hear. Isn't it. Now the worst part!

Don't think the above two Waterhyacinth feeders' are native of India and can be multiplied in labs for distribution among farmers. The 'Tamilnadu State council for Science and Technology' has already imported these weevils from U.S for multiplication trials.

So, we are in a awful situation where in we are going to face a (purposedly introduced foreign) pest, to control an earlier introduced highly invasive pest called Ipomoea carnea.

We all know that any harm to the ecology, whatever little it is, can not be reversed.

Their argument that these weevils feed only the water hyacinth and will fast to death once the availability of waterhyacinth ceases, has no proof at all. What we are going to do if these weevils jump to our food crops? Insects are highly adoptable in nature and the mankind has not eradicated a single insect so far after billions and billions tons of pesticide usage is itself an ample proof.

So, our scientists and the Govt. has to think of other constructive ways as listed here under to control the spread of this dreadful weed for the environmental safety:

Bio degradable plastic from Ipomoea carnea. (Dr.A.G.Murugesan of Sri Paramakalyani centre for Environmental sciences, Alwarkurichi, Tirunelveli has got national award on this study)
Ipomoea carnea compost.
Ipomoea carnea + Vermicompost.
Ipomoea carnea + Poultry waste compost.
Ipomoea carnea leaf extracts as pest repellent.
Ipomoea carnea for paper industry.
Ipomoea carnea for Biomass power Energy plants.

Note the TNAU findings :

Composted Ipomoea carnea plants can be used as organic manure preferably in rice fields.
Vermi-composting and composting of dried water hyacinth and can be used as organic manure in irrigated upland ecosystems.

The above points were explained in detail to our District collector who accepted our view and canceled the trial of releasing Water hyacinth weevils in about 20 irrigation tanks in the district until further orders. The concerned scientist was asked to do more research and come with convincing results.

I came to know that in some Districts, Govt authorities had already released Water hyacinth weevils in irrigation tanks wherever the weed infestation is severe, without informing the local farmers.

I can only pray for our Mother earth's safety.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Melia dubia (Tamil - Malai Vembu) cultivation

2010-04-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

A trial plot is under development with Casuarina junghuhniana as an inter crop with Melia dubia (Tamil - Malai Vembu) cultivation.

Spacing between a single row of Melia and the next row of Casuarina junghuhniana is 5 feet (Row to Row 5 feet).

Plant to plant spacing for Casuarina 5 feet, Plant to plant spacing for Melia dubia is 10 feet.

The above spacing is provided with a plan to harvest Casuarina junghuhniana on 4th year there by allowing a spacious 10' x 10' spacing for Melia dubia.

D.O.P: 01.02.2010

Growth on 15.02.2010 (Age: 15 days)

Growth on 10.03.2010 (Age: 38 days)

A close up view of growth on 10.03.2010 (Age: 38 days)

Because of its good coppice capability,biomass power companies are recommending farmers to go for very closer spacing with a plan to harvest the crop every 2 to 3 years.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Some more pictures and informations about 'KUMIL'- Gmelina arborea

2010-04-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sprouting of KUMIL (Gmelina arborea) seeds in protrays:

Gmelina arborea (kumil)

Kumil - Gmelina arborea seedlings in protrays:

Kumil - Gmelina arborea seedlings in polybags:

Kumil - Gmelina arborea seedlings in various stages of development in poly bags:

Proper pruning is very important in Kumil - Gmelina arborea cultivation. The pruning techniques were discussed in detail in my earlier posts.

What we need is a flaw less, neat, straight bole that fetches a good price in the market. Follow the following simple 7 steps from the beginning to avoid economic losses at the time of harvest.

Good seed selection
Plants raised in polybags must be planted within 3 months.
Daily drip irrigation for the initial 2 years.(OR)
Weekly flood irrigation.
Fortnightly pruning.
Monthly fertilizer application.
Maximum care for the first 2 years by following INM, IPM and IDM practices.

