Khair (Acacia catechu)
Knowing the Species
(a) Introduction
Acacia catechu is a deciduous tree with a light feathery crown and dark brown, glabrous,
slender, thorny, shining branchlets, usually crooked. Bark dark brown or dark grey, brown or
red inside, nearly 12-15 mm in thickness, rough, exfoliating in long narrow rectangular flakes
which often remain hanging. Blaze very hard, colour brown and then deep pink.
Branchlets armed with pseudo-stipular spines in pairs below the petioles. Pod 10-15 cm by 2-
3 cm, thin, straight, flat, glabrous dark-brown and shining when mature. Seeds 3-8, about 5
mm in diameter.
(b) Natural Habitat and Classification
Acacia catechu is widely distributed throughout the greater part of India except the most
humid, cold and the driest regions. It is common in the sub-Himalayan tract and outer
Himalayas ascending from 900 to 1,200 m from Jammu to Assam. The record distribution of
khair shows that the various forms of it, rather than overlapping, appear representative of
none or another tolerably well defined areas.
Var. catechu – Found chiefly in Punjab, Garhwal and Kumaon, Bihar and Orissa. In
the sub-Himalayan tract and the outer Himalayas, it ascends upto 900-1200 m
elevation.
Var. catechuoides – Found chiefly in Sikkim terai, West Bengal and Assam. This is
the Burmese form.
Var. sundra – Found chiefly in the Indian Peninsula. This is southern and western
form occurring in the Deccan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Thus the var. catechu has never been found in Eastern Himalayas nor in Assam. The
var. catechuoides is apparently absent from the Western peninsula. The var. sundra which is
now given specific rank Acacia chundra, is confined to Deccan, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Southern
Maharashtra only.
Classification
Acacia catechu occurs in tropical moist deciduous forests, dry tropical forests and tropical
thorn forests in the following sub-types as given by Champion and Seth (1968).
In low alluvial savannah wood land (3/1S1) associated with Bombax ceiba, Butea
monosperma, Dalbergia sissoo, etc.
In Southern tropical dry deciduous forests (5 A), Khair occurs in very dry teak forests
(5 A/C1a) and dry teak forest (5A/C1b), associated with associates of teak. It also
occurs in southern dry mixed deciduous forests (5A/C3). Common associates are
Terminalia alata, Boswellia serrata, Azadirachta indica etc.
In northern tropical dry deciduous forest (5B), khair occurs in dry sal bearing forests
(5B/C1), dry Siwalik sal forest (5B/C1a), dry peninsular sal forests (5B/C1c) and
northern dry mixed deciduous forests (5B/C2). Common associates are Shorea
robusta, Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellirica, Boswellia serrata, etc.
Khair occurs in dry deciduous scrub (5/DS1), associated with Nyctanthes arbortristis,
Dodonaea viscosa, Woodfordia fruticosa, Carissa opaca, Flacourtia indica, Lannea
coromandelica etc.
It occurs in edaphic climax types of dry deciduous forests as in Anogeissus forest
(5/E1) m and Aegle forest (5/E6).
It is also found in the seral type of dry deciduous forests as in Khair-Sisam forests
(5/1S2).
In southern tropical thorn forests (6A/C1), Acacia catechu occurs associated with Acacia
leucophloea, Anogeissus latifolia, Azadirachta indica, etc.
Climate
In the natural habitat of khair, the absolute maximum shade temperature varies from 40oC to
50oC and the absolute minimum from 2.5oC to 7.5oC. The mean daily maximum temperature
in May which is generally the hottest month in the hot weather varies from 37.5oC to 43.5oC.
The mean daily minimum temperature in January which is the coldest month of the year
varies from 1.0oC to 2.1oC.
Acacia catechu is essentially a tree of comparatively dry regions though in its alluvial form, it
extends into regions of heavy rainfall as in the Eastern sub-Himalayan tract, where it is found
in places with rainfall as high as 3,800 mm. Away from riverain tracts it occurs in localities
where the normal rainfall varies from 500 to 2160 mm. Khair develops to its maximum size
in localities with heavy rainfall but it is decidedly xerophilous and grows in dry situations
where few other species survive.
