Acacia catechu
is a deciduous tree with a light
feathery crown and dark brown, glabrous,
slender,
thorny, shining branchlets, usually crooked. Bark dark
brown or
dark grey, brown or red inside, nearly 12-15
mm in thickness, rough,
exfoliating in long narrow
rectangular flakes which often remain hanging.
Blaze
very hard, colour brown and then deep pink.
Branchlets armed with pseudo-stipular spines in pairs
below
the petioles. Pod 10-15 cm by 2-3 cm, thin,
straight, flat, glabrous
dark-brown and shining when
mature. Seeds 3-8, about 5 mm in diameter.
(b)
Natural Habitat and Classification
Acacia catechu
is widely distributed throughout the greater part of India except the most
humid, cold and the driest regions. It is common in the sub-Himalayan tract
and outer Himalayas ascending from 900 to 1,200 m from Jammu to Assam. The record
distribution of khair shows that the various forms of it, rather than
overlapping, appear representative of none or another tolerably well defined
areas.
Var. catechu – Found chiefly in Punjab, Garhwal and Kumaon, Bihar
and Orissa. In the sub-Himalayan
tract and the outer
Himalayas, it ascends upto 900-1200 m elevation.
Var. catechuoides – Found chiefly in
Sikkim
terai, West Bengal and Assam. This is the Burmese form.
Var. sundra – Found chiefly in the IndianPeninsula.
This is southern and western form occurring in the Deccan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Thus the var. catechu has
never been found in Eastern Himalayas nor in Assam.
The var. catechuoides is apparently absent from the Western peninsula. The
var. sundra which is now given specific rank Acacia chundra, is
confined to Deccan, Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Southern Maharashtra only.
Classification
Acacia catechu occurs in tropical moist deciduous forests, dry tropical forests and
tropical thorn forests in the following sub-types as given by Champion and
Seth (1968).
In
low alluvial savannah wood land (3/1S1) associated with Bombax ceiba,
Butea monosperma,
Dalbergia sissoo etc.
In
Southern tropical dry deciduous forests (5 A), Khair occurs in very dry teak
forests (5 A/C1a) and dry
teak forest (5A/C1b), associated with associates
of teak. It also occurs in southern dry mixed deciduous
forests (5A/C3).
Common associates are Terminalia alata, Boswellia serrata, Azadirachta
indica etc.
In
northern tropical dry deciduous forest (5B), khair occurs in dry sal bearing
forests (5B/C1), dry Siwalik
sal forest (5B/C1a), dry peninsular sal forests
(5B/C1c) and northern dry mixed deciduous forests
(5B/C2). Common associates
are Shorea robusta, Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellirica, Boswellia
serrata
etc.
Khair occurs in dry
deciduous scrub (5/DS1), associated with Nyctanthes arbortristis,
Dodonaea
viscosa, Woodfordia fruticosa, Carissa opaca, Flacourtia indica,
Lannea coromandelica etc.
It occurs in edaphic
climax types of dry deciduous forests as in Anogeissus forest (5/E1) m and
Aegle
forest (5/E6).
It is also found in the
seral type of dry deciduous forests as in Khair-Sisam forests (5/1S2).
In southern tropical
thorn forests (6A/C1), Acacia catechu occurs associated with Acacia
leucophloea, Anogeissus latifolia, Azadirachta indica, etc.
Climate
In the
natural habitat of khair, the absolute maximum shade temperature varies from
40oC to 50oC and the absolute minimum from 2.5oC
to 7.5oC. The mean daily maximum temperature in May which is
generally the hottest month in the hot weather varies from 37.5oC
to 43.5oC. The mean daily minimum temperature in January which is
the coldest month of the year varies from 1.0oC to 2.1oC.
Acacia catechu is essentially a tree of comparatively dry regions though in its
alluvial form, it extends into regions of heavy rainfall as in the Eastern
sub-Himalayan tract, where it is found in places with rainfall as high as
3,800 mm. Away from riverain tracts it occurs in localities where the normal
rainfall varies from 500 to 2160 mm. Khair develops to its maximum size in
localities with heavy rainfall but it is decidedly xerophilous and grows in
dry situations where few other species survive.
Topography
It is found on flat or gently undulating ground and ravine country as well
as in hilly region but seldom extends in areas above 1200 m in elevation
above the sea level.
Geology and Soil
Khair occurs on a variety
of geological formations and soil, though it undoubtedly thrives best on
porous alluvium, composed of sand and shingle and on well drained sandstone.