Kumil is prone to this type of common Caterpillar attack which can be easily controlled either by organic pest control preparations or by any chemical 'contact' pesticides:

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Melia dubia (Tamil - Malai Vembu) as alternate pulp wood for TNPL :

2010-04-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

A visit to TNPL, Kagithapuram, Karur.

2010-03-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Seminar for Pulp wood tree growers under National Agriculture Innovation Project at Tamilnadu Newsprint and Papers Limited., Kagithapuam, Karur.

A tour around TNPL premises:
Eucalyptus Clones ready for supply:

TNPL - Eucalyptus clones inside mist chamber:

TNPL - Eucalyptus Clonal mother beds:

TNPL - Clonal Production Center, Mist chambers and primary hardening centers:

TNPL - Casuarina junghuhniana clonal trial plots:

TNPL - Casuarina junghuhniana and Eucalyptus clonal trial plots:

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Seminar on Tree cultivation

2010-03-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

"Workshop on Oil palm cultivation and selection, cultivation of Tree crops suitable for Paper and Biomass Energy Industries"

Venue: Donavur Fellowship, Kalakad, Tirunelveli Dist., Tamilnadu, India.

Date: 28/01/2010, Thursday, Time: 10.30 AM to 4.30PM

Number of Participants : 188
Programme in brief:

Oil palm cultivation - M/s. Godrej Agrovet
Trees for Biomass Power - M/s. Auro Mira Energy Co.
Teak cultivation - Forest Extension Officer Mr.Amalraj,
Speeches by Kumil, Melia Dubia cultivating farmers.
Pulp wood trees - A.O., TNPL, Karur.
Bank finance for tree cultivation - Senior Manager, Canara Bank.
"Insects are our friends" - by N.Selvam, Entamologist, Kovilpatti.

The administrator of 'Donavur Fellowship' Mr.Jeremiah Rajanesan had made elaborate arrangements for this seminar. It is a real treat to witness numerous varieties of trees in thousands of numbers in the fellowship campus. All the trees in their smart little arboretum were painted either with the botanical name or with the local name for the benefit of farmers.

Conducting a Tree growers meeting at this kind of natures best setting at the foot of western ghats is a pleasant and ever memorable experience.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela - 2010 New Delhi

2010-03-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

In my last blog post I have discussed only negative features about the 'Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela - 2010'. It will be a great injustice if I don't mention the following positive features of the above Mela also:

Live demonstrations on scientific production technologies of wheat, cereals, oil seeds, pulses, vegetables and flowers.

Technologies for protected cultivation of vegetables and flowers for higher returns.

Demo plots in hundreds of acres:

Conducted tours to view the demo plots inside the campus:

A beautiful looking Mela ground and the aesthetically planned stalls:

A very simple but very informative boards:(About Neem coated Urea, Pusa Hydrogel and Nemagel a nematicide.)

Display and sale of agriculture books, periodicals and VCDs.(Though mostly in Hindi)
Direct interaction among scientists and farmers.
Display of farm machinery though very few in number.

Aqua ferti Seed drill:

A model of Land leveler:

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2010 - New Delhi

2010-03-18T03:42:00.000-07:00

The 'Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela' is a Mela conducted by Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) under aegis of Indian council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) annually at its PUSA campus, New Delhi.

The main focus was towards ICAR released new varieties of Wheat, Mustard and other such crops and Vegetables endemic to Northern India Only.

IARI has sent a mere letter about the Mela to all the District Collectors in all the States without any details about the Mela and the programme menu. Since the Mela theme for this year 2010 is 'Agriculture Technology for National Prosperity', our District Collector for Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu acted very cleverly and ordered Agriculture, Horticulture, Agri Engineering, Agri Marketing and Fisheries Department to select eligible farmers for this mela.

A team of 11 farmers reached NewDelhi on 4-3-10 and to our shock there was nothing in the Mela for the farmers who are into Agriculture Mechanization, Agri Marketing and Fisheries.

