Tissue culture teak knowledge centre

TISSUE CULTURE TEAK AND PLANTATION GUIDELINES

Teak, the major tropical hardwood plantation species, is a useful indicator of plantation trends. In 1980, it constituted 11% of the total area of tropical forest plantations whereas in 2010 the corresponding figure was 4%. If present trends persist, the future outlook for the sustainable supply of quality tropical hardwoods is miserable. This is at a time when demand for the raw material, particularly domestic demand, is forecast to rise. What is required now, to avoid a pending crisis in the sustainable supply of tropical hardwoods, is to increase, substantially, the area under sustainable management in natural forests and supplement this with a significant increase in plantations.

Tissue culture (micro-propagation) is a proven means of producing millions of identical plants by culturing plant tissues under germ-free conditions. Micro-propagation provides a high degree of phenotypic/physical uniformity. Since the product on cycle takes place under controlled conditions. The resulting product has very high degree of uniformity compared with traditionally propagated plants. Plantlets produced by tissue culture are usually disease free.

Steps involved in tissue culture of teak (Tectona grandis)

Benefits of tissue culture teak cultivation

• Tissue cultured teak plants will grow strait and maintain uniformity.
• The growth of side branches will be less which will not affect the volume and quantity of wood.
• In tissue cultured teak plantation the growth of all plants will be equal which gives expected yield.
• Tissue cultured teak plants will have more resistance power to pests and diseases. 

Tissue culture teak plants ready to sale

Some of our best teak plantations

A plantation showing normal and tissue culture teak plants of same age

Land preparation for tissue cultured teak plantation

Land preparation includes the following activities: site selection, clearing land of bushes and weed roots, stump destruction, ploughing, harrowing, and stone removal.

Land preparation is necessary to provide the best growing conditions possible for teak. Land clearing and tillage are done to reduce weeds and improve soil quality. Land clearing also reduces shade, since teak is a shade-intolerant species.   

Choosing suitable land for teak

Teak grows naturally in lowland areas from 0-1000 m asl with rainfall of 1250-3000 mm annually, and with red and black soil types.  However, to produce high-quality timber, choose sites that also: have soils with high lime and clay content, have distinct dry and rainy seasons, and are located less than 700 m asl.  

Teak can also be cultivated on rocky and sloping lands

Sloping land is vulnerable to landslides and erosion so teak needs terraces.  Build terrace walls with stones.  

Activities before planting

Preparation before planting includes: arranging the space, preparing and installing markers, and preparing planting holes.   

What spacing is right for teak? 

• In a monoculture system, the most commonly used spacing’s are 3×3 m, 3×4 m and 3x5 m.  
• Dense spacing will produce straighter stems and faster height growth, whereas wide spacing will produce larger stem diameters.
• A good combination is dense spacing in the early stages in order to promote height growth, then thinning to promote larger stem diameter.
• In an agro-forestry system, teak can be closely spaced within their rows with a wider distance between rows for planting seasonal crops such as sorghum, corn, red gram, peanut or soybean.

Why should the planting distance be uniform?  

• Consistent spacing offers several advantages. Make maintenance easy. The plantation will look good and clean.
• Makes the best use of space for trees to maximize growth of canopy, stem and roots
• Reduces competition between trees for moisture and nutrients.
• Reduces competition between trees for light and improves air circulation, allowing the stem and canopy to grow healthy.
• Reduces the potential of tree damage due to strong wind.  

What is an appropriate size for a planting pit?  

The planting hole should be 60×60×60 cm.  

What is the best way to plant seedlings?  

If the nursery is far from the planting site, seedlings may dry out from exposure or lack of water during travel. In such cases, seedlings should not be planted immediately. Maintain seedlings near the planting site for 1 week; this allows them to adapt to the planting environment and recover from desiccation.  Plant saplings in the rainy season are a good package of practice.  Before planting, apply to each planting pit a basic fertilizer of 10 kg compost (derived from leaves or earth warms) or manure (derived from cattle waste). Make sure that the manure used is completely composted and not harmful to the seedlings. Seedlings can be planted 1–2 weeks after you apply the fertilizer. Remove the seedlings from the poly bag carefully to keep the medium undamaged. Place the seedlings into the planting hole, and backfill it with topsoil.

Maintaining teak stands

Teak grows well, grows fast, and produces high-quality timber when the land and trees and well maintained. Maintenance includes weeding, fertilizing, replanting, pruning, thinning and controlling pests and diseases.  

Weeding

• In a young teak plantation weeds including vines, shrubs and grass need to be cleared regularly around teak trees. These weeds compete for light, water and soil nutrients. Left uncontrolled, the weeds could hinder the growth and even kill the teak trees.  
• In a mature teak plantation after the canopy closes, weeding can be done less frequently. Understory weeds below mature trees generally die by themselves.  
• You can effectively control weeds by intercropping teak trees with agricultural crops, because tilling for the crops also serves as weeding for the trees.  

Fertilizing

• The recommended dose per tree is 50 g of NPK in the first year, 100 g in the second year and 150 g in the third year.  Apply manure or compost at a dose of 10 kg per planting hole before planting the tree.  
• On acidic soils, soils with a low pH or soils with limited calcium (Ca), the area around the trees should be treated with lime (dolomite) to raise the pH.  
• The recommended dose of dolomite is 150-250 g per planting hole, applied at the same time as the manure or compost.
• In agro-forestry systems, applying fertilizer benefits both teak trees and agricultural crops.  
• To apply fertilizer, make holes with a small wooden stake on either side of the tree or crop.  
• Another way is to apply fertilizer in holes 10-15 cm deep that ring the teak tree at a distance of 0.5–1.5 m from the stem, about the width of the tree’s canopy.  

Pruning

• Pruning is the removal of branches which increases clear bole height and reduces knots on the main stem.
• By removing unnecessary branches or twigs, the tree’s growth will concentrate around the tree’s main stem and its canopy.  
• Wood removed through pruning can be used as fuel wood or sold at market, providing smallholders with added revenue.

How to prune?

• Clear branches and twigs from the lower half of the tree during the third year. Pruning more than 50% can hinder the tree’s growth.
• Prune early in the rainy season, around June.  
• Prune when branches and twigs are still young and small.  
• Prune each branch as close to the main stem as possible, without cutting the branch collar. The branch collar is the slight swelling at the base of the branch where it grows from the stem. Pruning the branch collar causes wounds that heal more slowly and also increases the risk of pests and diseases.
• If pruning is delayed, the removal of large branches will result in knot defects in the wood; pruning large branches also makes the tree more susceptible to pests and diseases.  
• Pruning is done using special tools: pruners and pruning saws.  Small, young twigs can be pruned with a sharp sickle or machete. 
• To protect the stem after pruning, cover each pruned place with a special paint or tar.

Harvesting

To provide maximum returns, harvest teak trees when: the tree is mature enough to produce good quality wood, at least 15–20 years old and the price for teak timber is high.

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For further details & best tissue culture teak plant material

Contact Dr. Abdul Rasul

email: rasul_micro@yahoo.com