Clonal Propagation of Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.)

Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) timber demand as well as its plantation activity is increasing globally. Root- shoots/stumps and seeds are used as a planting material in teak plantations. Teak stumps can be produced from seeds collected from identified seed sources, such as seed production areas and seed orchards but the seed yield per tree is low, and only few seedlings are produced per 100 seeds. Clonal propagation is, therefore, used to produce progeny plants, which are genetically identical to a single source plant. There are two aims of clonal propagation, namely large-scale multiplication of elite genotypes and production of large numbers of plants from scarce and costly seed that originates from controlled seed orchard pollinations. This can be achieved, in some species including teak, through rooted cuttings. Thus far, various strategies have been used but often achieved limited success mainly because of difficult and inefficient rooting process. Several physical and chemical factors are reported that help the cuttings to develop adventitious roots. Therefore, present study deals with these chemical and physical factors and its influence on the clonal propagation of teak.