The live Horticulture Demo plots shown to us was without fertigation, mulching and other Precision farming practices that are adopted by the farmers here in Tamilnadu. The Vegetable crops grown there are for North Indian climatic conditions and even the mist chambers erected there was to protect the plants from severe North Indian frost, rather than for the reasons we use them here in Tamilnadu.

Onion in full bloom to collect seeds:

So, briefly we can conclude that all the seed varieties and the agronomic practices adopted there are in no way connected to us and it is entirely foreign.

The ICAR publication division has opened a stall in the mela and a vast majority of the books and VCDs were in Hindi only, benefiting farmers from Hindi speaking states. The presentations in the conference were in Hindi and most of the brochures, pamphlets displayed were in Hindi, So a farmer from a non-Hindi speaking state is stood to gain nothing.

There are some positive features about the mela which I would like to discuss in my next blog post.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

'Commercially important Tree crops'- Seminar at Puliangudi on 08-12-2009

2009-12-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

A section of the participants:

Sri.Dinkarkumar,IFS, DFO, Soc.For, Tirunelveli

Sri.Gomathinayagam, Organic Agriculturist, Puliangudi

Sri.V.Anthonysamy, Organic Agriculturist, Puliangudi

Densely planted Kumil (Gmelina arborea) Trees

2009-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Gmelina arborea (Tamil: Kumil) and Gliricidia as bund / border crop.
Please avoid this kind of very close planting.
Only the trees planted with wider spacing attained 60-90cm* girth, whereas others reached only around 45cm

Dalbergia sissoo (Tamil:Sisu) Tree:

2009-12-09T01:06:00.000-08:00

Some Sissoo Tree pictures: (D.O.P: 20-09-03)
Picture taken on 17-10-2009

Sissoo D.O.P 20-9-2003,
Picture taken on 17-10-2009

Some Melia dubia (Malai Vembu) Pictures:

2009-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Some Kumil pictures (Gmelina arborea):

2009-12-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

Gmelina arborea - Kumil Seeds:

Kumil in farm nursery:

Injury to the bark at the age of 1 year:

The above same injury leads to this kind of growth at the age of 7 years:

Kumul and Kaya:

Kumil:

Kumil and Rosewood:

Some Ppt presentations and Photos from the TDTGA seminar conducted on 20/11/2009 at Tirunelveli:

2009-11-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

----------------------------------------------------------

A sample slide from the above presentation:

Augur Demo:

Demo of "Tractor Mounted Post Hole Digger":

Presentation by Agri. Engn. S.E., Er.Tamilselvan:

Section of the crowd:

F.E.O' s of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin:

Address by Conservator Sri.Rampathy, IFS.,:

Chief Guest planting a tree:

Fast growing tree species for economically important commercial timber cultivation:

2009-11-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

The Forest Department of Tamilnadu, India., recommends the following list of economically important fast growing tree species for commercial timber cultivation.

Before further reading, please have a look at our list in this link which was shortlisted in consultation with T.N forest college scientists, IFGTB scientists and some reputed forest officials of CCF, APCCF and PCCF cadres.

Forest Department's recommendation comes in the FAQ section of their website (Click to view).

What are economically important fast growing tree species?

Ailanthus excelsa - (Perumaram, Pee maram, Peematti in Tamil)
Melia dubia - (Malai Vembu in Tamil)
Kaya senegalensis - (Kaya or Senegal Mahogany in Tamil)
Anthocephalus cadamba - (Vellai Kadambu in Tamil)
Alstonia scholaris - (English - Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood, Seven-leaved milk plant and Pokok pulai, Tamil - Ezhilai-Palai)
Albizia richardiana - (Tamil name: ???? Readers are requested to help)
Acrocarpus fraxinifolius - Common name: Pink Cedar, Acrocarpo, Australian ash and Indian ash. Tamil: Kalingi, Kurangadi, Malai konnai, Mallaykone, Mallekone and Nelrai.
Casuarina junghuhniana - (Tamil: Indonesian savukku or Junguniana Savukku)
Bamboo (Varieties: Malocanna baccifera, Bambusa nutans, B. Bamboos, B. tulda, B. vulgaris, B. Balcooa)

