DefinePK

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intro: Importance of forest nurseries in any afforestation and agroforestry programme cannot be over-emphasized because planting stock is the basic and most important ingredient of tree plantation. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) is the most important multipurpose tree species in Punjab which is extensively cultivated on public as well as private lands. It is propagated with root shoot cuttings. Prevailing technique of raising of shisham nursery consists of broadcasting sowing of shisham pods on raised beds and keeping the beds moist with water through trenches till the seed germinates. Although the seed germinates very profusely and the density of seedlings in good nurseries varies from 100 to 160 per sq. metre of nursery area, yet the average number of standard size planting stock seldom exceeds 100,000 per ha. Because of congestion, seedlings suffer from adverse competition and most of them remain whipy and weak and do not attain proper size in one growing season. This practice is going on since long in most of the nurseries of Forest Department and has hardly changed over the period of time. Thus there is a great need to improve the nursery raising technique in order to obtain maximum number of healthy and standard size planting stock per unit of area. Some improved techniques have been tested in the nursery of Faisalabad Forest Division for this purpose and this paper describes the results.