Dalbergia sisso(Sheesham)

Shisham

1. Assignment Submitted To: Dr. Irshad Arshad Shb Submitted By: Name : Muhammad Umer Farooq Reg.No . 2017-B.Sc-Agri- 94 Course Code: FRW-401 Course Title: Agro-forestry,Range and Wildlife Management Assignment Topic: Dalbergia Sisso

2. It is also commonly known as North Indian rosewood .It is a fast growing tree.It is native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southern Iran. It is a hardy deciduous rosewood tree.It is a long crooked tree and it has leathery leaves with whitish or pink flowers . Scientific classification: It is a belong to Kingdom Plantae and order Fabales.It is a belong to family Fabaceae and genus Dalbergia . Common Names: The common name of Dalbergia Sisso are sisu,tahli or tali . In India it is known as biradi and sisau and in Afghanistan it is known as shewa and in Persian it is known as jag. It is the state tree of India’s Punjab state and it is the prvincial tree of Pakistan’s Punjab province. Dalbergia Sisso has a great commercial importance and its wood is commonly known as sheesham or shisham . Dalbergia Sisso

3. Description: It is a deciduous tree with a light crown normally reproduces by seeds and suckers. The maximum height of D. Sisso is 25 m (82 ft) and in diameter 2 to 3m (6 ft 7 inch to 9 ft 10 inch) but usually it is smaller. They have often crooked trunks mainly when growing in the open. D. Sisso has mainly leathery leaves with alternate pinnately compound about 15cm (5.9 inch) long. It has whitish to p[ink flowers upto 1.5cm long and 5-10cm dense clusters in length. D. Sisso has contain 1-5 flat bean shaped seeds 8-10 mm long. The roots are long taproots with numerous surface roots which produce suckers. They have downy and drooping shoots; with established stems with light brown to dark gray bark with thickness of 2.5cm.The upper branches give support to growing crown.

4. Distribution: It is native to Himalayas foothills and it is initially found growing with the banks of river about below the elevation of 3000 ft . Nturaly its range can be upto 4300ft. Climate and Habitat: The average native temperature range is 10-40 degree centigrade but sometimes it may vary from below freezing to nearly 50 degree centigrade. With Average annual rainfall about 2000mm it can stand. It can stand about 3-4 months of droughts. In slightly saline soil sheesham can grow but seedlings are intolerant of shade . Chemistry: Leaves of shisham contain protein, fiber, Ca and pods contain 2% tannin.

5. Special Qualities: Sapwood and heartwood have calorific value of 4.9 and 5.2 kcal/g respectively. It is one of the most useful timber specie of India. Its heartwood is very hard and it is the best wood for the use furniture materials. Uses of Dalbergia Sisso : Construction: The juice of this plant is used for the mixture of wall plaster. Animal Food, fodder, forage Environmental (Agro-forestry, Amenity, Ornamental, Shade and shelter and windbreak) Medicinal, Pharmaceutical (Traditional/folklore)

6. Use as Timber: The color of sheeesham heartwood is golden to dark brown and the color of sapwood is white to pale brownish white . Heartwood is resistant to fungi and the specific gravity is 0.7-0.8 and sometimes sapwood is attacked by dry wood termites and borers. Use as Fuel Wood : It is reported as sapwood has excellent calorific value and heartwood is also has excellent calorific value respectively 4908 kcal/kg and 5181 kcal/ kg.It makes excellent charcoal for heating and cooking. Use as Teeth Brushing: It is first chewed as a toothbrush and then it is used as tonge cleaner. In Pakistan, Africa and the Middle East it is used for this practice.

7. Use as Medicine : In India, It is used for skin diseases and for stomach related issues. About 80% rural people of India start their day by using Teeth cleaning twig with Salvadora persica and Azadirachta indica.In some parts of world sheesham twig are collected and sold in the markets for use of this in rural areas. Cultivation : The propagation of sheesham plants normally take place through root suckers and also by seeds.For better growth we soaked seeds about 48 hours before sowing.By this process we get about 60% to 80% germination in 1 to 3 weeks. Seedlings also needs partial or full sun for better growth. Harvesting : Shisham is used for grazed or cut when needed. Branches are cut for used as fuel in villages .

8. Yields and Economics : References: The plant list: A working list of all plant species Tudge , Colin (2005). The tree. New York: Random House. p. 182