Clonal Plantations in India,

Historical Perspectiveand Future Potential

Abstract

This paper highlights advantages of clonal technology, required safeguards in clonal plantations and the historical perspective related to advent of commercial clonal plantations in India with particular reference to poplars and eucalypts. Potential of genetically superior clonal planting stock of field tested clones of eucalypts, poplars and other speciesfor substantial gains in productivity, improvement of quality of timber and pulp wood and profitability of plantations has been highlighted. Need for adoption of similar cloning techniques in respect of other important tree species, amenable to cost effective vegetative propagation and cloning, are also discussed. This paper makes concrete suggestions for achieving self sufficiency in timber and wood based products consistent with environmental amelioration.

Key Words:Productivity, Clonal plantations, Genetic superiority,Eucalyptus, Poplars, Timber, Fuel wood, Future strategies

Introduction

Plantations of tree species are generally raised by transplanting seedlings produced in seed based nurseries with a few exceptions like poplars, willows and rubber etc. Unfortunately the most crucial requirement of ensuring very high genetic quality of seedlingsis often neglected in our country and we continue to plant millions of poor quality and genetically inferior seedlings every year.Plantations based on inferior and questionable genetic quality seedlings make our scarce land resources underproductive for many years depending upon the rotation of planted tree species.Productivity of even fast growing species like eucalypts from normal seed based plantations is extremely low ranging from 5-10 m3per ha. / year. Our country pays extremely high price because of such neglect of genetic quality of seedlings and resultant loss of productivity and poor quality of timber. Productivity of our forests is even much lower at less than 1 m3 per ha. / year. India is a wood deficit country and we import huge volume of timber and wood based products every year to bridge the demand supply gap. Timber and wood based products valued at US$ 2.75 billion were imported during 2006 and the imports keep growing because of inadequate domestic production. (Midgley et. al; 2007)

Just as the foundations of green revolution in agriculture were based on superior high yielding new crop varieties supported with good extension services and marketing support, likewise tremendous gains in productivity and quality of timber can be achieved with the use of genetically improved seed and clonal planting stock of tree species in agroforestry and reforestation projects. If we have to single out one most critical input required for transformation of production forestry and net returns from agroforestry plantations; the obvious answer is the genetically improved planting stock adaptable to the planting sites. Next important requirement is the implementation of improved silvicultural and management practices for raising and maintenance of plantations including addressing of nutritional deficiencies through application of optimum doses of manures and fertilizers. Very high productivity, ranging from 25 -50 m3 per ha. / year has been achieved with genetically improved clonal planting stock of eucalypts and poplars depending upon the site quality and adoption of scientific management practices. True to type clonal planting stock has also ensured substantial improvement in quality of the timber and pulpwood produced.

Clonal Planting Stock

Vegetatively propagated saplings developed from a single superior tree with most desirable qualities along with the ortet constitute a clone. Therefore, clonal saplings of each clone are uniform and true to type with all the genetic qualities of the mother tree. Each clone represents a particular genotype and the genetic traits differ from clone to clone. All tree species amenable to cost effective vegetative propagation can be cloned for development and deployment of genetically superior clonal planting stock for reforestation and agroforestry projects.

Advantages of Clonal Planting Stock

Genetically superior clonal planting stock offers many distinct advantages compared to seedlings obtained from normal seed as follows;

  1. Uniform and true to type clonal planting stock has all desirable genetic qualities of the mother plant.
  2. Immediate capture of genetic gains to exploit natural variation or hybrid vigour through cloning is possible.
  3. Possibilities of matching most adaptable site specific clones to problematic sites with stressful conditions.
  4. Very high productivity and far better quality of timber and pulpwood from clonal plantations compared to normal seed based plantations.
  5. Potential for standardization of silvicultural management practices including manuring and fertilization schedules depending upon need and response of each clone in respect of plant nutrients.
  6. Propagation of species with long flowering cycles or very little fruit formation and seed production etc. is possible through clones.

Implementation of improved silvicultural and management practices, including addressing of nutritional deficiencies, is extremely important to take full advantage of the vast genetic superiority of clonal planting stock. (Lal, 2008)

Limitations of Clonal Planting Stock and Safeguards

Clonal planting stock also has certain limitations and disadvantages as discussed below and professional foresters must safeguard against same:

  1. Each clone has a specific genetic make up and varying levels of adaptability to different sites and climatic conditions. Therefore, prior field testing of clones on similar sites is essential before taking up large scale commercial clonal plantations.
  2. Any clonal plantations programme based on a few clones with narrow genetic base will have serious risks of future epidemic disease or pests and limited adaptability to problematic sites. Hence a large number of site specific and field tested clones with wide and diverse genetic base should be deployed.
  3. Vigour and disease / pest resistance of a clone may weaken after prolonged and repeated vegetative propagation or because of maturation issues. Hence continuous monitoring and periodic rejuvenation of clonal multiplication gardens will be essential.
  4. There is no possibility of any further genetic improvement of a specific clone and we often reach dead end in productivity. Therefore, best clones of today will have to be replaced with still better ones in future on continuous basis. Hence, we have to provide a very sound traditional breeding and long term R & D support for development, testing and deployment of new superior clones regularly for large scale commercial clonal plantations.