It is known to occur on granite, gneiss, schist, quartzite, shale, basalt,
limestone, conglomerate and laterite.
(c)
Growth Characteristics
A small or medium sized
deciduous tree 12-15 m in height. More commonly found as a small tree 60-90
cm in girth and a bole of 2 to 3 metres. When growing in more favourable
localities, it has a moderately straight and cylindrical stem up to 240 cm
in girth and 30 m in height.
(d) As a
Plantation Tree
On account of its
hardness and value of wood, khair is an ideal species for the conversion of
miscellaneous forests, containing inferior species and is being used to a
considerable extent for afforestation in Uttar Pradesh. It plays an
important part in the afforestation schemes of ravine lands of the drier
parts of U.P. Experiments carried out to investigate the possibility of
afforesting usar land with well defined kankar pan in U.P. indicate that the
species is moderately suitable in mild usar, if planting is done in deep
pits filled with better soil.
Sapwood sharply distinct
from heartwood, light yellowish-white or yellow. Heartwood deep red or
reddish brown, darkening on exposure; somewhat lustrous. The wood is hard to
very hard, heavy to very heavy, average weight 1010 kg/m3 at 12%
moisture content; somewhat coarse and even-textured and straight to
interlocked grained. The wood has no characteristic smell or taste.
Mechanical Properties
The timber is very
strong, very hard, very steady and moderately tough. The figures for its
suitability as a timber for various purposes, expressed as percentages of
the same properties of teak, for specimens from western U.P., are – weight,
147; strength as a beam, 128; stiffness as beam, 119; suitability as a post
or strut, 127; shock resisting ability, 111; retention of shape, 116; shear,
155; surface hardness, 178; refractoriness (splitting co-efficient), 100;
nail or screw holding property, 148.
Seasoning Properties
The timber is highly
refractory and liable to end-splitting and surface cracking during
seasoning. It seasons very slowly. It should therefore, be converted soon
after the rains and stacked properly under shade, well protected from rapid
drying. Seasoning of thick boards or planks should be avoided wherever the
timber is intended to be further converted into thinner sections.
The best results in kiln
drying with this timber will be obtained by using schedule No.II for 2.5 cm
thick planks and suitably increased humidities at the various moisture
content steps in the schedule in case of thicker sections. Wherever
practicable, slow partial air-seasoning to about 25% moisture content before
finally taking up kiln seasoning should be attempted. The pith should be
removed from the pieces before seasoning.
The sapwood is not durable. The heartwood is very durable
and is described by Pearson as “one of the most durable Indian woods, which
is seldom, if ever, attacked by white ants and fungi”. There are several
records of its having lasted for centuries in temples and it has also done
well in harbour works. Natural durability ‘graveyard’ tests carried out at
the F.R.I., Dehra
Dun, have shown an average life of over 20 years.
Working Qualities
The timber is hard to saw and machine, especially if the
wood is old and dry after seasoning. A heavy gauge plate saw with closely
spaced teeth and shallow gullets gives the best results and stiff tools
should be used in machining and turning. The timber can be turned well. The
wood can, however, be finished to an extremely smooth surface and takes
polish well.
(b)Use
as Timber, Poles, Pulp and Paper etc.
Though Khair is chiefly used as a source of katha and kutch,
it is also a useful timber. It is much prized for posts in house
construction and also for making rice pestles, oil and sugar-cane crushers,
ploughs, tent-pegs, sword handles and keels and knees of boats. There is,
however, a local superstition against it in parts of Uttar Pradesh on
account of which it is not used in house construction.
Khair is a valuable economic structural timber, the
heartwood being naturally durable. This species has been classified as
“Super Group” timber suitable for large spans more than 12 m and is placed
as the first choice of selection for permanent structures (I.S.I., 1962). It
is eminently suitable for tools and tool handles, particularly for mallets
and plane bodies. It is excellent for making spokes and hubs of wheels.
Sapwood of khair is a waste product in katha industry as it
does not find at present any use except as a fuel. Since the katha
manufacturers use the spent heartwood chips as a fuel in their boilers and
bhattis, considerable quantity of the sapwood is literally wasted.
It can be seen from the results of chemical composition of
the wood obtained at the F.R.I. Dehra Dun, that the sapwood of khair trees,
if collected economically, can be profitably utilized for producing bleached
cellulose which will find use in multifarious cellulose based industries
like CMC, cellulose acetate, ethers, and even for paper and paper boards if
made available in large quantities.
