Quality Planting Material may be defined as ‘the production of uniform, healthy, disease-free planting material raised through seed or vegetative methods with an overall goal to raise the physiological and phytosanitary quality of the plant available to stakeholders to increase productivity’.
Planting material of authentic vegetative or seed origin produced in advanced technology nurseries or tissue culture labs, with proven track record of high survival percentage in the field, faster growth, higher yield, resistance to pest and diseases, adaptability to local bio-physical, climatic and socio-economic conditions, and with high market demand, will be considered as Quality Planting Material. It should originate from properly established seed orchards, clonal orchards, produced by advanced technology nurseries. The mother stock used for production of QPM in hi-tech and satellite nurseries (temporary nurseries established near the plantation sites) should be of diverse genetic origin.
Correct identification of tree species should be done by an acknowledged expert in tree taxonomy. The use of DNA barcoding for precise identification is a modern technology that could be further developed and used to confirm the species identity.
Genetically superior trees at the mature stage of growth and with the flowering cycle documented should be used for multiplication in accredited regional/provincial nurseries. Establishment of clonal and seed orchards at the nurseries, research institutes, and agricultural universities will ensure that tested seed and clones are available for mass propagation.
Correctly identified seeds and genetically superior clones of a tree species obtained with the necessary certificates of origin will be mass propagated and the planting material conforming to the quality standards will be labelled as Certified Planting Material by certified nurseries following guidelines issued by a certified agency.