Casuarina Tree

30-09-2024

09:52 AM

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1 min read
Casuarina Tree Blog Image

Overview:

Six years after the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja, Vedaranyam taluk (Tamil Nadu), once known for its flourishing casuarina (savukku) plantations, is seeing a revival as farmers prepare for their first harvest in five years.

About Casuarina Tree: 

  • It is native to Australia and it was introduced in India around the 19th centuary.
  • It is also known as kattadi and savukku.
  • There are four cultivated species of casuarinas viz., Casuarina equisetifolia, Casuarina glauca, Casuarina cunninghamaina and Casuarina junghuniana.
  • The nitrogen fixing ability and adaptability to grow in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions including moisture and nutrient limited sites makes Casuarina a preferred choice for commercial and environmental planting programme.
  • Distribution: Casuarinas are widely planted in the tropics, subtropics and Mediterranean countries because of their ready adaptability to a variety of environmental conditions and also for their rapid growth performance.
  • Climate: The trees are suited to a wide range of temperature from 10°C-33°C, from sea level upto 1500m and mean annual rainfall between 700 and 2000 mm.
  • Soil: The tree is best suited to light soils. This species tolerates calcareous and slightly saline soils, but it is grown poorly on heavy soils such as clays.
  • Uses
    • Apart from fuel, the wood is extensively used for papermaking and of late is a preferred choice for biomass-based power generation.
    • The straight cylindrical stems find use in rural house building and as scaffolds in construction sites.
    • It is the principal species for developing shelterbelts in coastal areas and windbreaks for protecting agricultural crops.
    • It also plays a key role in reclaiming mined areas and afforesting nutrient-poor sites.

Q1: What is the Mediterranean climate?

It is a major climate type of the Köppen classification characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters and located between about 30° and 45° latitude north and south of the Equator and on the western sides of the continents.

Source: Casuarina farming sees resurgence in Vedaranyam six years after Cyclone Gaja