(c)
Use as Fodder
It is considered to be a good fodder tree and is
extensively lopped to feed goats and at time cattle also. The plants are
also browsed by cattle, rhinoceros, deer and elephant. The leaves contain
13.03-18.72% crude protein, 46.69-50.96%N free extract and 0.14-0.17%
phosphorus. Total digestible nutrients are 46.33 kg. of dry material. The
nutritive ratio is 15.0. The digestibility values are moderately high which
shows that the leaves are feed for cattle on the basis of crude protein,
crude fibre and tannin contents. The leaf fodder Acacia catechu is rated as
good.
(d)
Use as Fuel
It is also used as fuel and furnishes charcoal of good
quality, the calorific value of moisture free sapwood being 5142 calories
(9256 B.T.U.) and that of heartwood 4946 calories (8915 B.T.U.).
(e)
Medicinal Uses
The different parts of the tree have a variety of medicinal
uses, which in haemoptysis (spitting of blood). A paste of the bark is
useful in conjunctivitis. The bark is reported to be useful in the treatment
of snake bites.
Flowers:
A mixture of flower tops, cumic, milk and sugar is useful in gonorrhea.
Wood:
Cutch and katha obtained from the heartwood have great medicinal value. It
is cooling, digestive
and a very valuable astringent, specially in chronic diarrhea
and dysentery, bleeding piles, uterine
haemorrhages, leucorrhoea, gleet, atonic dyspepsia, chronic
bronchitis, etc. It is also useful in cases of
mercurial salivation, bleeding or ulcerated or spongy gums,
hypertrophy of the tonsils, relaxation of the
uvula, aphthous ulceration of the month, etc.
A mixture of catechu and myrrh (Kathol) is usually
prescribed as a tonic and as a galactagogue to women after confinement.
Kheersal is used as a remedy for chest diseases, especially
for the treatment of asthama, cough and sore throat.
(f)
Katha (Catechu)
The most important product obtained from Acacia catechu
var. catechu proper is katha or catechu. This is obtained by boiling chips
of heartwood with water. In India two varieties are
marketed katha or pale catechu and cutch or dark catechu. As sold in the
bazaar, katha is found in irregular pieces or small square blocks of grayish
colour, which on breaking show a crystalline fracture.
There is a very large internal demand for it for
masticatory use in pan preparations and in medicine. Katha is regarded as
astringent, cooling and digestive and is useful in sore throat, cough and
diarrhea. Externally it is employed as an astringent and as cooling
application to ulcers, boils and eruptions on the skin. It is an
indispensable ingredient of pan preparations. In combination with lime, it
gives the characteristic red colouration resulting from the chewing of pan.
Dark catechu or cutch, which is mainly obtained as a
by-product of the katha industry is marketed in the form of small cubes or
blocks, rusty brown or dull orange in colour and of conchoidal fracture. It
is used only for industrial purposes. It is largely used for dyeing cotton
and silk and preserving of fishing nets, sailing ropes and mail bags; in
water softening and in the manufacture of stencils and printers ink.
(g)
Other Uses
Tanning:
The astringent bark is sometimes used for tanning.
Lac: Khair is a
very good host plant for growing the Katki or Aghani crop in alternation
with the normal
Rangeeni or Kusumi hosts. This species is unsuitable
for the Baisakhi or fethwi crops due to non-possession
of sufficient vitality during the late winter and early
hot weather months to bear a lac crop. This species is
best used for raising the Aghani crop and produces an
encrustation equal in quality and quantity to that
produced on kusum (Schleichera oleosa). The
brood from the infestation of khair with kusum brood takes
very well when used to infect kusum again in
January-February. The resulting lac is of good quality.
Gum:
The gum from khair is said to be of very good quality and is regarded as the
best substitute for true
gum arabic. The tears may be as large as 3 cm in
diameter and pale yellow to dark amber in colour. It is not
collected separately and is generally mixed up with
other Acacia gums.
Under natural conditions, the seed is disseminated by wind. The seeds adhere
to the light pod valves after the pods dehisce and are often blown to a
considerable distance from the trees. In alluvial tracts, dissemination of
the seed is further effected by water. Though the seed itself is rather
heavy, the pod with seeds get washed down and the seeds rubbed off among the
sand and boulders of newly thrown up islands and banks.
