Farm forestry can be one of the best means for
afforestation of wastelands especially in areas with
no assured irrigation which will in turn provide raw
material to industries. NABARD, as an apex
institution with regard to policy, planning and
operation in the field of agriculture and rural credit,
is actively involved in extending credit support for
development of rural areas along with other financial
institutions. Development of wastelands through
pulpwood plantations is identified as a thrust area
for which NABARD is extending 100% refinance to
banks at concessional rate of interest.
The National Forest Policy, specifically encourages
Company-farmer Partnerships and states :
“As far as possible, a forest based industry should
raise the raw material needed for meeting its own
requirements, preferably by establishment of direct
relationship between the factory and the individuals
who can grow the material ………… the practice of
supply of forest produce to industry at concessional
prices should cease”
Distribution
Common Names: Subabul, Leucaena & ipil-ipil, etc.
Subabul ( Leucaena leucocephala) is a popular farm
forestry tree in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.
It is estimated that in Prakasam district of Andhra
Pradesh alone, Subabul is planted in area exceeding
50,000 ha.
It is one of the fast growing hardy evergreen
species. It is a vigorous coppicer and responds
well to pollarding, lopping & pruning. It has deep
and strong taproot and even the seedlings are deep
rooted. There are four types of subabul viz,
Hawaiian type: The plants are short bushy and
remarkably drought tolerant. It is suited to hilly
terrains in drought prone areas. It is a prolific seed
producer and is good for fodder purpose.
Salvador type: Tall, tree like and fast growing
having maximum annual biomass production.
Possesses large leaves, pods and seeds than
Hawaiian types. Responds to high fertilization.
Peru: Tall and extensively branching type and is
ideal for fodder purpose.
Cunningham : It is a cross between Salvador and
Peru types.
Agro-climatic conditions
i. Ecology
Subabul is best suited for warm regions and grows
well between 22 and 30ºC in regions of 500 to
2000 mm annual rainfall. Because of its strong and
deep root system, the tree is highly drought
resistant. It is restricted to elevations below 500 m
but withstands variations in rainfall, sunlight,
windstorm, slight frost and drought.
ii. Soil
It cannot withstand water logging. It requires deep
well drained neutral soil and can tolerate saline and
acid soil. It can also be grown in steep slopes, hilly
terrains, gravelly areas and sandy loams. It can
grow under a wide range of conditions as a range
plant, roadside plant, in pastures, etc. The land
should, however, be cleared of bushes, ploughed
and levelled before sowing for better performance.
The tree grows very well under alkaline soils and
also performs under dry clayey soils. The growth is
average under sandy, acidic & dry gravel soils. The
performance is poor under marshy, usar lands & in
high altitudes.
iii Botanical features
The leaves are bipinnate, 15 to 20 cm long with 10
to 15 pairs of pinnate leaves. Inflorescence is
globular and the flowers are white.
Commercial Uses:
Subabul wood can be used for light construction,
poles, props, pulp, furniture, flooring and fuel wood.
Subabul wood is an excellent fuel wood with a
specific gravity of 0.45-0.55 and a high heating
value of 4000 kcal/kg. Subabul forage has a high
protein and carotene content and pellets or cubes
are internationally marketed as animal feed.
Silviculture / Cultivation practices
i . Planting of seedlings can be done with the onset
of rains in May-June or Sept-October. Seed viability
is high, but the hard seed coat posses dormancy.
To hasten germination seeds are to be dipped in
concentrated sulfuric acid for four minutes and then
washed or put in hot water at 80ºC for four
minutes. The seeds should be sundried afterwards
for about one hour before sowing.
ii . A seed rate of 3-4 kg/ha is recommended.
Sowing is preferably done during February-March in
a nursery or in polythene bags or in situ at 2-3 cm
depth. Seedlings (1.5 to 3 months old with 6-8
leaves) are planted in the main field. A spacing of
1 x 0.1 m is recommended for a pure crop of
fodder, 1.5 x 0.2 m for planting in boundaries and
borders of coconut gardens and 2 x 0.2 m when
raised along boundaries.
iii Planting Material
Methods of propagation for raising plantation are :
(i) Direct sowing of seeds; (ii) Bag Plantation; (iii)
Naked seedlings collected from existing plantation
regeneration.
iv Spacing adopted
The most common spacing adopted are 1.27m x
1.27m (50” x 50”) (i.e. 6200 plants/ha); 2m x 2m
(2500 plants/ha); 3 x 1.5m (2222 plants/ha).
However, the recommended spacing is 1.5m x
1.5m (4445 plants/ha). Inter cultivation may not be
possible from second year onwards.
v Weeding / Soil working
Two weedings / soil workings are required per year
for the first 3 years of sowing / planting.
vi. Pests and diseases
Subabul generally has been free of serious insect &
diseases, but is susceptible to jumping plant lice
(psyllids) which have caused serious defoliation
and mortality in some areas. Some varieties are
susceptible to gummosis, which is most likely
caused by Fusarium or Phytophtora species. Leaf
spot fungus also can cause defoliation under wet
conditions.
Yield & Rotation
Harvesting is done at the end of fourth year. The
average yield is 70 ton/ha. Farmers adopt a rotation
of 4 year. Normally they go for 3 coppice crops.
During second rotation, only 2 coppice shoots are
retained in each stem. The sale price for pulpwood
is considered at Rs. 1000/ton.
The stumps removed from plantations after three
rotations may fetch a rate of Rs. 350/- to Rs. 400/-
ton for usage as fuel wood for tobacco barns.
Markets & Marketing Arrangements
There is enormous demand for Subabul wood for
pulp (raw material) from many paper industries.
Unit Cost
The cost of cultivation of Subabul in one hectare at
an espacement of 1.5mx1.5m i.e. 4445 Subabul
plants per ha has been worked out at Rs. 40200/-
per ha. The details of various items of expenditure
are viz., land preparation, digging of pits, plant and
material, manure and fertilizer, plant protection, etc
You can get the whole information from Tropical
Forest Research Institute (TFRI)
tfri.icfre.gov.in/
Posted by Prem Dubey at 01:04
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Tropical Forest Research Institute , Jabalpur
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