General Information :

• Bark smooth, bluish grey, deciduous in nature except base of the tree.
• Leaves are strongly aromatic in nature.

Distribution :

• Exotic species but naturalized in India

Habitat : The blue gum grows upon the hilly slopes and coastal plains.

Soil : Adoptable under wide range of soil , Clones are available for problem soils.

Altitude :Up to 1100 m (MSL)

Rainfall :500-1500 mm

Temperature : 12-18 °C

Terrain : Plains/hilly.

Tree Characteristics :

• It is a fast growing, strong light demander, tolerate in water-logging, sensitive to weeds, frost and fire tender.
• It has good coppicing ability 

Habit : Evergreen tree

Natural Regeneration :

• Natural regeneration through coppice

Artificial Regeneration :

• Seedlings can be easily propagated by vegetative cutting and nursery raised seedling.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Fertile seeds are produced at early stage.
• The ripe seeds are collected may –August.
• The seeds weigh about 230-350 per gram.
• The germination percentage is 30-80
• One gram of seeds expected to give 45 seedlings.

Seed Treatment :

• No pretreatment is necessary.

Nursery Technique :

• Seed are sown in Feb-March in the mother bed
• 75-100 gms per/m2 bed.
• After sowing, the bed is covered with thin layer of soil and thatches
• Bed should be watered regularly.
• Germination takes place in 10-15 days.
• Tow leaf stage seedlings are pricked out from the mother bed and transferred to poly bag.

Plantation technique :

• Planting is done at the onset of monsoon.
• The land is prepared by loosening the soil through ploughing
• Pit size 30 cm3 and Spacing 3 x 2 m, 3x 3 m and 3.5 m x 3.5 m.

Care & Disease Control :

• In case of coppice origin, coppicing should be at a height of 10-20 cm above the ground.
• Singling of coppice shoots is taken up within 6 months of harvesting.
• Undesirable shoots are cut back during the 1st and 2nd year after sprouting.

Irrigation :

• Drip Irrigation is recommended.

Recommended Harvest :

• Short rotations of 5 - 6 years for pulp and paper.
•  10-15 years for plywood.
• Over matured trees can be used for biomass power plant.

Yield :

•  40-50 tons/ ha *

*Subject to varry according to site factors.

Agro Forestory :

• Crops like Potato and beans are suitable for intercropping

Major uses :

Essential oil:

• The leaves are 1 of the sources of eucalypt oil, and the principal leaf oil is cineole (45%).
• The oil yield percentage by fresh weight is 0.9-1.4%.
• The wood contains 0.5% essential oil. 
• E. globulus ssp. globulus provides good firewood with an oven-dry calorific value of about 19 900 kJ/kg.                                                   

Essential oil:

• The leaves are valuable for the extraction of eucalyptol, commercially important eucalyptus oil. 

Market details :

• Approximately Rs.5000 to Rs.7000/ton*

*Subject to change according to market demands