Other than the above, the following tree varieties are also classified as fast growing and economically viable for commercial timber cultivation:

10. Gmelina arborea (Kumil, Perungumil, Kumula maram in Tamil)
11. Grewia tiliaefolia (Thadasu, Sadachi in Tamil)
12. Albizia falcataria (Kattumaram in Tamil)
13. Acacia auriculiformis (Pencil Tree. Tamil: Kathi savukku,Elai karuvel)
14. Eucalyptus - (Tamil: Thaila maram)

The following trees though not comes under fast growing category, are strongly recommended for their timber value:

15. Pterocarpus santalinus - (Red Sanders.Tamil: Sivappu Santhanam)
16. Pterocarpus marsupium - (Indian Kino Tree. Tamil: Vengai)
17. Santalum album - (Sandal wood. Tamil: Santhana maram)

You might have noticed that most of the trees listed above were already find mentioned somehow or other in this blogspot. The unrepresented ones will be given due importance in the coming months.

Some readers may be wondering why I have not included,

Tectona grandis - The common Teak,
Rose wood,
Haldinia Cardifolia (Tamil : Manja Kadambu ),
Caesalpinia sapppan (Tamil:Pathimugam),
Swietenia macrophylla- The Peruvian Mahogany,
Thespesia populnea - (Tamil: Poovarasu)
Hardwickia binnata - (Tamil: Aachaa)
and so many other trees of some reasonable value in the above list.

Dear friends, that is a different story, worthy enough to allocate a separate post for each variety.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Terminology

2009-11-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

afforestation: The establishment of a forest or plantation in an area where the preceding vegetation or land use was not forest – compare with “Reforestation”.

agroforestry: Agroforestry is the practice of combining agriculture and forestry technologies to create more integrated, diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.

biodiversity: The variety and abundance of life forms, functions and structures of plants, animals and other living organisms on earth. It includes genetic differences among species, the variety of species that live within a particular area (ecosystem) and the many such ecosystems or homes that exist on the planet.

biomass:

1. Ecology The total dry organic matter at a given time of living organisms of one or more species per unit area (species biomass) or of all the species in the community (community biomass)
2. The living or dead weight of organic matter in a tree, stand, or forest in units such as living or dead weight, wet or dry weight, etc.
3. Harvesting the wood product obtained from in-woods chipping of all or some portion of trees including limbs, tops, and unmerchantable stems, usually for energy production.

board foot: (bd ft) The amount of wood contained in an unfinished board 1 inch thick, 12 inches long and 12 inches wide (2.54 cm x 30.5 cm x 30.5 cm).

carbon offset: The planting of trees on non-forested land such that the uptake of carbon dioxide from the growing trees will offset the production of carbon dioxide from industrial sources.

carbon sequestration: The incorporation of carbon dioxide into permanent plant tissues.

co-management agreements: The sharing of power, responsibility and benefits between the Government and resource users; provides a middle ground upon which the two can meet and cooperate.

community forest: A forest owned and generally managed by a community, the members of which share its benefits.

community forestry: Managing forests with the expressed intent of benefiting neighbouring communities. See also “social forestry”.

cubic metre: A unit of volume that measures 1 x 1 x 1 metres, most often used for volumes of standing timber or otherwise unsawn timber.

database: A collection of data stored in a systematic manner such that the data can be readily retrieved, modified and manipulated to create information, most often computerised.

deforestation: The removal of a forest where the land is put to a non-forest use.

dendrology: the scientific study of trees and woody plants, A branch of botany devoted to the study of trees and their identifying characteristics.

ecosystem: A self-regulating natural community of living things interacting with one another and with their non-living physical environment.

ecotourism: Travel undertaken to sites or regions of unique natural quality, or the provision of services to facilitate such travel.

forest: An ecosystem characterised by a more or less dense and extensive tree cover, often consisting of stands varying in characteristics such as species, composition, structure, age classs, and associated processes, and may include meadows, streams, fish, and wildlife. (Note that forests include special designations such as industrial forests, nonindustrial private forests, plantations, protection forests).

