vue - Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album) chandan Plants & Seeds Supplier

Sirium myrtifolium L., Santalum ovatum Natural distribution obscured by cultivation and naturalisation. Introduced into cultivation in many parts of India, Indonesia and North Australia. It grows well in infertile and stony sites, and non-acidic clay soils. Grows on sites with (600-) 850-1350 (-2000) mm annual rainfall, temperature 25-35ºC with a distinct dry season and 2-3 months wet season. From sea level to 1800 masl. Uses The most valuable product of S. album is sandal oil distilled from the heartwood. The distilled oil (atsiri) is a raw material for traditional and modern cosmetic and medical products. The aromatic wood is also used for fine handicraft and incense in religious rituals. The wood is valuable and traded by weight. Leaves are used as green manure and fodder. The fruit is edible. Botanical description The trees can grow 20-22 m tall with diameter up to 40 cm. The form of crown is flat or dome. Bark is greyish (-reddish) brown, thinly furrowed, semi-coarse. Trunk w/o buttress. Leaves simple, opposite or decussate; petiole 5-15 mm; blade elliptical, 1½-4 cm wide, 2.5-8 cm long. Inflorescence terminal or axillary panicle or raceme. Flowers are uni-sexual or hermaphrodites, small, white or yellowish, 4 (-5)-merous; perianth tube campanulate. Fruit and Seed description Fruit: Ellipsoidal 1-seeded drupe, diameter 5-8 mm, smooth, blue to blackish-red with small apical collar. Seed: Functional seed is the pyrene. It is light brown - yellowish, globous, 3-5 mm diameter, weight around 0.16 gr. There are 5,000-8,000 seeds per kg. 1. Tree form, 2. Branch flower, 3. Flower, 4. Fruit. Plant Flowering and Fruiting Habit Flowers uni-sexual or hermaphrodites. Flowering starts at 3-4 year old. In Indonesia, S. album flowers throughout the year with a peak in December-January (dry season) and fruit maturation starts from March to June (before rainy season). Flowering process is affected by elevation. At high altitudes, the species will not develop flower. Pollination by a variety of insects including butterflies. Seed dispersal primarily by birds. Fruit Harvesting Collection of fruits from the ground after shaking branches. The ground should be cleaned or covered with nets or tarpaulins to ease collection and minimise contamination. Mature fruits are blue or blackish-red in colour; immature and small fruits should be discarded. Processing and Handling Fruit pulp is removed by extraction, which should be done immediately to avoid rot, fungal and pest attack. Extraction can be carried out by squeezing the fruit in sand, then rinse with running water or high pressure. water. Seed is then air dried in a proper ventilated room for 2-3 days. Storage and Viability The germination rate for fresh seed may reach 90%. It is an orthodox seed. Seed storage requires low initial water content (5-8%), then packed in an airtight container. Kept at room temperature of 18-20ºC, RH 50%, a germination of more than 50% can be maintained after 16 months storage. dormancy and pretreatment Fruit pulp ostensibly contains inhibitors, but extracted clean seed has no known dormancy. Germination rate can be enhanced by soaking the seeds in water for 12-24 hours prior to sowing. Santalum album L. Sowing and Germination The germination is epigeal. Seeds can be sowed directly in polybags in a 1:1 mixture of sand and soil with 3-4 seeds in each Polybag. The seeds should be covered by media. When the first leaves have appeared plants should be exposed to the primer host. When the seedlings reach one year old and are 25-30 cm tall, they are moved to the field and planted with 2.5 x 4 m spacing distance and the secondary host plant is planted. The plant needs shade (secondary host) until 3 years old after which shading is removed to give better light conditions for the plants. An alternative method is direct seeding on a site with well established secondary host plants. About 5 seeds are sown at each hole near primary host plants. Phytosanitary Problem In nursery often attacked by fungi species Fusarium and Phytopthora and species of Nematoda. The fungi can be controlled by fungicide. Vegetative Propagation The trees often regenerate by root suckers, which can also be used for propagation. Propagation by shoot tip cutting, leaf cutting and root cuttings can also be used successfully. Web: http://www.natureherbs.org Blog: http://natureherbsorg.blogspot.in/ Email : natureherbs@ymail.com, sales@natureherbs.org Mob: +91 841 888 5555 Skype: nature.herbs