Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
during 1918 with six Research Rangers and one State Silviculturist. During
British period, about 150 species were tested for seed biological character like
wattle Eucalyptus and other European species in Nilgiris and Kodaikanal were
the British was harvesting of Timber trees for construction and railway sleeper
material such as pulpwood, timber and other forest products and trials were
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Thrust was given to productivity, mainly for industrial use, pulpwood,
fuel wood and timber production were aimed out. So species, which give
more productivity, were selected by laying out trial plots. Species comparison
trials, spacing trials of native as well as exotic species were done at several
growth rate, productivity per unit area were assessed. Soft wood species,
Bambax ceiba, Ailanthas excelso were also tried to know about their rate of
drought tolerant species like Tecomella undulata, Acacia species and other
desert species were tried to assess the establishment and growth potential.
Trials were also undertaken to assess the suitability of teak in canal banks of
air layers were air lifted from Thailand during 1952 and introduced
drought tolerant tree has, thus laid the foundation for the large scale
During 1960s also, the same trend was continuing. The productivity of
Eucalyptus, Pinus, wattle and several species, were evaluated with seeds
obtained from various countries for which several trials were undertaken.
species were also tested for their suitability. Fertilizer trials were also laid to
know its effect in growth rate. Sample plots, PPP, TIPs were laid to assess
the growth rate and to fix the rotation period. Data were also collected to
prepare yield tables / volume tables. Soft wood species of Populus was also
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tried at Nagercoil Research Centre. All India Co-ordinated Research Exper
curve trend thinning experiments were also laid in Pine and wattle.
moisture stress conditions. Records show that as many as 257 species were
1970s
During this decade, the need to identify, screen and select the most
promising individuals in the population of the selected tree species was felt.
species. More than 20 candidate plus trees of Teak were selected mostly from
the Anamalai Hills, which was identified as the centre of origin of this species
in the world.
collected from the selected candidate plus trees were grafted on to the
Not only buds from plus trees of Tamil Nadu origin, but also from plus
technique of ‘bud grafting’, which was standardized by that time, clonal seed
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orchard of Teak was formed at Topslip, in Anamalai Hills of Tamil Nadu during
1972-73. This was the first of its kind in India at that time. Thus, Tamil Nadu
Seeds from the candidate plus trees were collected and a ‘seedling
India’s first ‘Tree Seed Centre’ was established by Tamil Nadu Forest
Department during 1974 which mandated itself to collect quality seeds from
Seed Orchards, Seed Production Areas, Seed stands etc., for the then
species, Ailanthus and other species. The seeds thus collected from these
genetically superior stock were cleaned, graded, tested for germination status,
To cater to the needs of the quality seed demand for raising large-scale
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Yield tables and volume tables for Teak, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Wattle,
During 1980s
This decade laid the foundation for the future of the Forestry Research
in Tamil Nadu.
establishment of large extent of Clonal Banks and Germplasm Bank for these
species for the production of high yielding plant propagules. Parallely, clonal
seed orchards and seedling seed orchards were established for obtaining
standardized for Eucalyptus tereticornis and the scions from the 40 candidate
generated design was utilized to produce a double ring isolation Clonal Seed
from the Canberra Seed Centre of Australia and experiments were laid out at
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Pudukottai and Karaikudi regions of the Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation
The results obtained after 7 years have proved that Laura, Kennedy
River and Mt. Garbet have outperformed the yield of the local cultivators. The
local inbreeding population yielded a paultry 20 Tonnes / ha. after 7th year,
7th year. TAFCORN had about 30,000 ha. of Eucalyptus plantation at that
time, and for raising plantations the seeds of these selected provenances
were utilized which ensured double the yield for the same expenditure.
population of Tamil Nadu during 1982-83 and more than 30 plus trees were
selected in Tamil Nadu, which had high heartwood proportion, oil and santalin
content. Similar selection of plus trees were undertaken by the then Sandal
most superior 79 individual plus trees of the species Santalum album (Indian
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu having approximately 5000 sq.km. and 4000
sq.km. of Reserve Forest areas containing this valuable species. This species
is endemic to the Southern India, which means that this is nowhere in the
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A germplasm bank consisting of 35 plus tree propagules was
established at Salem Research Centre during 1983-84. This is one of the very
CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA -
sand over the railway trails in the Southern part of Tamil Nadu. The shifting
Tamil Nadu were innovative enough to embark upon the cultivation of this
population, there existed a wide variability in the individual tree girth and
79 candidate female plus trees and 20 candidate male plus trees. Vegetative
propagation of the sprigs technique was perfected and clones of these plus
trees were raised. During 1985, Worlds first Clonal Seed Orchard of
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TEAK (Tectona grandis)
This species supplied the bark for the extraction of quality tannin used
by the leather industries. This species is a native of Australia and had been
introduced into the Nilgiris and Kodai hills for this purpose. Plus trees were
selected from the existing population based on their superior rate of growth
the Hill Ranges of Western Ghats of Tamilnadu beyond 1500 mt. Elevation
during 1960s and 1970s. "Seed Stands" were formed which were later
seeds. Plus trees were selected and vegetative propagation technique like
Orchards;.
