Cultivation of Melia dubia Cav.-A fast growing native tree species and constraints faced by the farmers in western region of Tamil Nadu

The present study was conducted in Erode and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu, to find out the problems faced by the Melia dubia Cav. growers in its adoption in their farm-land as block plantation as well as in agroforestry systems. The data were collected from 120 Melia growers through structured questionnaire method. It was found that the recommended practices either did not reach to farming communities or did not practice by them. Most of the farmers do not purchase quality planting material. Melia growers were needed to be addressed and convinced about the usefulness of these silvicultural practices for better growth condition and higher economic returns. Being a new tree species introduced among the farming community, the cultivation techniques were to be brought out in local language for better understanding of the farmers. The major problems faced by the farming community were non-availability of quality planting materials, high cost for seedling from private nursery, pest and disease management, marketing, non-availability of loan or credit facilities, tree insurance and tree cultivation techniques. Melia plantation is generally not adopted by the farmers due to the non-availability of technical inputs and proper extension strategies.