Sandalwood Tree

About The Sandalwood The sandalwood had the fragrant aroma/aromatic. Wood and its oil were used for the religious ceremony and the traditional ceremony in various countries. Volatile oil that was produced by him was the raw material for the production of perfume, soap, the medicine and cosmetics.

Its wood was used for handicrafts. The highest quality of sandalwood came from the part was lowest the tree that was more than 50 years old and grew in the forest. The sandalwood root contained 10% oil, whereas the part and the twig of stick wood contained 2-4% oil. Compability Land The sandalwood compatibility had the area of the very limited natural spreading. In Indonesia the area of his spreading covered East Java, NTT, Sulawesi and the Moluccas. However the sandalwood could also grow in NTB. The sandalwood grew good in the height 50-1500 metre above sea level with the rainfall between 500-1200 mm/the year and and the dry season for the length of 9-10 months. The condition for the land with good drainage, texture clay, the limestone, sandstone and the volcanic land were suitable for his growth. To the more unfertile, shallow and rocky land the sandalwood could be still growing and producing wood with the good quality. The community often said that the sandalwood could not be planted and only grew naturally in the appropriate place. In fact, the sandalwood could be planted. The seed could be planted in the field when the height has reached 60-80 cm. The foster-mother's secondary kind was the foster-mother who accompanied the sandalwood in a period of long Appropriate kinds were:                - Cemara laut                                 - Akasia spp.                - Alang-alang                                 - Kaliandra                - Casuarina equisetifolia           - Acacia                - Imperata cylindrica                 - Caliandra callothyrsus Development Growth of the sandalwood was very slow and his increase rather was difficult, so as the quantity of Sandalwood trees in Indonesia increasingly descended. The sandalwood had the capacity to form the root bud of the root that was disrupted, for example because of being affected by the hoe, was stepped on by the livestock, or fire. Regeneration vegetatif this was very beneficial because his cost was cheap, was easy to be carried out and good results. But anyway, fire continued to be the growth intruder and the life of the sandalwood. The seed that just was planted and young twigs, will be miserable because of fire. Germination The Seed of the sandalwood was acknowledged as the 'orthodox' seed meaning that this seed could be kept for a long time after draining. While the storage of the seed experienced the rest period (dorman). To speed up the growth, better the seed was burnt or heated for a moment when being planted. Without being burnt, the seed could also grow but become slow. The Burning seed could be done by spreading the seed in the land and being closed with grass or straw with a thickness of 2 cm, afterwards was burnt for several minutes. The seed could be also heated in the pan. “Be careful, the burning was enough for a moment, lest the seed became broken” The characteristics of the parasite sandalwood One of the reasons why the sandalwood was difficult to be planted, because the sandalwood was a kind of parasite (like the parasite). This meant the sandalwood needed the foster-mother's crop to get the element of the nutrient and water. In the seedling period, the sandalwood root adhered to the root of the foster-mother's crop to take nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and water. So, the sandalwood could not grow personally. The foster-mother's crop that was needed the sandalwood was in the level of the growth of the beginning was acknowledged as primary by the foster-mother, in part:                                 - Kaliandra                                - Knamok                                 - Lamtoro                                  - Kacang gude/turis                                 - Cabe                                          - Turi                                 - Caliandra callothyrsus      - Cassia timorensis                                 - Leuceana glauca                  - Cajanus cajan                                 - Capsicum annum                - Sesbania grandiflor The foster-mother's primary kind also accompanied the sandalwood as the protective tree. The sandalwood could be planted in polybag (the pocket of seedling cultivation plastic) was with the foster-mother's crop. The foster-mother's primary seed better be planted on the day to 30-40 after the sandalwood sprouted, in the distance + 5 cm from the sandalwood. The formation haustorium by the Sandalwood to suck the nutrient and water from his foster-mother's crop. (Source: ICRAF) The regional regulation in connection with the sandalwood was based on the regional regulation (Regional Regulations) the NTT province No.16 in 1986: The sandalwood in the farmer's land could harvested and was sold freely by the farmer who planted him. The sandalwood that was managed by the government plantation could harvested in accordance with the regulation that was passed by the Regional Government. The system agroforestry for planting the sandalwood The Sandalwood always needed the foster-mother's crop to get the element of the nutrient and water, then the system “Tumpang Sari” really was suitable to develop the sandalwood crop. The foster-mother's crop was chosen in accordance with the requirement and the farmer's wish, for example: the kind of wood, the fruit and the medicine of the producer's tree. The sandalwood could be planted with the foster-mother's crop that functioned as the fence crop. Moreover, the sandalwood could be also planted in the line. As the path crop or alley cropping. The hedge system will around the garden protect the sandalwood crop from the sunlight, the disturbance of the livestock and fire. The fence was made from the fast crop grow, for example gamal. When still was small, the sandalwood needed the patron, but after big precisely needed many sun rays.