Other tropical Pines were introduced in Ooty, Kodaikanal, Kolli Hills etc
for evaluating their potentiality to grow and yield more wood. Some of the
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individuals in Pinus psudostrobus were identified to be having higher utilizable
were collected from superior phenotypes of these species and progeny trial
Trees yielding more than 300 Kg. upto 1000 Kg. per year were
selected from the existing population in Tamilnadu. More than 30 such plus
trees were selected based not only on the quantity of fruit yield but also on the
thus was the first in India, to have attempted this selection. Simultaneously
grafting and bud grafting for Tamarind were standardized. Clonal Bank of
invited more attention due to its active principles like Azadractin and Nimbidin
which were of great medicinal and of biological control use. The Azadiractin
content of average neem tree being in the range of 2000 to 3000 ppm. in the
seed kernel, trees having as high as 8000 to 9000 ppm. were selected from
among the population. Clonally they were multiplied and assembled in the
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Research centers. Mass multiplication technology was standardized for these
plus tree propagules and the ramets were utilized to establish Clonal Banks.
1990s
The focus of the research of this decade was based on the 1988 Indian
Forest Policy, which mandated that 1/3rd of land area of this country should
be under forest/tree cover and that wood based industries should source their
raw materials from the lands lying outside the Reserve Forests. The
eco system services of the Forests were given their due importance ensuring
Studies' of the Wet Evergreen Forests, Moist deciduous forests and Dry
deciduous forests to monitor the status of these forest types constantly. The
enhanced to the optimum, there was a felt need to converge all the adoptable
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Raising Taller Seedlings
Abatement of urban air pollution was remaining as an uphill task till late
1980s. Planting smaller size tree seedlings has road avenues are
faced more failure due to heavy biotic interference. The technique of raising
taller seedlings for about 20 species was perfected in ‘90s with appropriate
Vermicasting, etc., along with top soil in the pot mixture and the saplings of
2 to 3 meter height were raised and planted successfully to mitigate the air
tree planting.
Genepool Garden
Western Ghats, which is one of the 12 mega bio diversity centres of the
world, is enriched with repository of rich and diverse resources. Many species
in this tract have been driven to the brim of extinction due to pressure on the
forest and fragmentation of the eco-system. Therefore this biological hot spot
species, propagation of fast disappearing plant species and also for education
and awareness.
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In the Genepool Garden 1200 species were assembled including
successfully recovered from the endangered status and the Genepool garden
is steadily becoming a living reference point for all floral species of the
Southern tract.
forward at India for natural herbal drugs and cosmetics. Chemical and
of medicinal value were assembled and one siddha doctor is also engaged for
the visitors.
MODERN NURSERIES
6 Modern nurseries were established during 1998. These were the
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economically important tree species, plus tree propagules as germ plasm
Casuarina hybrids, apart from the fast growing timber, Veneer trees like
the Forest divisions for raising nurseries. Till now about 4313.7 Tonnes of
Quantity in Tonnes
Vermicasting :: 4313.7
VAM :: 1402.5
Azospirillum :: 564.79
Phosphobacteria :: 597.17
Psudomonas :: 1.55
Tirchoderma viridi :: 1.25
Frankia :: 7.44
Azotobacter :: 1.05
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A modern laboratory was established from which plant beneficial
not only conceived the idea, standardized the dosage but also produced
had not only enhanced the biomass of the seedlings planted but also enriched
were conducted to arrive at most cost-effective but high biomass yielding pit
sizes and Bio-nutrient and Bio-fertilizer inputs for the major forest tree species
the parameters contributing to higher yield like high yielding plant propagules,
various pit sizes, water harvesting structures, organic and inorganic inputs
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were taken up and location specific, cost effective techniques for each
species were arrived at. Tall seedling raising Technology was standardized.
were identified.
ENERGY PLANTATIONS
this process, wood pieces are heated under controlled oxygen level, emitting
species, its espacement and work out the yield of utilizable bio-mass.
VENEER TREES
Saucer of 3 meter dia with 15 cm mid-depth, which can hold 1000 litre per 1”
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rainfall, experiments were undertaken with Eucalyptus, Casuarina and
Bamboo species. About 1 lakh litres of water is harnessed per acre per good
rain and this has resulted in increase of yield to more than 50% when
THORNLESS BAMBOOS
Though the Bamboo species found in the world are around 1400, India
has about 135 species. Tamil Nadu has only 2 species. About 45 Bamboo
species, which are thornless and were expected to be of economic value were
introduced in all the research centres and were grown under different
Tamil Nadu is gradually decreasing, there was a felt need to identify most
imported from Australia and the Indonesian provenances were tested in river
Cauvery Padugai, at Kodumudi, during 1997, under rain fed conditions. The
best performing provenances were identified that have the capability to yield
more even under moisture stress conditions. These provenances were Timur,
carried out from the sprigs and Clonal Banks were established.