Our country must exploit wonderful potential of clonal technology for promoting large scale reforestation projects and agroforestry plantations based on fast growing and high yielding clonal planting stock of various species amenable to vegetative propagation. Of course we should also simultaneously adopt required safeguards as discussed.(Lal, 2007)

Historical Perspective - Poplars

A few species of poplars including Populus ciliata, P. euphratica, P. gamblei and P. alba etc.are indigenous to India with sporadic distribution in the Himalayan region. Road side avenue plantations of exotic P. nigra in Kashmir valley are well known even to the tourists. Even though many tree species including poplars, willows and Ficusetc. can be easily propagated through stem cuttings, yet commercial clonal plantations of any species for timber production were unheard of in India till suitable clones of exotic poplar Populus deltoides, indigenous to Mississippi Valley in the United States, were introduced, tested and later deployed on large scalefrom 1984 onwards.

Safety matches manufacturing unit of Wimco Limited at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, where the author of this paper worked from 1972 onwards was facing acute shortage of veneer quality logs for manufacture of safety matches as the allotment of Semal (Salmaliamalabaricum) and Gutel (Trewia nudiflora) trees from state forest department’s resources shrank continuously. Wimco Limited developed technology for making safety matches from Chirpine (Pinus roxburghii) and yet had to depend upon imports of Semal and Gutel logs from Nepal for many years. Import of logs could not be a long term solution. Hence desperate search for alternatives started. As Aspen (Populustremula) is extensively used for manufacture of match sticks by Swedish Match, major stake holder in Wimco Limited, the search for species and clones of poplars suitable for northern India was intensified.

Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department carried out extensive introductory field trials of various species and cultivars of poplars from 1951 onwards. However most of the species included in the initial trials were not from matching climatic regions and hence did not perform well with the exception of one clone of P.cassale and P. deltoides clone IC included in subsequent trials in Terai areas of Nainital district performed far better. Details of poplar trials were presented in the Silvicultural Conference held at Dehradun in1967. (Lohani, 1967)

Many distinguished professional foresters including Shri S.K.Seth, Shri K.M.Tiwari Shri D.N.Lohani were pioneers who contributed immensely through initial field trials of poplars. Later Shri A.N. Chaturvedi, Shri B.N. Dwivedi and Shri B.S.Rawat continued the good work and made major contributions for development and testing of new clones of poplars. Shri N.P.Tripathi, who was Special Secretary-Forests, Government of U.P. at that time, issued administrative orders facilitating UP Forest Department to take up poplar plantations under Taungya system in Terai areas of Nainital District of U.P.

Based on good promise of clone IC of P. deltoides in the trials, Wimco Limited introduced clones of P. deltoides out of selections made at Grafton in Australia. Clones G-3 and G-48 out of these exotic clones out-performed all other clones with excellent growth rates and fine quality of bole suitable for manufacture of veneers for plywood and safety matches. These two clones laid the foundations of the well known success story of commercial scale poplar plantations by farmers under agroforestry system with assured irrigation. Wimco Limited started promoting poplar plantations under agroforestry system on individual farmer’s fields on a trial basis during the 1970s.

The year 1984 heralded quite a few remarkable developments leading to development of commercial scale clonal plantations in India. These positive developments revolutionised productivity and profitability of plantations with major improvements in quality of timber based on large scale deployment of genetically improved, uniform and true to type clonal planting stock. Wimco Limited set up another company Wimco Seedlings Limited jointly with two Swedish companies in 1984 and set up a R&D centre at Rudrapur. Production of high quality planting stock of poplars for farmers in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab and long term R&D for development, testing and deployment of suitable clones of poplars were the major responsibilities of Wimco Seedlings Limited.