Germination takes place in the beginning of the rainy
season and the early development of the seedling is greatly favoured on
loose soil free from weeds. Thus on alluvial sand or gravel, countless
number of small seedlings may be found in the early part of the rainy season
not only in the open but also under a comparatively dense cover. In the
latter case they die rapidly owing mainly to shade and to damping off and by
the end of the season, most of the seedlings disappear. In the open, a fair
proportion survives provided the seedlings are protected from grazing.
The cattle are very fond of young shoots and closure of
areas under regeneration has strikingly beneficial results. Frequently,
there is a high mortality from drought, particularly if the soil is stiff or
shallow and the roots have difficulty in penetrating it. The seed germinates
readily with heavy rain and although germination takes place ordinarily at
the commencement of the monsoon, it may begin earlier in the season in case
of early heavy showers of rain; when this happens the seedlings generally
die off or the germinating seed perishes in the ensuring spell or dry
weather. Such mortality is particularly marked in the case of seeds
germinating on the surface of the ground.
In wet and sodden grass, however, the seedlings damp off.
Khair seed is very delicate and is at once killed by the slightest damage
from fire. As the seed falls in January and February, that is to say, just
before the fire season commences, fires must be rigidly kept out from the
areas under natural regeneration. The slightest carelessness in this respect
may jeopardise a whole year’s natural regeneration.
The freedom with which natural reproduction of khair
springs up in alluvial riverain tracts is remarkable. The chief factors
favouring it in such localities are the new loose soil free from heavy weeds
and the abundance of light while the soil moisture obtained by percolation
no doubt also assists the development of the seedlings.
As the crops become
older and elevated above the river bed through changes in the course of the
river, the conditions for natural regeneration change. The ground becomes
harder and a dense undergrowth of Adhatoda vasica or other plants
frequently makes its appearance. Under such conditions, natural reproduction
is no longer possible and although it continues to take place where new
alluvium is thrown up, it ceases under the old crops.
Nursery
Practices
(a)
Nursery Site
Nursery work presents little difficulty, provided the
nursery site fulfills the basic conditions of complete overhead light, a
sandy loam soil, adequate irrigation and drainage. Soil working may be
required especially in the case of heavier soils of the nurseries.
(b)Seed Collection
and Storage
As a rule the tree seeds well almost every year and
produces abundant crop of pods. The seeds adhere to the light pod valves
after the pods dehisce and are often blown to a considerable distance from
the trees. Seed fall takes place in the month of January and February. Khair
seed is very delicate and is at once killed by the slightest damage from
fire.
The seeds can be collected by lopping small pod bearing
branches in December or early January and spreading them in the sun for a
few days. The pods are then heaped on a gunny bag and beaten with sticks.
The pods are separated by shaking and winnowing in a flat basket.
(c)
Sowing
It is advisable to sow the seeds in the year in which they
are collected. Seeds are sown in the nursery in the month of April or May.
Germination commences from about the 4th day after sowing and its completion
may linger on upto 36 days. It is better to soak the seeds in cold water for
24 hours before sowing. In West Bengal, the pods are soaked in water for one or two days
in May and then sown, there being no need to separate the seed.
(d)
Irrigation
Irrigation is essential in the nursery till the out break
of monsoon. The seedlings require daily irrigation with a precaution that
the water does not accumulate at the roots of the plants.
(d)
Weeding
One of the
commonest form of mortality in the case of seedlings in a heavy growth of
weeds is the damping off to which they are subject during the rains. For
optimum growth, nursery should be kept free of weeds as these are liable to
kill seedlings by suppression. It is therefore advisable to carryout regular
weeding programmes especially in the rainy season.
Planting
Practices for the Species
(a)
Direct Sowings
Direct sowing gives good results and its very easy. The
methods of sowing vary under different conditions. In the grassy savannahs
of Avadh, line sowings have proved successful in spite of a fairly tall
growth of grass in the rains.
In areas flooded for long periods in the monsoon, Khair
should be sown on mounds at least 61 to 76 cm in height so that the
seedlings do not remain submerged in water for a long period; a few weeks’
submersion is not fatal.
Broadcast sowing has also been frequently tried, often with
success: where suppression from weeds is to be feared, however, it cannot be
compared with line sowings. The method which has succeeded best and is also
very cheap is that of line sowings with or without the raising of
agricultural crops and is being adopted in several parts of India.
