21/07/2021
Teak wood habitat
Teak is a type of large tree, straight trunk, can grow to a height of 50-70 m. Large leaves, which fall in the dry season. Teak is known to the world by the name of teak (English). The name is derived from thekku (തേക്ക്) in Malayalam, the language of the southern Indian state of Kerala. The scientific name of teak is Tectona grandis L.f.
Teak can grow in areas with rainfall of 1 500 – 2 000 mm/year and a temperature of 27 – 36 °C both in the lowlands and highlands. The best place for teak growth is soil with a pH of 4.5 – 7 and not flooded with water. Teak has wide elliptical leaves and can reach 30-60 cm when mature.
Teak is slow growing with low germination (usually less than 50%) which makes natural propagation difficult and thus insufficient to cover the demand for teak. Teak is usually produced conventionally using seeds. However, the production of large quantities of seeds in a certain time is limited due to the hard outer layer of the seeds. Several alternatives have been made to overcome this layer such as soaking the seeds in water, heating the seeds over low heat or hot sand, and adding acids, bases, or bacteria. However, this alternative is still not optimal to produce teak in a fast time and in large quantities.
In general, Teak that is in the process of seeding is susceptible to several diseases, including leaf spot disease caused by Phomopsis sp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Alternaria sp., and Curvularia sp., leaf rust caused by Olivea tectonea, and powdery mildew caused by Uncinula tectonae. Phomopsis sp. is the most common infection, 95% of seedlings were infected in 1993-1994. Read more article at our website www.teakindo.com
