KEY FACTORS

SOIL
Red ferruginous loam is the most common soil on which sandal tree occurs, the underlying rock often is metamorphic and chiefly gneiss. It is not exacting as to the depth of the soil and is frequently found on rocky ground and on stony or gravelly soils.

Sandal requires good drainage and does not stand water logged ground. Best growth of tree is on rich fairly moist such as garden loam and well drained deep alluvium on the river banks. (Troup, 1921) Sandal grows better in slight alkaline condition soil PH Range between 7.0 To 8.5


CLIMATE
Sandalwood grows in any part of India, temperature 50 to 500, best between attitudes of 700 to 1100m though it may go up to 1500m and descend as low as 300m

PLANTATION METHOD

Plantation method is vary from place to place depending on the Land, Climate etc., Below are the plants can be cultivated per Acre of land

  • Sandalwood - 300 Per Acre
  • Melia Dubia - 60 Per Acre
  • Drum Stick - 200 Per Acre
  • Amla - 150 Per Acre

Water availability/ drought :

  • Sandalwood trees consume minimal water for its growth when compared to its counterparts. The trees need watering only from January to May  (Summer Season)

Mortality/Failure %

Vanasiri considers this factor as the most important factor in which the company expertises. Mortality/Failure % is very common in an unorganized farming done by freelancers, individual farmers, non agro based farmers like commercial real-estate ventures etc who fall prey to this loss. This is a long term project and people try to cut the cost at the initial levels. I.E purchasing sapling at the least cost possible without knowing the crop genetics , not concentrating on soil fertility or pre-planning for soil erosion, not spending on water harvesting or contingency planning, compromising on security parameters, compromising on the cost to take expert assistance etc

At Vanasiri we handle this factor professionally without compromising as we are 50% share holders of the profit. The common mortality rate in our project is upto 18% which we try to further bring down by following the below mentioned parameters :

  • Vanasiri has a independent seed orchard designed to improve the genetics of the seed stock to produce trees of the highest quality. Superior trees are selected based on growth characteristics and oil content. These are then control pollinated to produce seed for use in the project.
  • The saplings from this seeds are then grown in nursery for a period of 12 months before planting it into the cultivation area to further reduce the count of dead, week, infertile and impotent trees.
  • Further, the hand pick saplings are planted in the cultivation area and a back-up saplings are still maintained on a 100 : 3 ratio to further replace dead trees by replanting until the fourth year.
  • Trees planted in the cultivation area are supported with rod/bamboo sticks till the 4 year to help its roots gain ground support.

PEST AND DISEASE

Spike disease is one of the important diseases of sandal. This disease is caused by mycoplasma-like organisms (MLO). It can occur at any stage of development of the tree. As the disease progresses, the new leaves become smaller, narrower or more pointed and fewer in number with each successive year until the new shoots give an appearance of fine spike. At the advance stage of disease the inter nodal distance on twigs becomes small, haustorial connection between the host and sandal breaks and the plant dies in about 2 to 3 years.

Spread of disease is sporadic and the disease is transmitted in nature by insect vectors. It has been found that other insect vectors in addition to Nephotettix virescens may also be responsible for transmission of disease. So far no permanent remedial measures have been prescribed for control of spike disease.

Stem borers Zeuzera coffease Nietn (red borer) Indarbela quardinotata Walker (bark-feeding caterpillar) and Aristobia octofasiculata Aurivillius (heartwood borer) are some of the pests causing considerable damage to living trees.