(b)
Taungya Technique
In Uttar Pradesh, large areas of miscellaneous forests of
little value have been converted into plantations of valuable species such
as Acacia catechu by line sowings with rains, weeding and fencing.
The annual coupe is clearfelled, the timber and firewood
extracted and the area divided up into plots varying size from 0.4 to 1.6 ha
and distributed among the cultivators. The cultivators then prepare the land
for sowing, by burning the slash, up rooting the stumps if necessary and
working the soil by hoeing or ploughing.
In many places unrestricted cultivation with any field crop
is allowed in the first season. In the second season, the ground is prepared
for the sowing of the selected tree crop in lines which may be kept 4.6 to
7.6 meters apart and the sowing of this and the field crop is done at the
appropriate time. Both the forest crop and the agricultural crop grow up
simultaneously and the cultivators undertake to keep the seedlings well
weeded and to prevent the field crop from shading and suppressing the
seedlings.
Cultivators may continue to take out field crops and tend
the seedlings along with them from 1 to 3 years after the
introduction of the tree crop, depending upon the fertility of the soil and
the rate of growth of the seedlings. In the meanwhile they also get each
year freshly cleared areas for sustained working. When the seedlings render
taking out of field crop from an area uneconomic, that area is no longer
cultivated and left for normal protection by forest staff. This system of
cultivation promotes vigorous growth, the thorough working of the soil and
the weeding causing the roots to strike deep down from the commencement.
Mechanized Plantations
In the mechanized plantations, the annual felling coupes
are of several hundred hectares. The standing forest is marked for clear
felling and sold by auction, with a stipulation that all the trees are
felled by uprooting upto 60 cm depth and all the old stumps as well as the
surface roots are dug out by the purchaser. This operation as well as the
extraction and removal of all the produce and roots is under sale-deed to be
completed in the winter season.
The area so cleared is given a hot burn and is first fully
ploughed, then harrowed and finally ridged by tractors, the last operation
consisting of laying out 45 cm high parallel ridges spaced 3-4 m apart
centre to centre throughout the area. A system of roads and paths is then
laid out, dividing the large coupe area into smaller plots of about 20-30
hectares. These plots are leased out for cultivation for 1-2 years, with the
condition that the lessee will also look after, weed and tend the forest
plants sown or planted along the ridges, together with his own crop.
Khair and other seeds are sown in the ridges in the 3rd
week of June. The seed germinates with the out-break of monsoon and
seedlings are weeded by the lessee. Three weedings have to be carried out by
him in the first year, three in the second year and two in the third year.
The area is already fenced in the summer of the first year and remains so
till the plantation is about 6 years old.
On the termination of lease the fire protection work is
carried out by the forest department by laying out a number of fire lines
round the coupe and plots and keeping them clear by cutting and burning the
grass in late winter or spring. Sometimes the tall grasses in the
intermediate strips between the ridges are hoed down by tractors to reduce
their inflammability. The pressed grass may, after the plantation has become
high enough, with all precautions, be control-burnt in cold weather.
(c)
Root and Shoot Cuttings (Stumps)
Under optimum conditions, Khair can also be propagated by
stumps. The stumps should be made from seedlings about 15 months old raised
in nurseries from seed sown in April of the previous year and irrigated till
the break of monsoon. Cuttings should be made from well developed seedlings.
The root and shoot should be 23 to 31 cm and 2.5 to 5.0 cm respectively.
The best size of stumps at the root collar is 10 to 15 mm
in diameter. The seedlings under 10 mm in diameter at root collar do not
make good cuttings, while seedlings thicker than 15 mm in diameter at root
collar do not produce satisfactory shoots or fail to produce shoots.
Planting of stumps should be done soon after the break of rains: delayed
planting is not advisable. Under irrigated conditions stumps can be planted
during March-April.
Entire planting
In recent years
entire planting of container plants has been successfully tried,
particularly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Polythene bags of the size 30 x 10 cm
are suitable as containers. In Indonesia bamboo tubes have been reported
used as containers.
Repeated weedings are necessary in the first two or three
years. Two good weedings are enough but sometimes a third is required in the
first rains. One weeding may be necessary in the third year especially round
the backward plants. The amount of weeding needed will depend on the site.
(b)
Cleaning, Thinning etc.
