Root sucker technique for successful clonal multiplication of Melia dubia Cav. without sacrifice of mother tree

Melia dubia Cav. is an important indigenous, short-rotation, multipurpose tree, advocated as a good raw material for pulp and plywood industries and high-quality timber for various purposes. Multiplication and conservation of its selected superior genotypes are prime challenges in commercial forestry. The present study was conducted to analyse ischolar_main sucker ability. Roots sections collected during November–December and treated with indole-3-butyric acid @ 4000 ppm in nursery beds having soil : sand : vermicompost (in the ratio of 2 : 1 : 1) started juvenile shoots emergence after 30–35 days, with 90% shoot emergence and 85% esta­blishment. No shoot emergence was observed from the ischolar_main section collected during February–March. The clonal bank established in this process attained a dia­meter of 5–8 cm (10–12 cm above ground) in one year. The study shows that the ex situ detached ischolar_main sucker protocol route can be adopted for cloning M. dubia without sacrificing the superior genotypes