Raising Seedlings of Tropical Trees

This Manual is the second in a series of readable, well illustrated handbooks about propagating and planting tropical trees. The five Manuals have been 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. They are 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 teachers to research and extension staff of agricultural and forestry departments. They provide illustrated, step-by-step instructions, practical guidelines and an outline of the thought processes behind them. Manual 2 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 • maintaining the right environment for care and protection of seedlings The manual includes useful check lists 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 increasingly be used. This can help to capture more rapidly the great potential for multiple usefulness offered by tropical trees, while also encouraging conservation of their genetic resources.