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View crop Data sheet EcoPortPongamia pinnata
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| Notes |
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| DESCRIPTION: Fast growing, glabrous, deciduous, tree to ca 25 m tall, branches drooping; trunk diameter to 60 cm; bark smooth, gray. Leaves imparipinnate, shiny; young leaves pinkish red, mature leaves glossy, deep green; leaflets 5-9, the terminal leaflet larger than the others; stipels none; stipules caducous. Flowers fragrant, white to pinkish, paired along rachis in axillary, pendent, long racemes or panicles; calyx campanulate or cup-shaped, truncate, short-dentate, lowermost lobe sometimes longer; standard suborbicular, broad, usually with 2 inflexed, basal ears, thinly silky-haired outside; wings oblique, long, somewhat adherent to the obtuse keel; keel petals coherent at apex; stamens monadelphous, vexillary stamen free at the base but joined with others into a closed tube; ovary subsessile to short-stalked, pubescent; ovules 2, rarely 3; style filiform, upper half incurved, glabrous; stigma small, terminal. Pod short stalked, oblique-oblong, flat, smooth, thickly leathery to sub-woody, indehiscent, 1-seeded; seed thick, reniform. USES: As an ornamental in gardens and along avenues and roadsides, for its fragrant Wisteria-like flowers, and as a host plant for lac insects. Flowers are considered a good source of pollen for honeybees in India and they yield adequate nectar. With a calorific value of 4 600 kcal/kg, pongam is commonly used as a fuel wood. A preferred species for controlled soil erosion and binding sand dunes because of its extensive network of lateral roots. Incorporation of leaves and the press cake into soils improves fertility. The seeds contain pongam oil, a bitter, red brown, thick, non-drying, nonedible oil, 27-36% by weight, which is used for tanning leather, soap, as a liniment to treat scabies, herpes, and rheumatism and as an illuminating oil. The seed oil is under investigation as a renewable source of bio-diesel. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. FURTHER INF.: It is native to humid and sub-tropic environments and is common along waterways or seashores, with its roots in fresh or saltwater. It is reported as native to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand and exotic in Australia, China, Egypt, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tonga and the United States of America. It occurs naturally in lowland forest on limestone and rocky coral outcrops on the coast, along the edges of mangrove forest and along tidal streams and rivers. It can be found at elevations between sea level and 1200 m. In its natural habitat, the species tolerates a wide temperature range. Mature trees withstand light frost and temperatures of up to 50°C. Reported temperature range for growth is 10-50°C with the optimum between 16-38°C. It is drought resistant and well adapted to adverse climatic conditions; prolonged drought may however kill seedlings. Reported annual rainfall range for growth is 400-2500 mm with the optimum between 500-2000 mm. In addition to rain, trees require a dry season of 2-6 months. It is a shade bearer and can grow under the shade of other trees, it is, however, not a shade demander and grows well even with full overhead light. It is well adapted to adverse soil moisture conditions and waterlogging. It can grow on most soil types but best growth is found on deep well-drained sandy loams with assured moisture, it will however also grow on sandy soils and heavy swelling clay soils. It does not do well on dry sands. It is very tolerant of saline conditions and alkalinity. Reported soil pH range for growth is 6-9 with the optimum between 6.5-8.5. Nodulation is reported on pongam. In nurseries and fields the presence of nodules on un-inoculated pongam seedlings is common. Therefore, this species may not be specific in its Rhizobium strain requirement. It nodulates and fixes atmospheric nitrogen with Rhizobium of the cowpea group. Propagation methods: Natural reproduction is profuse by seed and common by root suckers. Spontaneous seedlings and root suckers are produced and may cause serious weed problems. Direct sowing is common and most successful. Seeds require no pre-treatment and germinate within 7 days to 1 month of sowing. Germination is hypogeal and the radicle develops quickly before the plumule emerges. In the nursery, it can be planted at a close spacing, as young plants tolerate shade well; in India a spacing of 7.5 x 15 cm is recommended. Seedlings attain a height of 25-30 cm in their first growing season. Transplanting to the field should occur at the beginning of the next rainy season when seedlings are about 60 cm in height. Seedlings have large root systems and soil should be retained around the roots during transplanting. Easily established by direct seeding or by planting nursery-raised seedlings or stump cuttings of 1-2 cm root-collar diameter. Propagation by branch cuttings and root suckers is also possible. Tree Management: Seedling survival and growth benefit from annual weed control for the first 3 years after transplanting. Growth of young trees is fairly slow; a growth of 1.3 m in height and 0.4 cm in diameter in 13 months was recorded in India. Trees coppice well and can also be pollarded. When planted as a shade or ornamental tree, pruning may be necessary to obtain a trunk of appropriate height. The spacing adopted in avenue planting is about 8 m between plants. In block plantings, the spacing can range from 2 x 2 m to 5 x 5 m. Individual trees yield 9-90 kg of pods annually, (8-24 kg of seeds). The lateral spread of roots on this species, about 9 m in 18 years, is greater than most other species; moreover it produces root suckers profusely. Because of these characteristics, pongam is usually unsuitable for agro-forestry and has the potential to become a weed if not managed carefully; it also attracts many pests and diseases. |
Sources |
| ICRAF Agroforestry Database Purdue NewCROP |