Topography
It is found on flat or gently undulating ground and ravine country as well as in hilly region
but seldom extends in areas above 1200 m in elevation above the sea level.
Geology and soil
Khair occurs on a variety of geological formations and soil, though it undoubtedly thrives
best on porous alluvium, composed of sand and shingle and on well drained sandstone. It is
known to occur on granite, gneiss, schist, quartzite, shale, basalt, limestone, conglomerate
and laterite.
(c) Growth Characteristics
A small or medium sized deciduous tree 12-15 m in height. More commonly found as a small
tree 60-90 cm in girth and a bole of 2 to 3 metres. When growing in more favourable
localities, it has a moderately straight and cylindrical stem up to 240 cm in girth and 30 m in
height.
(d) As a Plantation Tree
On account of its hardness and value of wood, khair is an ideal species for the conversion of
miscellaneous forests, containing inferior species and is being used to a considerable extent
for afforestation in Uttar Pradesh. It plays an important part in the afforestation schemes of
ravine lands of the drier parts of U.P. Experiments carried out to investigate the possibility of
afforesting usar land with well defined kankar pan in U.P. indicate that the species is
moderately suitable in mild usar, if planting is done in deep pits filled with better soil.
Utilization of the Species
(a) Properties Including Strength Properties
Physical properties of the wood
Sapwood sharply distinct from heartwood, light yellowish-white or yellow. Heartwood deep
red or reddish brown, darkening on exposure; somewhat lustrous. The wood is hard to very
hard, heavy to very heavy, average weight 1010 kg/m3 at 12% moisture content; somewhat
coarse and even-textured and straight to interlocked grained. The wood has no characteristic
smell or taste.
Mechanical properties
The timber is very strong, very hard, very steady and moderately tough. The figures for its
suitability as a timber for various purposes, expressed as percentages of the same properties
of teak, for specimens from western U.P., are – weight, 147; strength as a beam, 128;
stiffness as beam, 119; suitability as a post or strut, 127; shock resisting ability, 111; retention
of shape, 116; shear, 155; surface hardness, 178; refractoriness (splitting co-efficient), 100;
nail or screw holding property, 148.
Seasoning properties
The timber is highly refractory and liable to end-splitting and surface cracking during
seasoning. It seasons very slowly. It should therefore, be converted soon after the rains and
stacked properly under shade, well protected from rapid drying. Seasoning of thick boards or
planks should be avoided wherever the timber is intended to be further converted into thinner
sections.
The best results in kiln drying with this timber will be obtained by using schedule No.II for
2.5 cm thick planks and suitably increased humidities at the various moisture content steps in
the schedule in case of thicker sections. Wherever practicable, slow partial air-seasoning to
about 25% moisture content before finally taking up kiln seasoning should be attempted. The
pith should be removed from the pieces before seasoning.
The sapwood is not durable. The heartwood is very durable and is described by Pearson as
“one of the most durable Indian woods, which is seldom, if ever, attacked by white ants and
fungi”. There are several records of its having lasted for centuries in temples and it has also
done well in harbour works. Natural durability „graveyard‟ tests carried out at the F.R.I.,
Dehra Dun, have shown an average life of over 20 years.
Working qualities
The timber is hard to saw and machine, especially if the wood is old and dry after seasoning.
A heavy gauge plate saw with closely spaced teeth and shallow gullets gives the best results
and stiff tools should be used in machining and turning. The timber can be turned well. The
wood can, however, be finished to an extremely smooth surface and takes polish well.
(b) Use as Timber, Poles, Pulp and Paper, etc.
Though Khair is chiefly used as a source of katha and kutch, it is also a useful timber. It is
much prized for posts in house construction and also for making rice pestles, oil and sugar-
cane crushers, ploughs, tent-pegs, sword handles and keels and knees of boats. There is,
however, a local superstition against it in parts of Uttar Pradesh on account of which it is not
used in house construction.
