WHY
MELIA ?
- It has been identified as a fast growing indigenous species.
- This species being a local timber is better suited for industrial use than other exotic / foreign species being presently propagated
- Growing this species can increase the forest cover rapidly which at present is a national priority.
- Large scale availability of plantation timber will save our natural forest and bio diversity which need to be protected.
- This will improve rural Economy and The seeds of this tree can be used for the extraction of a bio pesticide
- The use of this timber as and when available produces a very good quality plywood comparable to international standards
GROWTH
HABIT
It is a fairly large, handsome, deciduous tree, attaining a girth of 1.2-1.5m
and a height of about 15m, with a spreading crown and a cylindrical, straight bole of about
9m
SITE FACTORS
In its natural habitat the
absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 37.5–47.5 C and the absolute
minimum from 0–15 C. It does well in moist regions, with a mean annual rainfall
exceeding 1000 mm. The mean relative humidity in July varies from 70–90% and in
January from 50–80 %.
TOPOGRAPHY
It is commonly found in the hills
at elevations ranging from 600 – 1800 m.
Red loamy soil very much suited, treat the black soil with red soil and
FYM before planting
CULTIVATION
The rooted saplings are planted
onset of the monsoon or during the monsoon.
The suggested pit size is 2’ x 2’- 0.60m Cube.
Spacing of 3.5 m x 3.5 m is
recommended. This will give better girth in shorter duration.
Seed Treatment
Seeds are collected from ripened
fruits (Jan – Feb) by rubbing, washing and drying and are stored in sealed tins. The germinability of the seed is less than 25%. In nursery, the
seeds are sown in raised nursery beds. The best seed treatment is treating the seeds with slurry for one
day. Then the treated seeds are sown over the raised nursery bed. It takes one or two
months for the seeds to germinate. Irrigation should be done regularly. The seedling takes 6 months to
complete its nursery stage.
Expenditure Details (Rs/Ha) (Year-2014)
2nd Year Rs. 61,500.00
3rd Year Rs. 61,500.00
4th Year Rs. 64,500.00
5th Year Rs. 66,500.00
6th Year Rs. 66,500.00
7th Year Rs. 68,500.00
8th Year Rs. 68,500.00
9th Year Rs. 64,500.00
10th Year Rs. 64,500.00
11th Year Rs. 66,500.00
Total: 6,53,000 + 1,14,000 = 7,67,000.00
Income Details (Rs/Ha) (Year-2014)
In
a Hectare, we can plant 756 trees
at
a spacing of 12 x 12 ft
Rs.
7,000 per tree this would amount to a total return of Rs.45,50,000
per Hectare gross income in
10-12 years (deduct 14% on trees and
value per tree)
To
a farmer this amounts to a remuneration of approximately Rs.37,900
per month gross income
Additional
income can be generated from inter-cropping
