Bengaluru: India’s first sandalwood gene pool and germplasm bank has been set up in Karnataka. This will provide farmers with the best quality seedlings for growing the commercial crop not only in Karnataka but across the country.
This gene pool and germplasm bank has been set up by Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) in partnership with the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST). Although the sample collection started three months ago, the announcement in the recent Union Budget to promote sandalwood growth in the coastal region has given further impetus to the project.
Since sandalwood is a profitable industry, we have appealed to the state and central governments to promote sandalwood plantation along with other species. This requires good quality saplings, which is why this initiative has been taken, said a senior official of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL). He said that the gene pool will also help in setting a baseline standard for sandalwood and its oil.
These findings will be shared with other states. KSDL is receiving orders for seeds and saplings from farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Sandalwood Development Committee report released by the Central Vista Oversight Committee had mentioned the decline in the quality and quantity of wood and oil. The report also mentioned that India, especially Karnataka, was importing sandalwood oil and seeds from Australia.
Last year, the Karnataka Forest Department had joined hands with KSDL to plant 1 lakh sandalwood saplings every year across the state. But the project has not started yet.
With the help of forest personnel from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the best old sandalwood trees are being identified in forests and other places and samples are being collected from them.
These samples are being analysed in the germplasm bank and gene pool to know the parent tree, the quality of the good wood and the quality of the oil. The best samples will be multiplied and supplied to the farmers, said a KSDL official.
Mysore, Chamarajanagar and Bandipur Tiger Reserves, Marayur areas of Kerala are famous for the best quality sandalwood.
In Karnataka, 713 farmers are cultivating sandalwood in an area of 4,000 acres. In addition, sandalwood trees are found naturally in the forests of the state. Sandalwood is the state tree of Karnataka, but not much work is being done to increase its planting and quality, said KSDL officials.