Khair is a valuable economic structural timber, the heartwood being naturally durable. This
species has been classified as “Super Group” timber suitable for large spans more than 12 m
and is placed as the first choice of selection for permanent structures (I.S.I., 1962). It is
eminently suitable for tools and tool handles, particularly for mallets and plane bodies. It is
excellent for making spokes and hubs of wheels.
Sapwood of khair is a waste product in katha industry as it does not find at present any use
except as a fuel. Since the katha manufacturers use the spent heartwood chips as a fuel in
their boilers and bhattis, considerable quantity of the sapwood is literally wasted.
It can be seen from the results of chemical composition of the wood obtained at the F.R.I.
Dehra Dun, that the sapwood of khair trees, if collected economically, can be profitably
utilized for producing bleached cellulose which will find use in multifarious cellulose based
industries like CMC, cellulose acetate, ethers, and even for paper and paper boards if made
available in large quantities.
(c) Use as Fodder
It is considered to be a good fodder tree and is extensively lopped to feed goats and at time
cattle also. The plants are also browsed by cattle, rhinoceros, deer and elephant. The leaves
contain 13.03-18.72% crude protein, 46.69-50.96%N free extract and 0.14-0.17%
phosphorus. Total digestible nutrients are 46.33 kg. of dry material. The nutritive ratio is
15.0. The digestibility values are moderately high which shows that the leaves are feed for
cattle on the basis of crude protein, crude fibre and tannin contents. The leaf fodder Acacia
catechu is rated as good.
(d) Use as Fuel
It is also used as fuel and furnishes charcoal of good quality, the calorific value of moisture
free sapwood being 5142 calories (9256 B.T.U.) and that of heartwood 4946 calories (8915
B.T.U.).
(e) Medicinal Uses
The different parts of the tree have a variety of medicinal uses, which in haemoptysis
(spitting of blood). A paste of the bark is useful in conjunctivitis. The bark is reported to be
useful in the treatment of snake bites.
Flowers: A mixture of flower tops, cumic, milk and sugar is useful in gonorrhea.
Wood: Cutch and katha obtained from the heartwood have great medicinal value. It is
cooling, digestive and a very valuable astringent, specially in chronic diarrhea and
dysentery, bleeding piles, uterine haemorrhages, leucorrhoea, gleet, atonic dyspepsia,
chronic bronchitis, etc. It is also useful in cases of mercurial salivation, bleeding or
ulcerated or spongy gums, hypertrophy of the tonsils, relaxation of the uvula, aphthous
ulceration of the month, etc.
A mixture of catechu and myrrh (Kathol) is usually prescribed as a tonic and as a
galactagogue to women after confinement.
Kheersal is used as a remedy for chest diseases, especially for the treatment of asthama,
cough and sore throat.
(f) Katha (Catechu)
The most important product obtained from Acacia catechu var. catechu proper is katha or
catechu. This is obtained by boiling chips of heartwood with water. In India two varieties are
marketed katha or pale catechu and cutch or dark catechu. As sold in the bazaar, katha is
found in irregular pieces or small square blocks of grayish colour, which on breaking show a
crystalline fracture.
There is a very large internal demand for it for masticatory use in pan preparations and in
medicine. Katha is regarded as astringent, cooling and digestive and is useful in sore throat,
cough and diarrhea. Externally it is employed as an astringent and as cooling application to
ulcers, boils and eruptions on the skin. It is an indispensable ingredient of pan preparations.
In combination with lime, it gives the characteristic red colouration resulting from the
chewing of pan.
Dark catechu or cutch, which is mainly obtained as a by-product of the katha industry is
marketed in the form of small cubes or blocks, rusty brown or dull orange in colour and of
conchoidal fracture. It is used only for industrial purposes. It is largely used for dyeing cotton
and silk and preserving of fishing nets, sailing ropes and mail bags; in water softening and in
the manufacture of stencils and printers ink.
