Sandalwood is a highly valued tree known for its fragrant oil. It is native to southern India and Southeast Asia. The oil is 4-6% of the heartwood and is used in perfumes, aromatherapy, and pharmaceuticals. Sandalwood is a hemiparasitic tree that requires a host plant. It grows best in well-drained soil in a hot, humid climate between 600-1050 meters elevation. Proper cultivation practices include selecting an appropriate host at planting, irrigation, and pest and disease management. Mature trees 30-70 years old with a girth over 40cm can be harvested for their heartwood, which is steam distilled to extract the fragrant oil.

1. UNIVERSITY OF HORTICULURAL SCIENCES, BAGALKOT
PMA-301 (1+1)
“Production technology of Sandalwood”
COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE,
BAGALKOT

2. Sandalwood
• It is commonly know as Srigandha or Chandan belongs to the family
Santalaceae.
• The Indian Sandalwood commonly known as East Indian
sandalwood - Santulum album contains highest percentage of oil (4-
6 %).
• Indian Sandalwood is highly priced due to its fragrant wood and oil.
• The sandalwood oil is used as a fixative in world class perfumes,
aromatheraphy, various pharamaceutical preparations and
cosmetics.
• In addition to oil, the wood and its powder are used for religious,
cultural and medicinal purposes especially in the Asian and Arab
regions.

3. • Scope and Importance
• Sandalwood has special place in Indian tradition. It is used from
cradle to cremation
• Sandalwood has high commercial value
• It is used in Cosmetics, soap industry and perfumery
• It is also used in pharmaceutical and aroma therapy
• Encouraged by the government by providing subsidies through
NABARD, NMPB and State Govt
• Economic part: Heart wood and roots
• Constituents: Santalols, Santalenes

4. • Origin and distribution
 Sandalwood tree is indigenous to mountain districts of South India
and Malayan region (South-East Asia).
 In India, sandal is spread over 480 km from Dharwad in north to
Nilgiris in south and 400 km from Coorg in West to Kuppam (AP) in
east.
 It is distributed all over the country and more than 90% lies in
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
 Although it is available in some other countries still the Indian
Sandalwood has retained its dominance over other sources because
of its quality.
 About 90% of world production of sandalwood is from India.

5. • Botany
• Evergreen tree and reaches up to 20 m with girth of over 1.5 m.
• Trees start flowering from 3 years of age. It flowers and fruits twice
a year during March-April and September-October.
• There are around 18 sandalwood species belonging to the genus
Santalum which are; S. spicatum, S. accuminatum, S. ellipticum, S.
freycinetianum, S. haleakalae,, S. peniculatum, S. pyrularium, S.
involutum, S. boninese, S. insulare, S. austrocaledonicum, S. yasi, S.
macgregorii,, S. murrayanum, S. obtusifolium, S. lanceolatum, S.
fernandezianum, S. salicifolium.
• All the sandalwood species are identified as “obligate hemi root
parasites” which means they absorb certain nutrients such as
phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), sodium (Na) and amino acids from the
host trees via root connections called haustoria.

6. • Host plant:
• Sandalwood is a hemi root parasite tree, that draws water and
nutrients from a host via haustoria and suitable host plant is
necessary to achieve desirable growth.
• Weaker the host, slower the sandalwood growth.
• There are about 150 host plants for sandalwood.
• The recommended host plants at the time of planting are redgram,
sesbenia and drumstick (Primary host plants).
• Tree species like casuarina, pongamia, Melia dubia, rosewood,
aonla, cassia, red sanders etc., are recommended as permanent
host plants.
• Prosopis, a drought-tolerant host suits best for sandalwood.

7. Rooting pattern of
sandalwood
Physiological and physical bridge between sandalwood and host through haustorial connection (left-hand
side sandalwood root and right-hand side host root)

9. • Soil:
– The tree grows better in well drained soils having good organic matter.
– Red sandy loamsoils are best for their growth and yield.
– They can tolerate shallow, rocky ground and stony or gravelly soils but
avoid saline or calcareous soils.
– Ideal pH- 6.5-7.5.
• Climate:
– Crop grows well in hot and humid climate at an altitude of 600 and 1050
m.
– The formation of heartwood will be at its best at an altitude of 600 to
900 m and rain fall of 85-135 cm.
– Ideal temperature is 12-35 °C.

10. Inputs
Sl.
No.
Materials Per acre Per hectare
01. No. of plants 400 1000
02. FYM (t) 08 20
03. Fertilizers (kg) Yet to be worked out.

