ICFRE Approves Release of 18 High-Yielding Varieties/Clones of Important Forestry Tree Species

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, and its nine constituent institutes are actively engaged in tree improvement programmes aimed at enhancing the yield, quality, resistance, adaptability and productivity of important forestry tree species to meet the growing demand for quality planting material for domestic consumption and industrial requirements.

As part of its continued efforts towards the development and deployment of genetically improved planting material, five ICFRE institutes, namely, ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore; ICFRE-Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur; ICFRE-Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB), Hyderabad; ICFRE-Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP), Ranchi and ICFRE-Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bangalore have developed and evaluated high-yielding clones and varieties of Casuarina,Tectona grandis, Neolamarckia cadamba, Melia dubia and Flemingia semialata.

The Variety Releasing Committee (VRC), in its meeting held on 11 September 2026 under the chairmanship of Shri Sushil Kumar Awasthi, Director General of Forests & Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC),Government of India, and the co-chairmanship of Smt. Kanchan Devi, Director General, ICFRE, accorded approval for the release of 18 improved varieties/clones of these important forestry species.

ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore, has developed two promising clones of Casuarina, namely IFGTB-CH-2 and IFGTB-CH-5, which were evaluated and recommended by the Regional Variety Testing Committees (RVTC) of ICFRE-IFGTB, Coimbatore,ICFRE-TFRI, Jabalpur and ICFRE-IFB, Hyderabad.Following successful evaluation and recommendation, IFGTB-CH-2 and IFGTB-CH-5,for the first time, have been recommended for all-India release.

ICFRE-Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP), Ranchi, has developed and recommended five improved varieties of Melia dubia and two varieties of Flemingiasemialatafor regional release, following their evaluation and recommendation through Regional Variety Testing Committee.

ICFRE-Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore, has also developed and recommended the regional release ofthree improved clones of Tectonagrandis and three clones of Neolamarckiacadamba through its Regional Variety Testing Committee.

In addition, for the first time based upon wood quality assessment, the Regional Variety Testing Committee of the ICFRE-Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bengaluru has recommended the regional release of three improved clones of Tectonagrandis, developed in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.

The development and release of these improved varieties and clones represent a significant contribution towards strengthening the availability of quality planting material for plantation forestry, agroforestry and industrial wood production. The improved genetic material is expected to contribute to enhanced productivity, better growth performance and improved economic returns, while supporting sustainable forestry and meeting the increasing demand for forest-based raw materials.

The VRC meeting was attended by Shri Subharanjan Sen, PCCF & HoFF, Madhya Pradesh; Shri H. Venuprasad, PCCF, Tamil Nadu; Dr. Veena Gupta, Former Principal Scientist,NBPGR; Dr. C. N. Pandey, Principal Technical Advisor, FIPPI; Dr. H. S. Ginwal, Deputy Director General (Research), ICFRE and Member Secretary, VRC; Directors of ICFRE Institutes; Dr. P. S. Rawat, ADG (RP), ICFRE; and the Principal Investigators of the concerned projects.

The PCCF&HoFF (Tamil Nadu) and Dr Salil Kumar Tewari, Professor and Head, Forest Genetics, GBP University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar joined the meeting in online mode.

The release of these improved varieties/clones marks an important milestone in ICFRE’s ongoing efforts to strengthen tree improvement programmes and facilitate the wider dissemination of genetically superior planting material for sustainable forestry and industrial development in the country.