ICFRE approves release of 18 high-yielding varieties of important forestry tree species
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, and its nine constituent institutes are actively engaged in tree improvement programmes aimed at enhancing the yield, quality, resistance, adaptability and productivity of important forestry tree species to meet the growing demand for quality planting material for domestic consumption and industrial requirements. As part of its efforts towards the development and deployment of genetically improved planting material, five ICFRE institutes- namely, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore; ICFRE-Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur; ICFRE-Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB), Hyderabad; ICFRE-Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP), Ranchi and ICFRE-Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bengaluru have developed and evaluated high-yielding clones and varieties of Casuarina,Tectona grandis, Neolamarckia cadamba, Melia dubia and Flemingia semialata.
The Variety Releasing Committee (VRC), in its meeting chaired by director general of Forests and special secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Sushil Kumar Awasthi and co-chaired by ICFRE director general Kanchan Devi accorded approval for the release of 18 improved varieties/clones of these important forestry species.
Officials said that for the first time based upon wood quality assessment, the Regional Variety Testing Committee of the ICFRE-Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bengaluru has recommended the regional release of three improved clones of Tectonagrandis, developed in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Forest department.
The development and release of these improved varieties and clones represent a significant contribution towards strengthening the availability of quality planting material for plantation forestry, agroforestry and industrial wood production. The improved genetic material is expected to contribute to enhanced productivity, better growth performance and improved economic returns, while supporting sustainable forestry and meeting the increasing demand for forest-based raw materials.