forest inventory: A set of objective sampling methods designed to quantify the spatial distribution, composition and rates of change of forest parameters within specified levels of precision for the purposes of management.

forest reserve: An area designated under a forest act in which timber production is allowed but not conversion to agriculture or other non-forest uses.

forestry: The profession embracing the science, art and practice of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources for human benefit and in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs and values. (agroforestry, urban forestry, industrial forestry, non-industrial forestry, and wilderness and recreation forestry).

fuelwood: Wood used for conversion into some form of energy, eg, cooking fires, charcoal production, energy-generating plants.

greenbelt: A park-like strip of unoccupied land with little or no development, usually surrounding or partially surrounding urban areas.

greenhouse effect: The warming effect exerted by the atmosphere upon the earth because the atmosphere (mainly its water vapour and carbon dioxide) absorbs radiant energy from the earth and re-emits infrared radiation or heat.

lumber: The sawn product from a tree – synonym is sawn wood.

natural forest: A forest in nearly natural condition, without any direct human intervention.

plantation forest: A forest or stand composed mainly of trees established by planting or artificial seeding.

reforestation: The re-establishment of forest cover either naturally or artificially. Note reforestation usually maintains the same forest type and is done promptly after the previous stand or forest was removed.

roundwood: A length of cut tree generally having a round cross section, such as a log.

silviculture: The art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, health and quality of forests to meet the diverse needs and values of society.

social forestry: Forestry programmes that purposefully and directly involve local people, their values and their institutions (also called development forestry, community forestry).

sustainable development:
1. Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
2. Sustainable development is used to mean: improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems .

timber Wood: other than fuelwood, potentially useable for lumber.

tonne 1000 kg: in the context of “tonnes of fuelwood” in this document for air-dried hardwood, 1 tonne is approx. 1.38 cubic metres of wood.

urban forestry: The art, science and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and around urban community ecosystems for the physiological, sociological, economic and aesthetic benefits trees provide society.

watershed: A region or land area drained by a single stream, river, or drainage network.

(to continue)

Workshop on selection and cultivation of Tree crops

2009-11-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

TDTGA's main objective is to impart knowledge about tree cultivation to the farming community by conducting periodical meetings, seminars and workshops. It acts as a bridge, connecting the hapless farmers with scientists, forest officials, nursery people and wood based industries of both public and private sector.

For the month of November '09, we have joined hands with Forest Extension Division of the Dept. of Forests to conduct a workshop on tree cultivation. The program details are:

"Workshop on selection and cultivation of Tree crops suitable for Paper, Plywood and Biomass Energy Industries"

Venue: Tamil Valarchi Panpaatu Manram, Near Central Excise Office, NGO Colony, Palayankottai, Tamilnadu, India.

Date: 20 /11 / 2009, Friday, Time: 10.30 AM to 4.30PM

Presided by: Mr.Irulandi, IFS., Chief Conservator of Forests, Forest Extension Division, Chennai.

Programme in brief:

Success stories of "Tree crops in Private Lands Scheme (TCPL)" Ppt presentation of pictures taken from the fields of our members.

Speech by two successful tree growers of our area.

"Selection and cultivation of Tree crops suitable for Paper mills and Biomass Energy Industries" - Speech by the Chief Guest Mr.Irulandi, IFS., C.C.F, Forest Extension Division, Chennai.

"Cultivation of Pulpwood Trees for Tamilnadu News print and Papers Ltd., under contract farming" - Speech by the officials from TNPL, Kagithapuram, Karur.

"Sustainable Agriculture" - Cultivating Tree varieties suitable for 'Wood fired Biomass Power companies" - speech and Ppt presentation by Sri.K.Chidambara Manickam. Assistant General Manager, M/s. Auro Mira Energy Company P.Ltd., Chennai. (This company has obtained a 15 MW license for developing a Biomass project near Oothumalai village in Tirunelveli district and the project is expected to be commissioned by mid 2010.)

