Forest Seed Science and Management

Seed is the primary input for productive forestry and for any afforestation program. In propagation and conservation of a species, seeds play a vital role. In recent years owing to greater emphasis on community forestry, wasteland development and to support the National, Mission for a Green India as a part of the "National Action Plan on Climate Change" the requirement of seed has multiplied manifold. Large quantities of seed are needed every year to raise the nursery stock for propagating the desired plant species. A plentiful supply of quality seed i.e., high in viability and vigour, is therefore one of the prerequisites to make such activities successful. Presently requirement of forest seeds has not been properly documented though some estimation has been arrived at quantifying the seed demand of various forestry species based on utilization of seed in the past. Seeds are the most suitable form to conserve and also a means to distribute the plant germplasm. The quality of seed depends on choice of seed collection stand, seed crop abundance, time of collection, handling and storage. The duration of the viability of the seeds in nature vary widely among species due to their varied maturation time and storage physiology. In view of the increasing importance of seed quality in forestry and the numerous challenges in handling, testing and storage of forest seed, present book is very important for the benefit of forest seed industry.