General Information :

• It is a medium-sized deciduous tree with numerous armed branches.
• Bark yellowish grey in color.
• Flowers are dark red in color
• Thick black color pods contain 6-12 dark red to purple brown seeds.

Distribution :

• It is widely distributed in India.

Habitat : Littoral and Deciduous Forest

Soil : Deep alluvial loams, silts and clays

Altitude :Up to 750 m

Rainfall :500-1500 mm

Temperature : Up to 32°c

Terrain : Plain/hilly

Tree Characteristics :

• Sensitive to Frost and coppice well.

Habit : Deciduous Tree

Natural Regeneration :

• Naturally regenerated by seeds and coppice

Artificial Regeneration :

• Artificially propagated by Direct seed sowing.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Seeds are collected from February – April
• Collected seeds are dried in sun and stored in gunny bags.
• Germination capacity is 80 – 90 %
• Seeds are viable for 12 months.

Seed Treatment :

• Cold water treatment for 24 hours.

 

Nursery Technique :

Nursery raised seedlings :

• 3-4 months old seeds lings are opted for planting n the onset of monsoon.
• Pits size of 30 cm3 is adopted.
• Minimum spacing is 5 m x 5 m which may be thinned to 10 m x 10 m as the tree matures.
• Survival percentage is 70-80%

Plantation technique :

• 3-4 months old seeds lings are opted for planting n the onset of monsoon.
• Pits size of 30 cm3 is adopted.
• Minimum spacing is 5 m x 5 m which may be thinned to 10 m x 10 m as the tree matures.
• Survival percentage is 70-80%.

Care & Disease Control :

• Regular weeding ad soil working will stimulates the growth.

Irrigation :

For proper growth and survival it is necessary to give one or two waterings after planting. This is specifically required in arid regions. Irrigation after planting is not a prerequisite in areas having sufficient soil moisture and precipitation. Higher survival rate and better rate of growth is reported when soil and water conservation measures are also adopted

Recommended Harvest :

• 15-20 years.

Yield :

• Approximately 150 to 175 tons/ha.

Agro Forestory :

Grown as hedge plant or shade tree in various parts of the tropics. It is occasionally grown as a shade tree for cocoa and coffee, though it is not recommended in Java for this purpose as it is leafless for up to a few months per year. Stakes thrust into the ground readily take root, so they are used for making enclosures about gardens. The leaves are used as green manure. It is used as live support for betel nut (Piper betle), black pepper (Piper nigrum), vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) and yam (Dioscorea spp.) vines. A columnar cultivar is planted in hedges as a wind break

Major uses :

• In coastal areas it is used for rafts, fisherman’s float and catamarans
• The tree is extensively cultivated for live fence and hedges.
• It acts as wind break in coastal regions.
• It is also planted as a shade tree in tea and coffee plantations.

Market details :

• Approximately Rs.2800 to Rs.3000/ton.