Khair seedlings usually come up in a congested crop. In the
early cleanings, plants may be spaced about 80 to 120 cm apart. Early
thinnings are very important for the proper development of the crop. All
shade, even lateral, must be removed. Normally the first thinning should not
be delayed beyond the 5th year. If grown pure, it requires
repeated climber cuttings. In taungya plantations, like that of North Gonda, the fist
cleaning is done at the age of 3 years. Subsequently thinnings are done at
the ages of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. The first three thinnings are
mechanical, in which a spacement equal to half to average crop height is
aimed at.
In coppice crops, it becomes necessary to reduce the number
of the several coppice shoots sprouting from a single stump to one or two
within 3-5 years.
Pest,
Diseases and Deficiencies
Khair seedlings are comparatively resistant to damping off disease in the
nurseries, however, water logging may sometimes predispose the seedlings to
damping off in the early stage of development.
(a)Root
Rot
Ganoderma lucidum
(Leyss.) Karst. Causes serious mortality due to root rot in reforested
stands. Khair is susceptible to the attack of pathogen at all ages. The
affected plants exhibit pale foliage followed by drying. Young plants are
killed soon after infection while the mature trees die when most of the
roots become affected.
The fungus produces thin while mycelial mat between the
bark and wood and causes white spongy rot in the sapwood. Fruit bodies of
the fungus develop at the base of affected trees which are stalked and
corky. The stalk and upper surface are dark brown, and lightly zoned. Lower
surface is white when fresh, turning light brown on drying and covered with
minute circular pores. The spores are produced in abundance and are
deposited on the adjoining weeds or grass as brown red powdery mass.
The disease can effectively be checked by extraction of old
stumps and cleaning of debris from the site, digging of isolation trenches
in young plantations, planting of resistant species like
Bombax ceiba
and Ailanthus excelsa and mixed cropping (50:50) with resistant
species.
(b)
Heart Rot
Fomes badius
Berk. Causes heart rot in Khair and is common in all Khair forests, both
natural and planted. Sporophores develop on the branches and trunk and are
the main source of identification of diseased trees. They are perennial,
hoof-shaped, sessile, hard and woody. Upper surface is brown or black,
cracking with age.
Lower surface is dull brown with numerous minute pores. The
fungus causes decay in the heart wood only. Sapwood remains healthy and free
from infection. Initially the heartwood changes to deep brown in colour, but
later becomes yellow, spongy and mottled. The heart rot increased with age
of tree and mature trees become unfit for extraction of cutch and katha due
to its complete disintegration.
The disease can be managed to some extent by avoiding
injuries to the trees and by periodically removing the sporophoces from the
trees and burying them in the soil.
(c)
Other Diseases
Apart from the above, minor diseases, infect the foliage of
trees. Erysiphe acaciae causes powdery mildew and Microstromata
acaciae produces snowy-white tufts on the lower surface of Khair
leaves. Leaf rust by Ravenelia tandonii is common in North India. Among phanerogamic parasites Khair is
attacked by Macrosolen, cochinchinensis and in H.P. by Loranthus
sp.
(d)
Pests
Beetles, larvae of borers, defoliators and sap suckers
cause severe damage to the young living plants.
Deers, pigs, wild elephants, porcupines, rats and domestic
animals also damage young plants.
The following statement shows the average rate of growth based on the
measurements of 14 sample plots of Saharanpur,
Rohilkhand, Ramnagar, Lansdowne, Haldwani, Baharaich and Terai and Bhabar
Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh.
Average rate of growth
Age
Crop Height
Crop Diametre
(in years)
(in metre)
(in cms)
10
11.27
12.2
20
16.15
18.8
30
18.59
22.4
40
19.81
25.4
50
20.73
27.7
60
21.34
29.7
70
21.64
31.2
The following table shows the total volume
(Over Bark) and total volume (Under Bark) in cubic metres.
D.B.H.
Volume (Over Bark)
Volume (Under Bark)
(in cms)
(in cubic metre)
(in cubic metre)
10
0.13151
0.10084
20
0.18502
0.14195
30
0.49415
0.39836
40
0.86718
0.70860
50
1.26577
1.04037
The
following table gives the yield of Khair for good, moderate and poor site
qualities. The table is based on the data of 10 sample plots distributed in
Haldwani, Terai & Bhabar, Siwalik, Ramnagar, Lansdowne divisions and
Silviculture Nursery at Clutterbuckganj (Bareilly).