"Cultivation of trees under contract farming for M/s.Auro Mira Energy Company P.Ltd and the supply of seedlings at subsidized rate, availability of credit facilities, crop Insurance cover Etc.," by Mr. G.Ramasubramaniyan, Manager, Plantations Division, M/s.Auro Mira Energy Company P.Ltd., Chennai.

Q & A session: Members doubts on site selection, crop selection, species selection, cultivation technology, Govt. subsidies, marketing., Etc., will be cleared by the visiting dignitaries and the C.C.F.

Crop of this month: Cultivation of 'Green Vulgaris' Bamboo and Anthocephalus cadamba.

Members are kindly requested to participate in this workshop without fail.

TDTGA is actively lobbying for the farmers cause and represents the interests and concerns of members and enables them to take advantage of opportunities in agroforestry and in commercial timber production. So become a member now.

Nonmembers can register for membership at the venue itself and are eligible to participate.

All are welcome.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar
President
TDTGA

Casuarina field on Fire

2009-11-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

We all know that Casuarina sheds lot of leaves and branches. Their gradual incorporation into the soil leads to increased organic matter (O.M) and organic carbon (O.C) content of the soil. In addition to tree's natural leaf shedding, farmers used to prune the trees to allow more sun light into the field and to induce fast vertical growth of the tree.

Usually after about a year, the accumulation of these organic matter suppress the weed growth totally, saving the farmer from deweeding expenses. In my field, I liked to walk on these cushion of soft dried matter, enjoying every moment, each and every twig breaking under my feet, raised my spirits considerably.

Unfortunately, during a gale, overhead low tension power lines that crosses in a far corner of my field brushed against each other spewing a shower of fire on the dried matter below. Since this happened at night, fire spread unchecked to about 3 acres. When came to know of this next day, we copiously irrigated the field to save the crop from dehydration. Even on closer scrutiny the tree exhibits no trace of damage due to the fire. It remained as fresh and as green as it looks normally for about 10 days.

Then the drying of leaves, stems and branches started on the entire field. A second and third irrigation did not stop the crop from drying. I summoned farmers to my field, who had experienced these kind fire hazards in their crop also. They advised me to harvest the crop immediately to save it from further moisture loss. They opined that Casuarina being a very sensitive crop, it can not withstand even heat radiation, let alone fire, from nearby burning field. Some of them even attempted steps like drenching the whole plant with water in addition to normal flood irrigation. All ended in vain.

Agricultural Field Officer from TNPL, Plantations division, visited the field and declined to procure the wood since the age of the crop was 1 year and 9 months, a young crop with low cellulose content which is not suitable for paper making.

Finally the ill fated crop was harvested manually and dispatched to M/s.Dharani Sugars & Chemicals Ltd., for chipping. (See: Wood Chipper). The chipped wood is used there as substitute for the conventional bagasse for heating the boiler. The company imports raw sugar from South America hence the shortage for bagasse. They offered Rs.2300/Ton and the payment was immediate.

Cutting, Loading and transportation costs came to about Rs.700-

Average yield obtained for this Casuarina at the age of 1 Year 9 months,
which bore the brunt of fire, with bone dry wood was 17 Tons/acre.

This is for the record.

Moral:

The fallen Casuarina leaves and branches should be ploughed back into the soil using mechanical power weeders yearly twice as recommended by TNPL.
Never, never plant Casuarina under power lines.
Insure the crop without fail.
Harvest and sell the crop immediately after the fire and wait for none. Each and every day is crucial since the invisible loss on account of moisture will be huge.

Readers are requested to chip in their valuable comments on this subject.

Regards,

Vishnu Sankar

Coconut climber

2009-10-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I've been receiving many calls about the coconut climber developed by the TNAU, Coimbatore, ever since few photos of it were published in this blog. Most of the questions were related to its operational method and efficiency. I hope by watching the two video files (TNAU property) given below, their doubts will be cleared.

