Project Meliaceae

Plantation Management: Propagation and Nursery Practices

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Holdridge, L. R. 1941. Preliminary notes on the silviculture of big-leaf mahogany. Caribbean Forester 2(1):20-23
Mahogany planting. Seeds per pound of what was formerly classified as Swietenia candollei from South America .averaged about 600, whereas seed of Swietenia macrophylla of Central America averaged 900 per pound. S. macrophylla seed exposed to ambient temperature declined in viability from an initial 54% to 30% in 60 days and to virtually nothing a month later. Nothing was gained by sealing at this temperature. At 33 to 40ºF exposed seeds retained 27% after a year.  Sealed and refrigerated, viability at one year was 42%. Sowing in the nursery for 24-inch stock was to obtain 6 to 8 seedlings per square foot. For shipment bare-root trees are packed in moss in wet sacks.  Best survival is obtained planting beneath a shelterwood that must soon be thinned. Shoot borer attack is less under shade.  (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)

Marrero, J. 1943. A seed storage study of some tropical hardwoods. Caribbean Forester 4(3):99-106.
Seed facts. For Cedrela odorata the average number of seeds (with wings) was 14.000 per pound. Unsealed, at room temperature, the viability dropped from 54 to 12 percent in 60 days and to 0 a month later. Unsealed, but refrigerated to 35-40ºF, viability held up (38-41%) for 8 months. Seed so stored, sealed did no better. For Swietenia macrophylla refrigerated and sealed seed declined in viability only from 56 to 42% after a year. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)

Marrero, J. 1949. Tree seed data from Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester 10:11-36.
Seed weights.  Cedrela odorata averaged 18,500 seeds to the pound. And germination of fresh seed averaged 80 percent. Seedof S, macrophylla ranged from 590 to 900 per pound, and germination of fresh seed averaged 54 percent.  Seed of S. mahagoni averaged 3,200 per pound and germination averaged 70 percent.  For S. macrophylla the average time lapse for the germination of 1,319 lots was 28 days.  For S. mahagoni the average for 104 lots was 18 days.  For Cedrela odorata, from 42 lots the average was 12 days. 

Chinte, F. O. 1952.Tree planting of large-leaved mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) Caribbean Forester 13(2):75-91.
S. macrophylla in the Philippines. In Hondurus mahogany has flowers during the rainy season.  In the Philippines they bloom during the dry season. A 17-year-old tree produced 210 fruits. 337 trees produced968 liters of seed. A 52-cm dbh tree produced 209 fruits. The average fruit weighed 403 grams and had 51 to 64 seeds. S. macrophylla was intreoduced into the Philippines in 1913. S. mahagoni in 1915/ In the Makiling National Park natural regeneration meets the need for planting. Seed of S. macrophylla, sealed and buried with charcoal remained viable (73 % germination) to 132 days compared with 45 days otherwise.Large seeds give better germination and healthier and faster growing seedlings.  Seedlings 1 year old are planted (no transplanting) Survival bare-rooted is 69%, 77% with a ball of earth. Growth is to 20.9 cm dbh in 18 years. 37.9 cm at 21 years, and 51.3 cm at 35 years. Hypsipyla robusta is present but no serious problem. May slow growth and damage tree form.
Sebastião da Cunha Lopes, Osmar Alves Lameira, Gerson Renan Luces Fortes, Raírys Cravo Nogueira, José Eduardo Brasil Pereira Pinto. 2001. ENRAIZAMENTO IN VITRO DE MOGNO (Swietenia macrophylla King). CERNE 7:124-128.
IN VITRO ROOTING OF MAHOGANY.
English abstract, complete article (Portuguese) Available.
http://www.dcf.ufla.br/cerne/Revistav7n1-2001/11%20artigo%20001.pdf

Link verified 2 August 2004

Noldt G; Bauch J. 2001. Colonization of fine roots of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) by vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under plantation conditions in Central Amazon. JOURNAL OF APPLIED BOTANY-ANGEWANDTE BOTANIK. 75(3-4):168-172.
Abstract
http://mycorrhiza.ag.utk.edu/latest/latest01/01_10noldt1.htm
Link verified 2 August 2004

Ecology and silviculture of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) in the state of Para in the Brazilian Amazon
Funder reference number: R6912 / 781-644-001
Funder: UK (DFID) Natural Resources Research Department
Project dates: 1997 to 2000
 Project summary included
Seedling dynamics, effects of silvicultural treatment on regeneration, demonstration of logging practices.
http://www.odi.org.uk/tropics/projects/3251.htm
Link verified 2 August 2004

Silviculture of Mahogany (Swietenia Macrophylla King) Trials
Study 1: Silviculture for sustainable tropical forestry in the Mayan ejidos of Quintana Roo, Mexico
Patricia Negreros-Castillo, Laura Snook
Study 2: Evaluation of establishment practices for mahogany and Spanish cedar in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Patricia Negreros-Castillo, Carl Mize 
Study 3: Reforestation of tropical hardwoods in Mexico: stock type and regeneration method affect growth.
J.G. Mexal, R.A. Cuevas-Rangel and P. Negreros-Castillo
http://www.forestry.iastate.edu/smaya/mexsilv.htm
Link verified 2 August 2004

Vilisoni Naitinelia, Kuldeep Singh and Sanjana Lal. 1997 Seed Production of Swietenia macrophylla (Large-Leaved Mahogany) in Fiji.  Pacific Islands Forests & Trees Newsletter No. 4/97
Source: CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products
Complete article available.
http://www.ffp.csiro.au/tigr/atscmain/whatwedo/projects/sprig/mahogany.htm
Link verified 2 August 2004

Wightman, KE. 2001.  Ensayos de sutratos y densidad con cedro (Cedrela odorata) y caoba (Swietenia macrophylla) en el sur de la Península de Yucatán, México.  Revisata Forestal. 36:35-40.

