Sandal plantation Technology

Sandalwood offers great scope for agroforestry. 

The potential of the tree for integrating in existing farming or silvi-horticultural systems with horticultural plants as secondary host is huge given the adaptability of this species to low rainfall areas and less endowed soils. 

This is a species that is suited especially in semiarid rainfed zones which comprises majority of the farmlands in India. 

IWST has standardized a technology package for sandal cultivation in such areas with appropriate secondary host plants through on-farm trials. 

In sandal agroforestry, a spacing of 6x3 m with amla at the same spacing in between sandal in quincuncial design of planting appear to be promising. 

This spacing also ensures cultivation of agricultural crops like horse gram or field bean or low spreading legume fodder during the initial years. 

The cost of raising sandal based agroforestry plantations may be marginally higher than raising sandal block plantations due to additional intercultural operations. 

However this may be more than offset by periodic additional returns from horticultural crops. 

Sandal plants can be expected to establish and perform well with intercropping since periodic intercultural operations improve soil physio-chemical properties.

Technology transfer IWST has vast experience in raising quality planting material of various commercially important species. As a policy IWST encourages entrepreneurs/ farmers/ plantation companies/ SFDs to join hand with IWST to commercially exploit the technique developed at this institute for raising QPM of sandal and establish commercially viable sandal cultivation practices as a complete package to commercial advantage.