COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION OF OIL BEARING TREE SEEDS RESEARCH PRIORITIES

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COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION OF OIL BEARING TREE SEEDS
-RESEARCH PRIORITIES
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• INTRODUCTION
• HYDROGEN MAY BE THE FUEL FOR FUTURE IF SAFE AND
  COST EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR USE OF HYDROGEN
  CAN BE DEVELOPED
• LIKEWISE OIL BEARING TREE SEEDS CAN BECOME FUTURE
  SOURCE OF RENEWABLE OIL SUPPLIES.
• HOWEVER, WE NEED TO DEVELOP SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND,
  ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE AND COMMERCAILLY ATTRACTIVE
  CULTIVATION MODELS SUPPORTED WITH SILVICULTURAL
  RESEARCH AND EXTENSION
• THIS PAPER DEALS WITH SOME OF THE RESEARCH
  PRIORITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION
  OF OIL BEARING TREE SEEDS LIKE JATROPHA AND
  KARANJ.

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FARMERS PERSPECTIVE WE NEED TO DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN ECONOMICS OF COLLECTION/ GATHERING OF OIL
BEARING SEEDS FROM FORESTS, STATE OWNED
PLANTATIONS AND COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION BY LAND
OWNERS/ FARMERS FARMERS EVALUATE FOLLOWING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHILE TAKING DECISIONS
FOR VARIOUS LAND USE OPTIONS HIGHER ECONOMIC
RETURNS FROM ALTERNATIVE LAND USE OPTIONS
COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL CROPS LONG TERM MARKET
DEMAND AT REMUNERATIVE PRICES AVAILABILITY OF
GENETICALLY IMPROVED PLANTING STOCK AND EXTENSION
SERVICES REGARDING IMPROVED PACKAGE OF PRACTICES
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• GESTATION PERIOD AND RISK FACTORS RELATED TO CROP
  FAILURES OR MARKET PRICES
• BECAUSE OF LONG GESTATION PERIODS AND RELATED
  MARKET UNCERTAINTIES, ECONOMIC RETURNS FROM OIL
  BEARING TREE SEEDS MUST BE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER
• FAMERS WILL OPT FOR SPECIFIC TREE CROPS/ OIL SEED
  CLTIVATION ONLY IF ECONOMIC RETURNS ARE REALLY
  VERY ATTRACTIVE
•   SUCH TECHNIQUES HAVE WORKED WONDERS FOR THE
  MOST SUCCESSFUL MODELS OF POPLARS AND CLONAL
  EUCALYPTUS PLANTATIONS IN INDIA
• THEREFORE, RESEARCHERS/ PROMOTTERS AND POLICY
  MAKERS MUST MAKE SURE THAT ECONOMICALLY
  ATTRACTIVE AND SAFE MODELS ARE DEVELOPED AND
  TESTED BEFORE OFFERING NEW CROPS/ TECHNOLOGIES
  FOR FARMERS TO ADOPT

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• RESEARCH PRIORITIES
• RESEARCH FOCUS SHOULD ACCORD HIGH PRIORITIES FOR
  GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF PLANTING STOCK AND
  IMPROVED SILVICULTURAL PACKAGE OF PRACTICES
• FOR GENETIC IMPROVEMENT OF PLANTING STOCK,
  SIMULTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT OF GENETICALLY IMPROVED
  SEED AND CLONAL PLANTING STOCK, FOR SPECIES
  AMENABLE TO COST EFFECTIVE VEGETATIVE
  PROPAGATION, ARE IMPORTANT.
• STRATEGIES SHOULD INCLUDE

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• ROVENANCE TESTING AND USE OF SEED OF MOST
  PROMISING PROVENANCES
• SELECTION CRITERIA SHOULD INCLUDE ADAPTABILITY TO
  PLANTING SITES, FRUIT/ SEED YIELD AND
  PRODUCTIVITY, OIL CONTENT AND QUALITY OF OIL ETC.
• COLLECTION OF SEED FROM SELECTED CANDIDATE PLUS
  TREES
• CREATION OF SEED PRODUCTION AREAS
• PLANTING OF SEEDLING SEED ORCHARDS
• PLANTING OF CLONAL SEED ORCHARDS
• LONG TERM BREEDING SUPPORT
• DEVELOPMENT OF CONTROL POLLINATED HYBRIDS

