Lucknow, Jul 11 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, for the first time, has taken to sowing seed balls for the climatic and geographical conditions in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions, forest officials said.

The technique has a high-generation probability if done scientifically, officials added.

The sowing of seed balls has already started in forest blocks identified in the Jhansi forest division.

Some seven to eight lakh seed balls will be sown in seven forest divisions of the Bundelkhand region during the monsoon.

A seed ball is a 30 gm ball of soil and compost carrying at least six seeds of locally grown trees within it. As many as 42 local species have been identified for preparation of seed balls.

Two foremost requirements for high germination of seed balls are, higher and longer retention of moisture in soil at places where the seed balls are sown and seed balls having enough nutrition to last them through the longer period of germination, officials said.

Because Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions have hard soil and roots take time to penetrate deep, high nutrition in the balls will last the seed and the adventitious roots (small roots branching out) till the tap root (main root) develops.

While sowing, at least 85 per cent of the seed ball must be inside the soil to allow germination.

Similarly, while making the seed balls, it has to be ensured that it is dried fully; otherwise, the seed will germinate, even if it has the least amount of moisture in it or get fungus, before it is sown.

The least liquid content, water and 'jeevamrut', must be used in binding so that the seed balls dry up quickly.

To soak in the moisture from the mud and compost, rice husk is also used.

The department has trained people to make and sow the material, officials said.

In Vindhya region, surface run-off of water is high, because of which water retention in the soil is less and productivity of soil is also affected.

Because the water run-off rate is higher and the temperature is high, the soil is hard in the region.

The problem of stray cattle may compound it further by grazing on the vegetation on the ground, leaving no mulch.

The seed balls that germinate need to be protected from stray cattle.

"We have seeds from three species, two each, in the ball. This will help us raise multiple species at the same place if we provide them care," said additional principal chief conservator of forest, Bundelkhand, K.K. Singh.