(g) Other Uses
Tanning: The astringent bark is sometimes used for tanning.
Lac: Khair is a very good host plant for growing the Katki or Aghani crop in alternation
with the normal Rangeeni or Kusumi hosts. This species is unsuitable for the Baisakhi or
fethwi crops due to non-possession of sufficient vitality during the late winter and early
hot weather months to bear a lac crop. This species is best used for raising the Aghani
crop and produces an encrustation equal in quality and quantity to that produced on
kusum (Schleichera oleosa). The brood from the infestation of khair with kusum brood
takes very well when used to infect kusum again in January-February. The resulting lac is
of good quality.
Gum: The gum from khair is said to be of very good quality and is regarded as the best
substitute for true gum arabic. The tears may be as large as 3 cm in diameter and pale
yellow to dark amber in colour. It is not collected separately and is generally mixed up
with other Acacia gums.
Natural Regeneration
Under natural conditions, the seed is disseminated by wind. The seeds adhere to the light pod
valves after the pods dehisce and are often blown to a considerable distance from the trees. In
alluvial tracts, dissemination of the seed is further effected by water. Though the seed itself is
rather heavy, the pod with seeds get washed down and the seeds rubbed off among the sand
and boulders of newly thrown up islands and banks.
Germination takes place in the beginning of the rainy season and the early development of
the seedling is greatly favoured on loose soil free from weeds. Thus on alluvial sand or
gravel, countless number of small seedlings may be found in the early part of the rainy season
not only in the open but also under a comparatively dense cover. In the latter case they die
rapidly owing mainly to shade and to damping off and by the end of the season, most of the
seedlings disappear. In the open, a fair proportion survives provided the seedlings are
protected from grazing.
The cattle are very fond of young shoots and closure of areas under regeneration has
strikingly beneficial results. Frequently, there is a high mortality from drought, particularly if
the soil is stiff or shallow and the roots have difficulty in penetrating it. The seed germinates
readily with heavy rain and although germination takes place ordinarily at the
commencement of the monsoon, it may begin earlier in the season in case of early heavy
showers of rain; when this happens the seedlings generally die off or the germinating seed
perishes in the ensuring spell or dry weather. Such mortality is particularly marked in the case
of seeds germinating on the surface of the ground.
In wet and sodden grass, however, the seedlings damp off. Khair seed is very delicate and is
at once killed by the slightest damage from fire. As the seed falls in January and February,
that is to say, just before the fire season commences, fires must be rigidly kept out from the
areas under natural regeneration. The slightest carelessness in this respect may jeopardise a
whole year‟s natural regeneration.
The freedom with which natural reproduction of khair springs up in alluvial riverain tracts is
remarkable. The chief factors favouring it in such localities are the new loose soil free from
heavy weeds and the abundance of light while the soil moisture obtained by percolation no
doubt also assists the development of the seedlings.
As the crops become older and elevated above the river bed through changes in the course of
the river, the conditions for natural regeneration change. The ground becomes harder and a
dense undergrowth of Adhatoda vasica or other plants frequently makes its appearance.
Under such conditions, natural reproduction is no longer possible and although it continues to
take place where new alluvium is thrown up, it ceases under the old crops.
Nursery Practices
(a) Nursery Site
Nursery work presents little difficulty, provided the nursery site fulfills the basic conditions
of complete overhead light, a sandy loam soil, adequate irrigation and drainage. Soil working
may be required especially in the case of heavier soils of the nurseries.
(b) Seed Collection and Storage
As a rule the tree seeds well almost every year and produces abundant crop of pods. The
seeds adhere to the light pod valves after the pods dehisce and are often blown to a
considerable distance from the trees. Seed fall takes place in the month of January and
February. Khair seed is very delicate and is at once killed by the slightest damage from fire.