Age
Dominant
Number of Trees / ha
Total Volume / ha
Height (in m)
Diameter (in cms)
(in cubic metre)
Good Sites
10
13.5
23.0
557
9.65
20
18.3
27.0
440
31.31
30
21.1
29.7
349
47.53
40
23.0
31.8
287
59.38
50
24.5
33.4
242
68.48
60
25.6
34.6
208
75.93
Moderate Sites
10
10.6
21.1
557
3.23
20
15.3
25.4
460
18.00
30
18.1
28.3
376
33.34
40
20.1
30.5
312
45.47
50
21.6
32.2
264
55.12
60
22.8
33.5
227
62.97
Poor Sites
10
8.0
18.8
557
0.57
20
12.3
23.5
460
8.22
30
15.1
26.5
396
19.89
40
17.1
28.8
336
31.30
50
18.7
30.7
288
40.96
60
19.9
32.2
250
49.25
Market and
Marketable Products, used as Raw Material in
Forest Based Industries
In India, State Forest departments are the major producers of Khair wood.
The wood is generally disposed off by the respective State Forest
Departments/Forest development corporations at their sale depots.
Wholesale markets are mostly located in towns. These are
permanent in nature where transaction take place daily throughout the year.
In these markets (Mandis) the wholesalers and commission agents play an
important role in the sale of produce. During recent years, with the
development roads, communication and transport, there has been a marked
increase in the sales of Khair wood at these markets (mandis).
In M.P., marked Khair trees are cut in the coupe and if the
trees are big then logged into pieces and numbered. Cut Khair wood is
transported to depot where it is transferred to one of the following
agencies.
(i) Given to advance purchaser who has
tendered the highest rate on log basis for a particular coupe.
(ii) Given to cooperative societies or cottage
industry for making Katha by country method.
(iii) Supply of Khair wood to Katha factories
under contractual obligation.
(iv) In case of default by any of the above
agencies Khair wood is auctioned from the depot.
(a)
Khair Wood Used as Raw Material in Katha Industries
About 63,000 tonnes of khair wood (Acacia catechu)
in India is
annually consumed for manufacture of cutch & catechu. Chemically the
products are catechin (Katha) and catechutannicacid (cutch). A third article
of commerce is also obtained in the shape of a white powder, known as
kheersal, which appears as a deposit in the wood. It is used for medicinal
purposes specially for cough and sore throat.
(b)
Yield of Katha (Cutch)
The yield of katha and cutch varies considerably with the
season in which the trees are felled and their girth, age and condition. The
maximum yield of katha is obtained from trees felled in autumn and winter.
Trees that are gnarled and crooked are reported to give higher yields than
straight one. Trees of higher girth having white lines on them are
preferred. Freshly felled trees also give higher yields than dried ones.
Dead trees are unsuitable for extraction. Following table depicts yield of
katha & cutch from 100 kg. of khair heartwood in different parts of the
country.
States
Factories
Small scale units
Katha
Cutch
Katha
Cutch
Andhra Pradesh
--
--
2
3
Mumbai (Inc. Maharashtra
& Gujarat)
4.5
12
3-4
10
Madhya Pradesh
1.5-1.7
10-12
3
--
Uttar Pradesh
4.5
10.5
--
--
West Bengal
--
10.5
6.3
--
Average katha yield per trees by the country method (Handi method) is
estimated as under –
Tree size girth in
cms
Average katha yield
in Kg
31-38
0.210
39-45
0.455
Over 45
0.900
(c)
Marketing of Katha and Cutch
Katha is marketed in the form of irregular pieces and small
square tablets or blocks of grayish brown colour, which when fairly pure,
exhibit crystalline feature. No regular statistics are however, available
for the widely scattered production of katha and cutch by the cottage scale
manufacturers whose total production may safely be placed at least as equal
to the factory production, if not more.
There are eight katha factories in U.P. located at
Izzatnagar, Bareilly Haldwani and Najibabad. It is in existence for past 50
years or so, while the other are of present origin. The factory at
Izzatnagar processes about 10,000 tons of katha wood and produces about 500
tons of katha and 1,000 tons of cutch. The remaining factories utilize about
15,000 tons of heartwood and produce about 400 tons of katha and 1,000 tons
of cutch. Their annual capacity varies from 1,000 to 3,000 tons of
heartwood.
Markets and Depots
Following are some of the important Khair wood markets and depots in
Northern India.
Haryana - Sonepat, Chachrauli, etc.
Punjab - Roopnagar, Hoshiarpur,
Pathankot, Dausya, etc.
In
low alluvial savannah wood land (3/1S1) associated with Bombax ceiba,
Butea monosperma, 