Wimco Limited also launched a major agroforestry project in association with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in 1984 for large scale growing of poplars by private farmers. A separate Agroforestry Division was set up by Wimco Limited for implementing this project leading to a unique success story of commercial poplar plantations under agroforestry system in India. This project covered three states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Wimco arranged following key inputs required by the farmers for ensuring commercial success of poplar based agroforestry plantations:

  • Supply of high quality planting stock of genetically superior field tested clones of poplars.
  • Technical guidance and extension services to farmers for raising and maintenance of poplar plantations based on improved package of practices.
  • Buy back guarantees to the farmers to purchase farm grown poplars on maturity with assured support price.
  • Long term bank finance for poplar plantations through nationalized banks under this umbrella project with refinance assistance of NABARD.
  • R&D support for this project including development, testing and deployment of new superior clones of poplars and suitable shade tolerant crops compatible with poplars.

Improved package of scientific practices for silvicultural management of poplar nurseries and field plantations were developed and perfected. As seeing is believing for the farmers, a number of demonstration plots were established. These improved practices were adopted by the farmers under the efficient technical guidance of Wimco's field staff. Many nationalized banks were persuaded to join the consortium to provide long term finance to farmers for their poplar plantations. Professional foresters then working with Wimco, who made most significant contributions to formulation and implementation of this unique poplar plantations project, were Shri B.K.Bhalla, Shri J.C. Tandon and the author of this paper along with his colleagues Dr. J.P.Chandra and Shri Attar Singh. God gave me the wonderful opportunity to be associated with this project first as General Manager, Wimco Seedlings Limited and later as Group General Manager heading the Agroforestry Division of Wimco Limited till mid 1989. First detailed review of commercial poplar plantations in India was published in 1989. (Jones & Lal, 1989). Improved package of practices for scientific management of poplar nurseries and plantations, based on firsthand experience of author of this paper with Wimco Limited, were also published during for benefit of all stake holders. (Lal, 1991)

State Governments of the aforesaid states were persuaded to exempt poplars grown by farmers from the cumbersome restrictive regime of getting felling and timber transit permits to facilitate harvesting and marketing of poplars. These positive steps combined with high yields and excellent net returns from plantations convinced many more new farmers to take up poplar plantations along with intercrops. Even though initially poplar plantations were promoted by Wimco for meeting their requirements of logs for manufacture of safety matches, plywood industry saw a good opportunity to set up veneering and plywood units based on this resource. When supplies of ply logs from natural forests for plywood factories in north eastern states and south India started dwindling, many plywood factories were set up in the poplar growing belt one after the other. Thus growing demand for poplar logs nurtured a very healthy and strong symbiotic relationship between farmers and wood based industries benefitting both immensely. Planting of poplars under agroforestry system on suitable areas with assured irrigation facilities in these three states continuously went up. Likewise the demand for poplar logs by safety matches, plywood, sports goods and pencil making industries kept increasing as more new units were set up.By the year 2000 nearly 15 million poplar plants covering roughly 30,000 ha area were being planted annually and similar area was being harvested maintaining a healthy balance between demand and supply of poplar logs. (Anon, 2011)

However, most unfortunately prices of poplar logs started crashing from 2001 onwards till 2004-05 from average Rs. 4500/ per tonne to less than Rs. 1000/ per tonne for a variety of reasons including orders issued by the Hon'ble Supreme Court related to mandatory licensing of wood based industries and closing of the units that were set up contrary to those orders. Farmers resorted to distress sales, premature felling of their poplar plantations and reverted their lands to cultivation of traditional crops. This was a great tragedy and serious setback to agroforestry as planting of fresh poplars almost came to a grinding halt till these issues were resolved and prices started moving upwards from 2005 onwards and farmers started replanting poplars. (Lal, 2006)

According to Forest Survey of India estimates published in 2011,there are 3457 plywood and veneer making units in India using 19.9 million cum logs producing 15.6 million cum of finished products. There are more than 1900 members of the Northern India Plywood Manufacturers Association and even larger number of veneer and plywood manufacturing units based on farm grown poplars and eucalyptus in the forest deficit states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and southern plains of Uttarakhand. Yamuna Nagar in Haryana has emerged as the largest market for farm grown timber in India and this town and its surrounding areas have maximum concentrationof veneer and plywood manufacturing units.

The value of timber traded in Yamuna Nagar market during 2002-03, was estimated at Rs. 1000 crores even though the log prices were sliding downwards. 73% of the plywood mills and 98% of the veneermaking units of Haryana are located in Yamuna Nagar district. All of these units are based on farm grown poplars and Eucalypts in a forest deficit region. According to the Association of Wood Based Industries of Yamunanagar, these units contribute 50% of the plywood production of the country and wood based products worth Rs.2500 crores are manufactured every year in these factories. Because of expansion of clonal Eucalyptus and poplar plantations under agroforestry system, the wood production in forest deficit states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh has increased to 22 lakhs cum, 35 lakhs cum and 42 lakhs cum per year respectively as per estimates of the Central Empowered Committee set up by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. (Sapra, 2013)