The seeds can be collected by lopping small pod bearing branches in December or early
January and spreading them in the sun for a few days. The pods are then heaped on a gunny
bag and beaten with sticks. The pods are separated by shaking and winnowing in a flat
basket.
(c) Sowing
It is advisable to sow the seeds in the year in which they are collected. Seeds are sown in the
nursery in the month of April or May. Germination commences from about the 4th day after
sowing and its completion may linger on upto 36 days. It is better to soak the seeds in cold
water for 24 hours before sowing. In West Bengal, the pods are soaked in water for one or
two days in May and then sown, there being no need to separate the seed.
(d) Irrigation
Irrigation is essential in the nursery till the out break of monsoon. The seedlings require daily
irrigation with a precaution that the water does not accumulate at the roots of the plants.
(d) Weeding
One of the commonest form of mortality in the case of seedlings in a heavy growth of weeds
is the damping off to which they are subject during the rains. For optimum growth, nursery
should be kept free of weeds as these are liable to kill seedlings by suppression. It is therefore
advisable to carryout regular weeding programmes especially in the rainy season.
Planting Practices for the Species
(a) Direct Sowings
Direct sowing gives good results and its very easy. The methods of sowing vary under
different conditions. In the grassy savannahs of Avadh, line sowings have proved successful
in spite of a fairly tall growth of grass in the rains.
In areas flooded for long periods in the monsoon, Khair should be sown on mounds at least
61 to 76 cm in height so that the seedlings do not remain submerged in water for a long
period; a few weeks‟ submersion is not fatal.
Broadcast sowing has also been frequently tried, often with success: where suppression from
weeds is to be feared, however, it cannot be compared with line sowings. The method which
has succeeded best and is also very cheap is that of line sowings with or without the raising of
agricultural crops and is being adopted in several parts of India.
(b) Taungya Technique
In Uttar Pradesh, large areas of miscellaneous forests of little value have been converted into
plantations of valuable species such as Acacia catechu by line sowings with rains, weeding
and fencing.
The annual coupe is clearfelled, the timber and firewood extracted and the area divided up
into plots varying size from 0.4 to 1.6 ha and distributed among the cultivators. The
cultivators then prepare the land for sowing, by burning the slash, up rooting the stumps if
necessary and working the soil by hoeing or ploughing.
In many places unrestricted cultivation with any field crop is allowed in the first season. In
the second season, the ground is prepared for the sowing of the selected tree crop in lines
which may be kept 4.6 to 7.6 meters apart and the sowing of this and the field crop is done at
the appropriate time. Both the forest crop and the agricultural crop grow up simultaneously
and the cultivators undertake to keep the seedlings well weeded and to prevent the field crop
from shading and suppressing the seedlings.
Cultivators may continue to take out field crops and tend the seedlings along with them from
1 to 3 years after the introduction of the tree crop, depending upon the fertility of the soil and
the rate of growth of the seedlings. In the meanwhile they also get each year freshly cleared
areas for sustained working. When the seedlings render taking out of field crop from an area
uneconomic, that area is no longer cultivated and left for normal protection by forest staff.
This system of cultivation promotes vigorous growth, the thorough working of the soil and
the weeding causing the roots to strike deep down from the commencement.
Mechanized plantations
In the mechanized plantations, the annual felling coupes are of several hundred hectares. The
standing forest is marked for clear felling and sold by auction, with a stipulation that all the
trees are felled by uprooting upto 60 cm depth and all the old stumps as well as the surface
roots are dug out by the purchaser. This operation as well as the extraction and removal of all
the produce and roots is under sale-deed to be completed in the winter season.
The area so cleared is given a hot burn and is first fully ploughed, then harrowed and finally
ridged by tractors, the last operation consisting of laying out 45 cm high parallel ridges
spaced 3-4 m apart centre to centre throughout the area. A system of roads and paths is then
laid out, dividing the large coupe area into smaller plots of about 20-30 hectares. These plots
are leased out for cultivation for 1-2 years, with the condition that the lessee will also look
after, weed and tend the forest plants sown or planted along the ridges, together with his own
crop.
