A Beginners Guide to Sandalwood Cultivation in India

Table of Content

• What is Sandalwood?
• What is the current status of Sandalwood production in India?
• Medicinal Uses of Sandalwood
• What is the step-by-step process of Sandalwood Cultivation in India?
  • Soil and Climate Requirements
  • Seed Collection and Treatment
  • Seed Germination and Raising Nursery
  • Plantation
  • Irrigation and Fertilization
  • Growth and Yield
  • Sandalwood Trees Protection
• What are the estimated economic returns from Sandalwood Cultivation in India?
• National Trade of Sandalwood

What is Sandalwood?

Sandalwood, popularly known as Chandan, is a highly valuable tree with its fragrant heartwood. It is also used for oil extraction, and sandalwood oil is used in cosmetics, perfumes, aromatherapy and pharmaceuticals. It is one of the best woods and ideal for carving due to its uniform fibres with close, straight grains.

Sandalwood is a small-medium-sized tree naturally grown in dry, delicious, and scrub forests in the Deccan area, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. A neutralized population of Sandalwood is also found in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

What is the current status of Sandalwood production in India?

Historically, India used to be the number one country in the world in terms of Sandalwood oil production. However, in the current scenario, the sandalwood resources are reduced in natural forests in the part of Southern India because of smuggling, forest fire, illicit felling, grazing and many other factors.

However, the recent deregulation and encouragement of cultivation by some state governments have increased farmers' and private tree growers' interest in the cultivation of sandalwood. In recent years, sandalwood cultivation has been adapted energetically in Rajasthan and Gujarat. These two states are now emerging as the primary sandalwood cultivating states in India.

Medicinal Uses of Sandalwood

• It is used as an anti-inflammatory and helps in reducing pain and swelling.
• It is used as an anti-septic that helps prevent infections.
• It is quite useful in curing fever when used as an antiphlogistic.
• It is a great anti-spasmodic and relieves spam.
• It is a diuretic and helps in improving urine discharge.
• It is a carminative and can help remove gas from the stomach and intestine.
• It helps reduce blood pressure because of its hypotensive nature.
• It is a great skin agent that softens and soothes the skin due to its emollient properties.
• It acts as a sedative, and its calming effect minimizes stress, anxiety, and irritability.
• It also acts as a memory booster and helps improve memory.

What is the step-by-step process of Sandalwood Cultivation in India?

The sandalwood cultivation is done in different states, and each of them is discussed below:

Soil and Climate Requirements

Sandalwood can be grown in a wide variety of soil, from sandy clay to gravelly loam soils and soil with poor nutrients. Apart from that, red laterite, gneiss, quartz sandy loam, and sand-mixed black soils are also preferred for Sandalwood cultivation. It can withstand a soil pH of 9.0. Sandalwood needs good drainage, and water logging is not suitable for its growth.

Sandalwood can be grown at 1800 m height from sea level and requires a rainfall of around 500 to 3000 mm. The ideal temperature range for Sandalwood cultivation is 4°C to 46°C. The total content, oil content, and heartwood formation are best in hot, drier regions.

Seed Collection and Treatment

Sandalwood trees start flowering after three years of age and flower twice a year from March to April and September to October. It has freshly ripened purple-coloured fruit, which is collected from mature trees and soaked in water for a day. After that, the seeds are de-pulped through rubbing and washed completely before being kept to get dry under the shade. The seeds can also be treated with fungicides to evade infection and stored under 5% moisture at 10° to 15°C in polythene bags or plastic jars.

Seed Germination and Raising Nursery

Sandalwood seed germination can be done using sunken or raised seed beds of sizes 10.0 m X 1.0 m. Sand seed beds are considered best for seed germination. You can also mix sand -and red earth in a ratio of 3:1. Moreover, it is advisable to apply 500 gm of Dithane Z-78 (0.25%) or 0.02% Ekalux per seedbed.

Plantation

The plantation process starts with digging pits of 30 X 30 X 30 cm and keeping them open for a week. Add 10-to-15-gram Phorate and Carbendazim to the pits. Since sandalwood is a hemi root-parasite plant, it needs an intermediate host and a long-term secondary host. The intermediate hosts which can be used with sandalwood are red gram (arhar), sesbania, drumstick, and many others. It is planted as a pure block plantation or grown in an agroforestry system with different horticulture crops such as mango, citrus, guava, etc. It is also grown with forestry species, such as casuarina, pongamia, etc., as permanent hosts. You may also use different spacing according to pure block plantation or type of crops being grown with, which includes 3m X 3m, 4m X 3m, 4m X 4m, 4m X 5m, and 4m X 6m.

Irrigation and Fertilization

Sandalwood is a rainfed crop and requires irrigation during the summer season till the plant is fully grown. Irrigation is done according to the climate and type of soil. Fertilization is also required after planting the sandalwood plant. You need to apply 15 to 20 kg of organic fertilizers regularly, such as farmyard manure, vermicompost, neem cake, etc. Inorganic fertilizers, especially NPK, can also be given to the seedlings after formation at the rate of 150 to 200 grams per plant.

Growth and Yield

You need to wait for 15 to 20 years after the plantation to harvest heartwood from sandalwood trees economically. Normally, the formation of heartwood starts after 7 to 8 years. The development of heartwood, its total content and oil content depends on climate and soil conditions. In hot, dry conditions, the formation of heartwood starts early.

Sandalwood Trees Protection

Sandalwood trees require protection after 4 to 5 years from plantation, and the protection needs increase substantially when the trees reach 10 to 12 years of age. You can employ protection in different forms, such as barbed wire fencing, solar electric fence, employing armed security guards, using hunting dogs for patrol, and many others.

What are the estimated economic returns from Sandalwood Cultivation in India?

The total yield of heartwood and sandal oil may vary depending on the location. The natural forest growth data states that 4 to 10 kg of heartwood per tree is obtained from 20 to 30-year-old sandalwood trees. In 2008, the IWST Bangalore had earned INR 1.43 crores per hectare of total returns, considering 3 to 4 kg heartwood per tree at a procuring rate of INR 3500 per kg heartwood. Another report from 2017 estimated INR 2.98 crore per hectare returns, assuming the price to be INR 6000 per kg heartwood and 15 kg heartwood per tree. It also includes security costs, which are around 30% of the total returns.

As per recent studies, sandalwood cultivation under scientifically managed plantations can provide 15 kg of heartwood per tree with a GBH of 45 cm at the age of 15 years. According to the forest department of Karnataka, the estimated return is around INR 15 to 20 crores per hectare in 15 to 20 years rotation.

National Trade of Sandalwood

At present, the price of Indian sandalwood of I-class heartwood is around INR 7,500 per kg, and the price of sandalwood oil is around 1,50,000 per kg according to the government rate. In the domestic market, the sandalwood price is around INR 16,500 per kg. Its price in the international market is around 15 to 20 percent more than the domestic rate.