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• STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF
  GENETICALLY IMPROVED CLONES SHOULD INCLUDE
• SELECTION AND CLONING OF CANDIDATE PLUS TREES
• FIELD TESTING OF CLONES UNDER EQUAL CONDITIONS ON
  DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES OF THE FUTURE PROJECT AREAS
• IDENTIFICATION OF MOST DESIRABLE, HIGH YIELDING
  CLONES WITH BETTER PRODUCT QUALITIES SUITABLE FOR
  DIFFERENT AGRO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND SOIL TYPES
  
• SELECTION CRITERIA MUST ALSO INCLUDE COMPARATIVE
  RESISTANCE TO DISEASES AND PESTS
• DEMONSTARTION OF SUPERIOR PRODUCIVITY AND BETTER
  ECONOMIC RETURNS FROM CLONAL PLANTING STOCK
• PUBLICITY AND EXTENSION WORK FOR LARGE SCALE
  PROMOTION OF CULTIVATION OF NEW CLONES/ VARIETIES
  
• DEVELOPMENT OF SHADE TOLERANT CULTIVARS /
  VARIETIES IF THE SHRUBS HAVE TO BE UNDERPLANTED
  WITH TREE CROPS

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• FOCUS FOR IMPROVEMNET OF SILVICULTURAL PACKAGE OF
  PRACTICES SHOULD BE ON
•         SITE SELECTION, SITE PREPARATION,
•         PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE TECHNIQUES
• MAINTENANCE OF SOIL FERTILITY AND FERTILIZER
  APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
• INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF PESTS AND DISEASES AND
  CROP PROTECTION
• SOIL AND MOISTURE CONSERVATION MEASURES
• INCREASE OF FLOWER AND FRUIT PRODUCTION
• SCIENTIFIC HARVESTING, COLLECTION AND POST
  HARVEST CARE BEFORE MARKETING ETC.
• SUCH TECHNIQUES HAVE WORKED WONDERS FOR THE MOST
  SUCCESSFUL MODELS OF POPLARS AND CLONAL
  EUCALYPTUS PLANTATIONS IN INDIA
• THAT IS WHY FARMERS ARE PLANTING MILLIONS OF
  POPLARS AND EUCALYPTUS CLONES EVERY YEAR IN INDIA
  ON THEIR FARM LANDS

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• CONCLUSIONS
• SUCH FARM FORESTRY PLANTATIONS HAVE
• PROMOTED LOCAL VALUE ADDITION AND WOOD BASED
  INDUSTRIES
• CRETAED AMPLE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
• IMPROVED FARMERS INCOMES AND CREATED WEALTH FOR
  THE COUNTRY
• SAVED PRECIOUS FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND PROVIDED
  ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS TO SOCIETY
• HELPED INDIRECT CONSERVATION OF BIO-DIVERSITY
  RICH NATURAL FORESTS AND GREENING OF THE COUNTRY
• SIMILAR POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES MAY EXPAND IN
  CASE OF OIL BEARING TREE SEED CULTIVATION ON
  COMMERCAIL SCALE PROVIDED.

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• HOWEVER WE MUST ADOPT A SCIETIFIC AND
  PROFESSIONAL APPROACH AND PERFECT THE MODLES
  THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BEFORE
  CONVINCING FARMERS FOR TAKING UP LARGE SCALE
  CULTIVATION
• HALF HEARTED ATTEMPTS BASED ON INADEQUATE
  RESEARCH SUPPORT ARE NOT LIKELY TO SUCCEED
• MOREOVER, WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO PLAY WITH THE
  FORTUNES AND LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT SYSTEMS OF OUR
  POOR FARMERS BY LURING THEM TO TAKE UP UNTESTED
  AND PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES IN THE HOPE OF ILLUSIVE
  BUMPER PROFITS