Udhampur Forestry Division at J&K Presents ‘Seed Ball’ as Part of Planting Campaign

With the aim of increasing afforestation and reaching the target of planting 1.30 crore of saplings this year, the forestry division of Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir has introduced the concept of ‘seed ball’ in as part of the “Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive-2021” which launched in the state on Friday.

Launched by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the campaign aims to regrow trees on all degraded and barren land in Union territory inside and outside forests. Started at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu, Sinha planted a young “cupressus” tree on campus to mark the start of the training.

And as part of this ambitious campaign, the seedball concept has been introduced in areas such as the Udhampur Forestry Division. The planting initiative is in line with the 1988 National Forest Policy and 2011 Jammu and Kashmir Forest Policy.

So how will seed balls help reforestation? Forester Rajnish Sharma explained, “The seed balls contain different varieties of seeds. These bullets would be thrown into hilly and inaccessible areas.

So how exactly do these seed balls work? Sometimes called earth balls, they are made of different types of seeds rolled with clay and often enriched with humus or compost.

Using seed balls for growing trees and in gardening is relatively easy. These balls protect the seed once they are dispersed in the soil. However, they do not start to sprout as soon as they are scattered and should receive a fair amount of rain. Rainwater helps completely cover the clay and seeds, which in turn helps the germination process.

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