Wightman, KE, Shear, T, Goldfarb, B and JP Haggar. 2001. Nursery and field establishment techniques to improve seedling growth of three Costa Rican hardwoods. New Forests 22:75-96.

Wightman, KE. Good Tree Nursery Practices. 1999. Practical Guidelines for Community   Nurseries. International Centre for Research in Agroforestry. 95 pp. also available: URL http://www.icraf.cgiar.org

Wightman, KE. 2000. Practicas adecuadas para los viveros forestales. Guía practica para los viveros comunitarios. 101 pp. (Spanish translation of above).

Wightman, KE. and Cruz, BS. (2003, accepted for March edition). La cadena de la reforestación y la importancia en la calidad de las plantas. [The reforestation cycle and the importance of plant quality]. Revista Forestal Veracruzana [Veracruz (Mexico) Journal of Forestry].

Wightman, KE, Ward, SE, Santiago, BR, Cornelius, JP. Mejorando la calidad de germoplasma forestal en la peninsula de Yucatan. [Improving the quality of forest germplasm: experiences with mahogany and Spanish cedar in the Yucatan peninsula.].  In review by Revista Forestal Centroamericana. [Central American Journal of Forestry].

Wightman, KE. 2001. Ensayos de substratos y densidad con cedro (Cederla odorata) y caoba (Swietenia macrophylla) en el Sur de la Península de Yucatán. Revista Forestal Centroamericana, 36:35-40.

Jaenicke, H. and Wightman, KE. 2000. What often remains in the dark – the root system of nursery plants. Agroforestry Today 11(3-4): 23-25.


Wightman, KE and T. Landis. (In press). Reforestation in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Role of the Sister Nursery Program. Presentation and paper to the Forest Nursery Association of British Columbia, Vernon, BC. Sept. 24-26. 2001.

Wightman, KE. (2001) Técnicas para mejorar la calidad de planta en vivero, ejemplos con Cedro (Cedrela odorata) y Caoba (Swietenia macrophylla King). Primer Congreso Nacional de Reforestación, PRONARE, Texcoco, Mexico. 8-10 Noviembre, 2000. Primer Congreso Nacional de Reforestación, PRONARE, Texcoco, Mexico. 8-10 Noviembre, 2000. 5:6 del Memoria en CD.

Haggar JP, Wightman KE and M Sosa. 1997. Una estrategia para hacer rentable la producción de árboles por ejidatarios en la Península Yucatán. [A strategy to make the production of trees profitable for community members in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico]. Memoria II Fondo Internacional: Los Aprovechamientos Forestales en Selvas y su Relación con el Ambiente. COFAN, Veracruz, México.

Wightman KE. 2002. Convierta la basura en abono orgánico, vivero forestales! Primero de dos partes [Convert trash into compost, forest nurseries! Part one of two]. Rural. Boletín Informativo No. 4, Sept. – Oct.

Wightman, KE. 1999. Convierte la basura en Abono Orgánico.. [Convert trash to organic matter in forest nurseries.] International Centre for Research in Agroforestry. 25 pp.

Wightman, KE. 1998. Mejoramiento de calidad de plantas en viveros forstales y revision de la politica de PRONARE. [Improving plant quality in forestry nursery and review of the policies of the state reforestation program (PRONARE).] 55 pp.

Wightman KE. 1997. Consultative review of ICRAF nurseries in Peru and Mexico. International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, Pucallpa, Peru. 27 pp.

Wightman, KE. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of container Swietenia macrophylla King plants. Managua, Nicaragua. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org . Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.

Wightman, KE. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of container Cedrela odorata plants. Managua, Nicaragua. In: Native Plant Network. URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org. Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.



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Seed collections:

Jardin Botánico Lancetilla
Collección de Swietenia macrophylla
http://www.lancetilla-oimt.hn/jardin_botanico/programas/produccion_sostenible.html
Link verified 2 August 2004
http://www.lancetilla-oimt.hn/jardin_botanico/

Link verified 2 August 2004

Seeds available of Swietenia macrophylla
Average germination 73%
Seed Technology Unit
Forest Plantation Division, FRIM, Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia
http://www.frim.gov.my/Hladang/bbenih/seedlab.htm
Link dead 2 August 2004

Seedlings available of:
Khaya nyasica, Khaya senegalensis, Swietenia macrophylla, Swietenia mahogani, Toona ciliata, Cedrela odorata, Azadirachta indica, Azadirachta excelsa
Future Forests Nursery
Kailua Kona, HI
http://www.forestnursery.com/pricelist.html
Link verified 2 August 2004

Seeds available(?):
Corporación Nacional de Investigación y Fomento Forestal (CONIF)
Bogatá, Colombia
Banco Nacional y Laboratorio de Semillas Forestales
CATÁLOGO DE SEMILLAS, includes Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata
http://www.conif.org.co/catalogo_semillas.php
Link posted 9 August 2004