Khair and other seeds are sown in the ridges in the 3rd week of June. The seed germinates
with the out-break of monsoon and seedlings are weeded by the lessee. Three weedings have
to be carried out by him in the first year, three in the second year and two in the third year.
The area is already fenced in the summer of the first year and remains so till the plantation is
about 6 years old.
On the termination of lease the fire protection work is carried out by the forest department by
laying out a number of fire lines round the coupe and plots and keeping them clear by cutting
and burning the grass in late winter or spring. Sometimes the tall grasses in the intermediate
strips between the ridges are hoed down by tractors to reduce their inflammability. The
pressed grass may, after the plantation has become high enough, with all precautions, be
control-burnt in cold weather.
(c) Root and Shoot Cuttings (Stumps)
Under optimum conditions, Khair can also be propagated by stumps. The stumps should be
made from seedlings about 15 months old raised in nurseries from seed sown in April of the
previous year and irrigated till the break of monsoon. Cuttings should be made from well
developed seedlings. The root and shoot should be 23 to 31 cm and 2.5 to 5.0 cm
respectively.
The best size of stumps at the root collar is 10 to 15 mm in diameter. The seedlings under 10
mm in diameter at root collar do not make good cuttings, while seedlings thicker than 15 mm
in diameter at root collar do not produce satisfactory shoots or fail to produce shoots. Planting
of stumps should be done soon after the break of rains: delayed planting is not advisable.
Under irrigated conditions stumps can be planted during March-April.
Entire planting
In recent years entire planting of container plants has been successfully tried, particularly in
Gujarat and Rajasthan. Polythene bags of the size 30 x 10 cm are suitable as containers. In
Indonesia bamboo tubes have been reported used as containers.
Cultural Operations and Its Calender
(a) Weeding
Repeated weedings are necessary in the first two or three years. Two good weedings are
enough but sometimes a third is required in the first rains. One weeding may be necessary in
the third year especially round the backward plants. The amount of weeding needed will
depend on the site.
(b) Cleaning, Thinning, etc.
Khair seedlings usually come up in a congested crop. In the early cleanings, plants may be
spaced about 80 to 120 cm apart. Early thinnings are very important for the proper
development of the crop. All shade, even lateral, must be removed. Normally the first
thinning should not be delayed beyond the 5th year. If grown pure, it requires repeated
climber cuttings. In taungya plantations, like that of North Gonda, the fist cleaning is done at
the age of 3 years. Subsequently thinnings are done at the ages of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years.
The first three thinnings are mechanical, in which a spacement equal to half to average crop
height is aimed at.
In coppice crops, it becomes necessary to reduce the number of the several coppice shoots
sprouting from a single stump to one or two within 3-5 years.
Pest, Diseases and Deficiencies
Khair seedlings are comparatively resistant to damping off disease in the nurseries, however,
water logging may sometimes predispose the seedlings to damping off in the early stage of
development.
(a) Root Rot
Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss.) Karst. Causes serious mortality due to root rot in reforested
stands. Khair is susceptible to the attack of pathogen at all ages. The affected plants exhibit
pale foliage followed by drying. Young plants are killed soon after infection while the mature
trees die when most of the roots become affected.
The fungus produces thin while mycelial mat between the bark and wood and causes white
spongy rot in the sapwood. Fruit bodies of the fungus develop at the base of affected trees
which are stalked and corky. The stalk and upper surface are dark brown, and lightly zoned.
Lower surface is white when fresh, turning light brown on drying and covered with minute
circular pores. The spores are produced in abundance and are deposited on the adjoining
weeds or grass as brown red powdery mass.
The disease can effectively be checked by extraction of old stumps and cleaning of debris
from the site, digging of isolation trenches in young plantations, planting of resistant species
like
Bombax ceiba and Ailanthus excelsa and mixed cropping (50:50) with resistant species.