Coconut climber - (Climbing up):

Coconut climber - (Climbing down):

With continuous practice and daily actual usage, anybody can attain the 'speed of climbing' captured in the above videos.

Please approach Agriculture Engineering Department of your area to avail government subsidy and to get the address of the approved dealer in your district supplying this tool.

Total cost of the Tree climber...Rs.2500
Less 50% Govt. Subsidy .....Rs.1250
Amount payable by DD .......Rs.1250
(You may be required to pay transport costs)

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Tree Growers Association

2009-10-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

(click on the picture for an enlarged view)

Dear Friends,

We all know that there was a long felt need to form a ‘tree growers’ association’ in this part of southern Tamilnadu as a means of facilitating extended forestry services to farmers.

To materialize this dream, the Forest Extension Division of the Department of Forests invited some well known farmers who are already doing Silviculture and agroforestry in Tirunelveli district and they were given the task of creating a private tree growers association.

In accepting the challenge, a core committee presided by me was formed to form an association with the name "Tirunelveli District Tree and Medicinal plants growers Association" and get it registered under Society Registration Act of Tamilnadu.

The task was accomplished and office bearers were elected to pursue the following objectives of the Association:

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Invitation for the First General body meeting:

(click on the Logo to enlarge)

Venue: Tamil Valarchi Panpaatu Manram, NGO Colony, Palayamkottai, Tamilnadu, India.

Date: 14 /10 / 2009, Wednesday, Time: 3.00 PM to 6.30PM

Presided by: Mr.Irulandi, IFS., Chief Conservator of Forests,
Forest Extension Division, Chennai.

Programme:

Action plan for 2009 -10.
Forming a steering committee to popularize the objectives of the Association.
Identifying trees that are suitable for cultivation in Tirunelveli District.
Speech by two highly successful tree growers of our area.
Contract farming.
Growing trees to generate electricity from its' biomass.
Screening the past US Vice President Mr. Al Gore's film on the effects of 'Global Warming": 'An Inconvenient truth'
Ppt presentation about the cultivation of 'Green Vulgaris' Bamboo, and Anthocephalus cadamba.

Members are kindly requested to participate in this General body meeting without fail.

Nonmembers can register for membership at the venue itself and are eligible to participate.

All are welcome.

Regards,
Vishnu Sankar

Timber Tree selection - A Check List

2009-10-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

In general, farmers who wish to go for tree crops pay more attention to the cost of plants at the time of planting and the revenue they get at the time of felling the tree.

Tree cultivation should be done with affection, love, care, deep respect, awe and reverence. Trees are very special living beings in fact our close relatives. What we breathe out they breathe in, and what they breathe out we breathe in. To sum up, tree cultivation is a sacred act nothing short of care you give to your little child.

Please bear in mind that you are into a very long term cultivation plan and any wrong selection of tree will hurt you badly. There are many factors which will greatly influence the growth of your selected tree. So try to gather as much knowledge as you do before starting any new business.

I have given here below a simple check list for your safety:

1. Do "Soil Test" and "Irrigation water analysis" and select trees that suits your soil type and water quality.

2. Select trees according to your land type. Irrigated land or Rainfed land.

3. Determine spacing for 'Bulk cropping' or Bund / border cropping. ( Know about maturity age of the tree, canopy cover and provide enough width to use mechanical weeders.)

4. Raise some Nitrogen fixing / Leguminous trees as well as deciduous trees also, in borders or among the main crop to increase soil fertility.
Casuarina varieties [Savukku in Tamil],
Albizia varieties [Vagai in Tamil],
Acacia auriculiformis [Kathi Karuvel in Tamil],
Acacia leucophloea [Velvael in Tamil],
Gliricidia sepium, [Seemai Kondrai in Tamil]
Leucaena leucocephala [Savundal /Subapul in Tamil],
Dalbergia sissoo [Sisu in Tamil],
Sesbania sesban [Sithakathi / Sembai in Tamil],
Sesbania grandiflora Etc., to name a few.

