Kerala Forest Department Seed Source

The Kerala Forest Department has been growing Swietenia macrophylla (big-leaf mahogany) since the early 20th century, making its plantations some of the oldest established mahogany stands in India. Seed is collected from mature mother trees of good form in these managed plantations, raised in departmental nurseries for about 6–12 months, and sold or distributed as polybag seedlings to farmers and private growers at the start of the monsoon planting season. Because Kerala's humid, high-rainfall climate suits mahogany well, seedlings from this source are well-adapted to local conditions and have a long track record of establishment success. The main limitation is that these are open-pollinated seedlings with no formal selection for shoot borer (Hypsipyla robusta) tolerance — the defining pest challenge of mahogany everywhere it is grown.

Plant typeSeedling (forest department nursery)
Maturity15–25 year rotation to full-value timber
Yield potentialGood; well-adapted to Kerala's humid tropical conditions with a long planting track record
Disease resistanceNot separately documented; standard mahogany shoot borer (Hypsipyla) watch applies
SoilDeep, well-drained loam
SeasonAll seasons

• Spacing3 × 3 m to 5 × 5 m at initial planting, thinned progressively

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

• Kerala

• KFRI Improved Planting Stock

  Seedlings raised from mother trees selected by the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) for better stem form, vigour and early growth — a step up from unselected open-pollinated seed, though still not immune to the mahogany shoot borer.

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• Tamil Nadu Forest Department Seed Source

  Seedlings raised from seed collected from Tamil Nadu Forest Department's established mahogany plantations in the Nilgiris and Western Ghats foothills — available through government nurseries and social forestry schemes.

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• Private Clonal / Tissue-Culture Stock

  Clonal or tissue-culture mahogany seedlings from private nurseries — selected from straight-stemmed, fast-growing mother trees for better form and timber yield, though the shoot-borer problem remains unsolved by genetics.

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