(b) Heart Rot
Fomes badius Berk. Causes heart rot in Khair and is common in all Khair forests, both
natural and planted. Sporophores develop on the branches and trunk and are the main source
of identification of diseased trees. They are perennial, hoof-shaped, sessile, hard and woody.
Upper surface is brown or black, cracking with age.
Lower surface is dull brown with numerous minute pores. The fungus causes decay in the
heart wood only. Sapwood remains healthy and free from infection. Initially the heartwood
changes to deep brown in colour, but later becomes yellow, spongy and mottled. The heart rot
increased with age of tree and mature trees become unfit for extraction of cutch and katha due
to its complete disintegration.
The disease can be managed to some extent by avoiding injuries to the trees and by
periodically removing the sporophoces from the trees and burying them in the soil.
(c) Other Diseases
Apart from the above, minor diseases, infect the foliage of trees. Erysiphe acaciae causes
powdery mildew and Microstromata acaciae produces snowy-white tufts on the lower
surface of Khair leaves. Leaf rust by Ravenelia tandonii is common in North India. Among
phanerogamic parasites Khair is attacked by Macrosolen, cochinchinensis and in H.P. by
Loranthus sp.
(d) Pests
Beetles, larvae of borers, defoliators and sap suckers cause severe damage to the young living
plants.
Deers, pigs, wild elephants, porcupines, rats and domestic animals also damage young plants.
Growth Yield and Management of the Species
The following statement shows the average rate of growth based on the measurements of 14
sample plots of Saharanpur, Rohilkhand, Ramnagar, Lansdowne, Haldwani, Baharaich and
Terai and Bhabar Forest Division of Uttar Pradesh.
Average rate of growth
Age (in years) Crop Height (in metre) Crop Diametre (in cms)
10 11.27 12.2
20 16.15 18.8
30 18.59 22.4
40 19.81 25.4
50 20.73 27.7
60 21.34 29.7
70 21.64 31.2
The following table shows the total volume (Over Bark) and total volume (Under Bark) in
cubic metres.
D.B.H. (in cms) Volume (Over Bark) (in Volume (Under Bark) (in
cubic metre) cubic metre)
10 0.13151 0.10084
20 0.18502 0.14195
30 0.49415 0.39836
40 0.86718 0.70860
50 1.26577 1.04037
The following table gives the yield of Khair for good, moderate and poor site qualities. The
table is based on the data of 10 sample plots distributed in Haldwani, Terai & Bhabar,
Siwalik, Ramnagar, Lansdowne divisions and Silviculture Nursery at Clutterbuckganj
(Bareilly).
Age Dominant Number of Trees / ha Total Volume / ha
Height Diameter (in cubic metre)
(in m) (in cms)
Good Sites
10 13.5 23.0 557 9.65
20 18.3 27.0 440 31.31
30 21.1 29.7 349 47.53
40 23.0 31.8 287 59.38
50 24.5 33.4 242 68.48
60 25.6 34.6 208 75.93
Moderate Sites
10 10.6 21.1 557 3.23
20 15.3 25.4 460 18.00
30 18.1 28.3 376 33.34
40 20.1 30.5 312 45.47
50 21.6 32.2 264 55.12
60 22.8 33.5 227 62.97
Poor Sites
10 8.0 18.8 557 0.57
20 12.3 23.5 460 8.22
30 15.1 26.5 396 19.89
40 17.1 28.8 336 31.30
50 18.7 30.7 288 40.96
60 19.9 32.2 250 49.25
Market and Marketable Products, Used as Raw Material in Forest
Based Industries
In India, State Forest departments are the major producers of Khair wood. The wood is
generally disposed off by the respective State Forest Departments/Forest development
corporations at their sale depots.
Wholesale markets are mostly located in towns. These are permanent in nature where
transaction take place daily throughout the year. In these markets (Mandis) the wholesalers
and commission agents play an important role in the sale of produce. During recent years,
with the development roads, communication and transport, there has been a marked increase
in the sales of Khair wood at these markets (mandis).
