2008-'09 - Kerala Forest Research Institute

Annual Report 2008-09
prices since 1995 probably due to increased availability of substitute materials in
the market. However, of late, the prices of teak wood have been increasing. The
short-term price forecasts of teak wood were made using artificial neural network
and auto-regressive integrated moving average models. The forecasts indicated that
the quality teak wood would fetch high returns. Therefore, efforts should be made
to produce quality teak wood.
Development of protocols for processing and testing of forest seeds. KFRI Research
Report No. 321(Chacko, K.C., 2009)
Various aspects of seed handling such as processing, storage physiology, pre-sowing
treatments, viability and purity testing were studied for twelve indigenous forest tree
species of Kerala State. They are Albizia lebbeck, Aegle marmelos, Artocarpus hirsutus, Cassia
fistula, Dysoxylum malabaricum, Gluta travancorica, Gmelina arborea, Neolamarckia cadamba,
Oroxylum indicum, Syzygium cumini, Tectona grandis and Terminalia bellirica.
Teak seed grading
Seeds of N. cadamba processed by froth method
For seed extraction from Albizia lebbeck and similar dehiscent fruits, a solar seed
drier that can be used even on rainy days was designed and fabricated. Storage of
A. lebbeck seeds for short periods up to 3.5 months was not affected by storage
temperature, although the species is reported to store well for long periods under
low temperature and humidity. For purity test 50 g sample was optimum.
For Tectona grandis, a seed grader for separating seeds above 9 mm size is designed,
fabricated and used in Kerala Forest Seed Centre. This seed grader, which saves 50%
labour, costs about Rs. 100001. Studies on seed viability and germination revealed that a
strong correlation exists between cutting and germination tests. An equation is
recommended for predicting germination from results of cutting test.
For efficient splitting of Cassia fistula pods and easy extraction of seeds, the pods may
be hit along suture line with wooden mallet. As regards to seed storage, cold storage has
no added advantage for short term. For purity test 100 g is the optimal sample size.
Kerala Forest Research Institute
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