Shorea Robusta
Common Name : Sal
English Name : Sal
Hindi Name : Sal, Salwa, Sakhu, Sakher
Telugu Name : Sal
Bengali Name : Sal,Shal,Sakhu
Tree Characteristics :
Sal is moderate to slow growing tree, which can grow up to 30-35 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 2-2.5 m. The bark of the young tree is smooth with a few long deep and vertical furrows. The leaves are ovate-oblong, 10-25 cm long and 5-15 cm broad. In wetter areas, it is evergreen; in drier areas, it is dry-season deciduous, shedding most of the leaves in between February to April, leafing out again in April and May. The sal flowers, whitish in color, appear in early summer. Sal trees are found from Burma in the East, to Assam, Bengal, Nepal, the Deccan Plateau, going up to the foothills of the Shivaliks on the left bank of the Yamuna river. Flowering: April-May.
Nursery Practice :
Sal seeds mature in the month of June. Fresh mature seeds are collected. Seeds are germinated in nursery providing warm and moist condition. Seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days. Early transplantation of germinate radicals in poly begs having pot mixture is done. Because root shoot ratio is high. It gives root coiling. To prevent root coiling of primary root poly begs are given special treatment. Bottom ends of poly begs are cut smoothly to open the bottom end. Clay soil is pasted at bottom end to protect the pot mixture in the poly begs. Poly begs are kept over racks (MACHAN) which is one or two feet above ground. This gives aerial pruning to the roots and prevents root coiling. In the next June sapling size grows to the height 30 cm. to 60 cm. The seedlings are placed in 50 - 60% sunlight and watered twice daily.
Economic Use :
Sal is one of the most important sources of hardwood timber in India, with hard, coarse-grained wood that is light in colour when freshly cut, and becoming dark brown with exposure. The wood is resinous and durable, and is sought after for construction, although not well suited to planing and polishing.
The dry leaves of sal are a major source for the production of leaf plates called as patravali and leaf bowls in northern and eastern India.
Fodder: In India, S. robusta is lopped for fodder, but the leaf fodder is considered to be of medium to poor quality. The oil cake, though rich in tannins (5-8%), has been used without detrimental effects in concentrates for cattle in proportions of up to 20%.
Shorearobusta seed oil is extracted from the seeds and used as cooking oil after refining.