In M.P., marked Khair trees are cut in the coupe and if the trees are big then logged into
pieces and numbered. Cut Khair wood is transported to depot where it is transferred to one of
the following agencies.
(i) Given to advance purchaser who has tendered the highest rate on log basis for a
particular coupe.
(ii) Given to cooperative societies or cottage industry for making Katha by country
method.
(iii) Supply of Khair wood to Katha factories under contractual obligation.
(iv) In case of default by any of the above agencies Khair wood is auctioned from the
depot.
(a) Khair Wood Used as Raw Material in Katha Industries
About 63,000 tonnes of khair wood (Acacia catechu) in India is annually consumed for
manufacture of cutch & catechu. Chemically the products are catechin (Katha) and
catechutannicacid (cutch). A third article of commerce is also obtained in the shape of a white
powder, known as kheersal, which appears as a deposit in the wood. It is used for medicinal
purposes specially for cough and sore throat.
(b) Yield of Katha (Cutch)
The yield of katha and cutch varies considerably with the season in which the trees are felled
and their girth, age and condition. The maximum yield of katha is obtained from trees felled
in autumn and winter. Trees that are gnarled and crooked are reported to give higher yields
than straight one. Trees of higher girth having white lines on them are preferred. Freshly
felled trees also give higher yields than dried ones. Dead trees are unsuitable for extraction.
Following table depicts yield of katha & cutch from 100 kg. of khair heartwood in different
parts of the country.
States Factories Small scale units
Katha Cutch Katha Cutch
Andhra Pradesh -- -- 2 3
Mumbai (Inc. 4.5 12 3-4 10
Maharashtra & Gujarat)
Madhya Pradesh 1.5-1.7 10-12 3 --
Uttar Pradesh 4.5 10.5 -- --
West Bengal -- 10.5 6.3 --
Average katha yield per trees by the country method (Handi method) is estimated as under –
Tree size girth in cms Average katha yield in kg
31-38 0.210
39-45 0.455
Over 45 0.900
(c) Marketing of Katha and Cutch
Katha is marketed in the form of irregular pieces and small square tablets or blocks of grayish
brown colour, which when fairly pure, exhibit crystalline feature. No regular statistics are
however, available for the widely scattered production of katha and cutch by the cottage scale
manufacturers whose total production may safely be placed at least as equal to the factory
production, if not more.
There are eight katha factories in U.P. located at Izzatnagar, Bareilly Haldwani and
Najibabad. It is in existence for past 50 years or so, while the other are of present origin. The
factory at Izzatnagar processes about 10,000 tons of katha wood and produces about 500 tons
of katha and 1,000 tons of cutch. The remaining factories utilize about 15,000 tons of
heartwood and produce about 400 tons of katha and 1,000 tons of cutch. Their annual
capacity varies from 1,000 to 3,000 tons of heartwood.
Markets and Depots
Following are some of the important Khair wood markets and depots in Northern India.
Haryana - Sonepat, Chachrauli, etc.
Punjab - Roopnagar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Dausya, etc.
Uttar Pradesh - Kishanpur, Gorakhpur, Tulsipur, Najibabad, Gonda, Bareilly, Lakhimpur,
Bahraich,Bijnore, etc.
Uttaranchal - Raiwala
Maharashtra - Chanda, Mhasrul, Kasa, Thane, etc.
Gujarat - Waghai, Songarh, etc.
Bihar - Hazaribagh, Monghyr, etc.
Madhya Pradesh - Sidhi, Panna, Damoh, Sarguja, Sagar, Jabalpur, Sheopur, etc.
Source Institutions for Detailed Information
Detailed information can be obtained from Institutes listed below:
1. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttranchal.
2. State Forest Departments and Forest Development Corporations of U.P., Bihar,
Orissa, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttranchal.
3. Katha factories
4. Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur.
Source: Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun. Khair (Acacia
catechu). Dehradun, Forest Research Institute. 24p.