11. • Nursery raising
• Seed beds of size 10 m × 1 m are prepared with sand and red earth
in the ratio of 2:1.
• The seeds at the rate of 2.5 kg is spread uniformly over the bed
covered with 2 cms of sand, watered and mulched with straw.
• The straw is removed when leaves appear.
• To prevent fungul infections the beds are sprayed with 0.25%
Dithane M 45 once in 15 days.
• The beds are watered once or twice a day depending on the climatic
conditions.
Alternanthera- Primary host

12. • Selection of Plants
• The seedlings should be of minimum 1-1.5 ft height with brown
coloured stem (7-8 months old).
• Land Preparation For Planting
• Pits of size 2X2X2 feet should be dug at an escapement of 10X10
feet.
• These pits should be kept open for one week. Later 10-15 kg of FYM
should be added along with 10 kg of Phorate and 10-15 g of
Carbendazim per pit.
• Selected seedlings should be planted later.

13. • Sandalwood plants are hemi root parasite and require a suitable
host plant to achieve desirable growth.
• The recommended host plants at the time of planting are redgram,
sesbenia and drumstick.
• Tree species like casuarina, pongamia, Melia dubia, rosewood,
aonla, cassia, red sanders etc., are recommended as permanent
host plants.

14. • Irrigation
• Flood irrigation is recommended immediately after
planting; drip irrigation is also suitable.
• Initially, for up to one month the seedlings require 7-8
litres of water per day.
• Irrigation also depends on the type of soil. Well drained
lateritic, sandy and sandy loam soils require frequent
irrigation.

15. • Heartwood Formation and Oil Content
• Heartwood formation in sandal trees generally starts around 10-13
years of age, but what triggers this process has not been very well
understood.
• Certain factors, generally relating to stress, such as gravelly dry soil,
and range of elevation (500-700 m) seem to provide the right
environment for the formation of heartwood.
• In a tree the oil content is highest in the root, next highest in the
stem at ground level and gradually decreases towards the tip of the
stem.
• The main constituents of sandalwood oil are alpha santalols and
beta santalols which account for 90-93% of the oil.

17. • Depending upon their age, trees can be called young or mature,
although this is an empirical classification and holds good only for a
particular population.
 Young trees (height less than 10 m, girth less than 50 cm, and
heartwood diameter 0.5-2 cm) have heartwood with 0.2-2 percent
oil content, which has 85 percent santalol, 5 percent acetate, and 5
percent santalenes.
 Mature trees (height 15-20 m, girth 0.5-1 m, and heartwood
diameter 10-20 cm) have heartwood with oil content of 2- 6.2
percent, which has over 90 percent santalol, 3-5 percent acetate,
and 3 percent santalenes.

18. • Pest and diseases
• Wood borers damage the heartwood and cause economic losses. In drier areas
damage by termites generally noticed.
• In addition, sap sucking insects, which sporadically occur, can cause moderate
damage.
• The plantations should be regularly monitored and inspected for symptoms of
damage.
• Damping-off, vascular wilt and powdery mildew diseases occur commonly in
nurseries, especially during mnsoon and cloudy weather.
• As these diseases can rapidly cause severe mortality in the nurseries, continues
monitoring for the symptoms and prophylactic measures need to be adopted.
• Copper-oxy-chloride @ 2g per liter or Carbendazim @ 1g per liter of water may be
applied at monthly interval.

19. • Sandal Spike disease:
• Spike disease is one of the important diseases of sandal.
• This disease is caused by mycoplasma-like organisms (MLO).
• It can occur at any stage of development of the tree. As the disease progresses,
the new leaves become smaller, narrower or more pointed and fewer in number
with each successive year until the new shoots give an appearance of fine spike.
• At the advance stage of disease the inter nodal distance on twigs becomes small,
haustorial connection between the host and sandal breaks and the plant dies in
about 2 to 3 years.
• Spread of disease is sporadic and the disease is transmitted in nature by insect
vector - Nephotettix virescens (Green leaf hopper).
• Management:
– Vector control
– Application of Tetramycin along with Benlate at 2 g/l of water.

21. • Harvesting
• The formation of heartwood commences when the tree is 10 years and it
continues.
• The heartwood formation is maximum when the tree is between 30 and 70 years
of age attaining a girth of 40-60 cm.
• A preliminary assessment of the heartwood proportion and oil content may be
carried out before taking a decision on harvesting.
• The assessment will be necessary to determine the quality and quantity of the
yield.
• The trees are harvested by uprooting and not by cutting.
• After uprooting, the tree top and branches which have no heartwood are
chopped off.
• Yield
• The yield of heart wood varies from locality and the age of the tree.
• On an average, a tree with 50-60 cm girth may yield 19 to 50 kg heartwood.
• Price: Rs. 6000/kg of heart wood.

22. Distillation of oil:
 Oil is extracted from Sandalwood through distillation. Many different methods
are used, including steam distillation, water distillation, CO2 extraction and
solvent extractions.
 Steam distillation is the most common method.
 It occurs in a four-step process, incorporating boiling, steaming, condensation
and separation.
 Water is heated to high temperatures (60–100 °C) and is then passed through the
wood. The oil is very tightly bound within the cellular structure of the wood, but
can be released by the high heat of the steam.
 The mixture of steam and oil is then cooled and separated so that the essential
oil can be collected.
 This process is much longer than any other essential oil's distillation, taking 36 to
48 hours.