Raising Seedlings of Tropical Trees

The second in a series of five handbooks about propagating and planting tropical trees, this guide is designed to provide clear and concise information on how to select, grow, plant and care for tropical trees, in both moist and drier parts of the tropics. It is intended for anyone interested in growing trees, from the small-holder to the large-scale grower, from local communities to national governments and from school and further education to research and extension staff of agriculture and forestry departments. It provides illustrated, step-by-step instructions, practical guidelines and an outline of the thought processes behind them. The handbook deals with all the procedures necessary for growing tropical trees from seeds. These include suitable techniques for: the collection and selection of suitable seeds; the correct handling and storage of seeds; the successful germination of seeds; potting up and transplanting young seedlings; and maintaining the right environment for care and protection of seedlings. The manual includes useful checklists for possible problems that might be encountered and on assessing germination and provides references for further information on tree flowering and genetics and seed handling and propagation. The procedures described in this series of manuals may be used with the majority of woody species to provide diverse seedling or clonal mixtures. They include techniques for domestication , so that superior planting stock can be increasingly used. This can help to capture more rapidly the great potential for multiple usefulness offered by tropical trees, while encouraging the conservation of their genetic resources.