5. Know about 'invasive plants' (Invasive plants are introduced species that can thrive in areas beyond their natural range of dispersal. These plants are characteristically adaptable, aggressive, and have a high reproductive capacity. Their vigor combined with a lack of natural enemies often leads to outbreak populations.)

Leucaena leucocephala [Savundal /Subapul in Tamil] and
Morinda corcia [Nuna/ Manja nethi in Tamil]
{Don't get confused with Morinda citrifolia which is called as 'Noni'}
are some examples. They provide good timber, fodder and firewood, yet difficult to control because of their invasive character.

6. Avoid trees that cause a nutrition depletion in the soil and allelopathic in nature. (Eucalyptus tree for example)

7. Some trees acts as Trap crop ( Ex: Gmelina arborea (Tamil : Kumil, Kumul.) So proper care in pest management is essential when you plant them near vegetable or Horticulture crops.
Also avoid planting of trees which are natural host to insect pests, near vegetable or Horticulture crops. (Neem is an alternative host to 'Tea mosquitoes'. So avoid planting them near cashew and Mango orchards).

8. Acquire basic knowledge about :
Hedge crops,
Trees used as wind breaker,
Trees as fence,
Trees for fodder,
Trees for shade,
Trees for fruits,
Trees for bio fuels,
Trees for timber,
Trees for medicine,
Trees for match industry,
Trees for paper mills,
Trees for plywood industry,
Trees for wood fired biomass power companies,
Trees for gasifier to produce power
Trees for carpentry,
Trees for perfumes, Etc., Etc.,

9. Intercropping and Mixed cropping: (See crop combinations)
Undoubtedly Casuarina is the best tree for intercropping and mixed cropping. It can be successfully grown with short duration trees like Ailanthus excelsa (Perumaram, Pee maram in Tamil), Gmelina arborea (Tamil : Kumil, Kumul, Melia dubia (Malai Vembu in Tamil) Etc., and with long duration trees like Teak, Mahogany, Rose wood, Red Sanders Etc.,

See Link1 for Melia dubia + Gmelina arborea mixed cropping.

Both Gmelina arborea and Melia Dubia trees have more or less same maturity age of approx. 10 to 12 years. So better select any one variety for bulk mixed planting. Normally, short and long duration tree crops are advised to plant in alternate rows so that the later establishes well after the removal of short duration trees.

Otherwise, Melia dubia and Gmelina arborea trees can be planted in alternate rows with a spacing of 10' to 12 feet as there is found to be no noticeable root competition among them and can be harvested at the same time.

Farmers are practicing hundreds of such tree combinations as trials and knowledge is plenty among them. You may not get tree combination suggestions from our Universities, Forest colleges Etc., in writing here in India, because they have not yet completed their trials and we should not expect ratification from them for all sorts of combinations. For instance, to get a complete result involving Dalbergia latifolia (the East Indian Rose Wood -Thothakathi in Tamil) you have to wait for a min of 70 years.

10.Pruning method: When to prune and How to prune?
(Excess pruning will lead to bending of tree in the case of Sissoo and death of young plant itself in the case of Gmelina arborea (Tamil : Kumil, Kumul.)

11. Trees that tend to dominate in mixed cropping but grow well in mono cropping like Dalbergia sissoo (Sisu in Tamil)

12. Trees that grow better in borders and in mixed cropping but show a rather slow growth in mono cropping like Gmelina arborea (Tamil : Kumil, Kumul.)

13. Maturity age of a tree. (Learn, when the heart wood formation starts and when it is ideal to fell a tree) For example, in the case of Pterocarpus santalinus (Red Sanders) the heart wood hardening starts from 18th year and completes by 25 – 30 years.

14. Hardness of heart wood depends upon the soil structure and quality.

15. Preharvest preparations, harvesting techniques, Reducing waste during harvest , Post Harvest technology, some need shade drying, storage period Etc..

16. Get prior permission from the Department of Forests to cut any trees even if it is in your own land and prior permission is also necessary for transporting them to the desired destination.

17. Carbon credit

Regards,

Vishnu Sankar