REGENERATION

REGENERATION

NATURAL
  • Seeds germinated during rainy season give good survival,
  • Seeds regenerate on newly exposed soil, along water channel, riverine tract.
ARTIFICIAL
  • It is one of the easiest species to propagate through almost all the common methods viz. direct sowing, entire transplanting, stump planting.
Seed collection and storage:
  • The seeds are plentiful every year, and keep viability for one year.
  • Fertile seeds are produced at the age of 3-4 years, but it is advisable to collect seeds from the middle aged vigorously growing trees having straight and clean boles; on an average a medium sized tree produces 12-15 kg pods (4-5 kg clean seed).
  • Time of collection varies from December to mid-February in Assam; West Bengal, Punjab and from November to March in Bihar and Orissa.
  • The seed can be collected by ascending the tree or beating off with sticks.
  • The pods are dried in the sun for 3-4 days and stored after removing dead leaves, foreign matter, etc.
Germination capacity and plant percent:
  • Germination capacity and plant percent in Delbergia sissoo are about 90 and 45 per cent respectively.
  • Soaked seeds germinate after 7 to 15 days.
  • Pricking by end of first season (18-20 cm height). 56 kg seeds are sufficient for one ha area.
Planting technique:
  • Direct sowing:
    • Direct sowing is the easiest method to raise shisham plantations; in fact, most of the seeds are sown in lines at the break of rains.
    • Distance between lines varying from 3 to 4m.
  • Entire planting:
    • The planting of entire seedlings being much more laborious and costly, is adopted only in special cases such as arid areas, areas infested with tall grasses, wet sides or along the roadsides.
    • Planting is generally done when the summer rains have properly set in, while the pits may be dug sometimes earlier.
  • Stump planting:
    • Stump planting has clear advantages over either entire planting or direct sowing.
    • Cost of stump planting is low; planting period is extendable from July to September.
    • The season of stump planting would depend upon the local rainfall and availability of artificial irrigation.
    • Best time for planting is the rainy season.
    • Stumps are spaced 1.8 m apart in lines on trenches which are 3 m apart from row to row.
Last modified: Tuesday, 22 May 2012, 8:34 AM