The demand for red sandalwood timber is high domestically and internationally, particularly in East Asian countries. Typically, red sandalwood is used for poles, house posts, furniture, and carvings. In Japan, the uncommon "wavy" grain variant is highly prized for its acoustic qualities and is primarily used to create musical instruments. Its Cultivation is mostly done in the eastern coastal areas of India. It is a native species unique to India and is restricted to the southern Eastern Ghats.
The conditions most suitable for the cultivation of Red Sander Trees are well-drained red soils with gravelly loam. It regenerates well in a dry, hot climate and requires rainfall ranging from 800 mm to 1000 mm annually for excellent growth. Red sandalwood is a distinctive wood species with a distinctive wavy grain margin that grows in semi-arid climates at elevations of about 750 meters (2,460 feet) on shale subsoils. Red Sandalwood is a light-requesting moderate measured tree, developing up to 10 m tall with a trunk 50 to 150 cm in breadth. It is fast-growing when young, achieving 5 m tall in three years, even on debased soils. It is not frosted tolerant, being murdered by temperatures of -1°C yet stays well at semi-bone-dry climatic conditions. Red Sandalwood grows well in red soils on high altitudes of the Eastern Ghats in Kadapa,Kurnool,Chittoor and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh, South India.
Choose a planting site with a blend of loam and sand that drains well and dig a hole about a foot deep and fill it with water. If the liquid disappears underground within 24 hours, the area will offer sufficient drainage.
How to cultivate Red Sandalwood
The Red Sandalwood trees are raised in a weed-free environment for their first two years to allow them to fully develop without having to compete for nutrients. The planting land is plowed and harrowed repeatedly, and the soil is brought to a fine tilth. The pits of size 45 cm × 45 cm × 45 cm are dug at a spacing of 4 m × 4 m. Topsoil is used to fill the pits, which is then thoroughly mixed with 10-15 kg of farmyard manure (FYM) and 10 g of fertilizer. Dust is used to protecting the planting stock made from fungi that are found in the soil. The beginning of the rainy season, in late May or early June, is the ideal time to plant Red Sandalwood. Typically, two-year-old nursery plants' stump-raised seedlings or stumps are transplanted. With a 4 m 4 m spacing, a Red Sandalwood plant population of about 600 per hectare is advised. You can plant these close to the borders of homes, farms, and gardens. The Red Sandalwood plants are irrigated immediately after transplantation. After that, irrigation is done on alternate days for up to 15 days. After the seedlings get established, irrigation can be done at an interval of 10–15 days, depending on the weather conditions. Leaf-eating caterpillars have been found to damage the crop from April to May. These could be controlled by spraying 0.2% Monocrotophos twice at weekly intervals.
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