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NURSERY EXPERIMENTS
the nursery stages that paved way for ensuring enhanced bio-mass
productivity.
standardize the use of under utilized, and under exploited farm trees to
2000s
The results obtained from the experiments carried out during the
previous decades were analyzed and most fruitful ones were further fine
The big Five, the Birds, Bats, Bees, Beetles and Butterflies were the
forests.
dispersers and also the fruit yielding trees and their phenology of fruiting.
These studies are being undertaken all over the Eastern and Western Ghats
Forest areas of Tamil Nadu. The findings will be utilized in the Working Plans
and will help in appropriate prescriptions being made for enhancing the
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RHIZOSPHERE STUDIES
Soil samples are being collected from all the forest types in Tamil Nadu
and the Rhizosphere microflora and microfauna are identified, and isolated. It
are being tested as off-farm trial in appropriate research centres. Such trials
provenance transfer. Clonal approaches to forestry are not new, and have
(Salix spp.) and poplars (Populus spp.), and with Cryptomeria japonica D.Don
in Japan and China (Ohba, 1993). In the last 25 years, however, there has
and a wide range of other commercially important species. This has arisen
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(i) the potential to exploit the considerable amount of genotypic variation
(ii) the increasing number of tree species that have been found amenable
to vegetative propagation,
* shortening rotations,
include:-
(i) the ability to rapidly capture a greater proportion of the additive and
hybridization or biotechnology;
(iv) the mass production of those rare individuals which have two or more
(v) the ability to select and utilize greater genetic diversity than is normally
(vi) the ability to use clones that are well adapted to a particular site ;
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(vii) the greater simplicity and flexibility of managing sets of stockplants
(viii) the shorter period, compared to seed orchards, between selection and
production ;
number of the following situations are evident (Leakey and Simons, 2000):
(i) a few individual trees are present in a wild population, which have a
dense, well formed crowns to shade out weeds, smooth bark, good
coppicing ability, good rooting ability (over 70%), high wood density,
market specifications,
(iv) the products of the tree species to be grown have a high-value that can
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important if the market for the products is sufficiently large to minimize
(v) the tree species to be propagated is a shy seeder, either not flowering
and fruiting every year, or when producing only a very small seed crop
(viii) the seed produced through sexual propagation has a short period of
viability (i.e. recalcitrant) and hence cannot be stored for later use. The
experiment.
tolerant and since they are sterile and have to be propagated only by
clone. The farmers prefer to plant 4000 seedlings / acre and harvest at 4 th
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year. Therefore, the initial cost of raising this plantation is very high, which is a
using ‘straw as container’ was conceived and experimented upon. The cost of
raising was thus reduced to less than 25 paise per seedling. Also this
Tamil Nadu Forest Department has executed a path breaking low cost
Realizing the fact that only where the macro propagation (Vegetative
become a reality in India, Tamil Nadu Forest Department has ventured in this
Thailand Male sterile hybrids rooted ramets have been produced using the
of millions of rooted ramets / clones at very low cost, in a very short period of
upon.
for clonal production of Melia dubia, Eucalyptus, Jatropa, Sandal and Teak by
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Similarly, low cost technology of production of Bamboo rooted
these are not available for planting, as the flowering period is around 30 to 40
years, but also due to the fact that adequate germplasm and technology wee
not available. The cost of propagules produced through Tissue culture is sold
for around Rs.30 to 35 per plant. Tamil Nadu Forest Department Research
wing has standardized vegetative propagation using waste water bottles for a
research findings are translated into reality through Action Research adoption
FUTURE
The following aspects may be the focal points for future Research by
plantations.
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• Hydrological auditing of cultivated tree-farming systems.
utilization of every drop of water, every grain of soil and every ray of
sun.
and micro fauna of each of the forest types soils of Tamil Nadu.
• Further in depth study of the pollinators and seed dispers will have
sustainable supply of food for the Birds, Bats, Bees, Beetles and
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• Bioremediation of polluted soils (Tannery, Dye, Hospital waste,
forests, moist deciduous forests, etc., that are the fodder source for
help in containing the goats in the villages itself than entering into
Reserved Forest.
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• Endemic, endangered species recovery strategies have to be
In short, Tamil Nadu Forest Department research wing will ensure the
by the Department with the aim of utilizing every drop of water, every grain of
cadre of Range Officers selected for Research may join the main stream after
JRF – Junior Research Fellows and SRF – Senior Research Fellows may be
speciality.
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