A Community-Based Mangrove Planting Handbook for Papua New Guinea by Asian Development Bank;

Author:Asian Development Bank;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Asian Development Bank Institute
Published: 2019-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

3.3 COLLECTING SEEDS

Now that you know how many seeds to plant on a yearly basis, it is time to collect the seeds.

Here are the guidelines:

(i) Identify the appropriate timing of collection. Most species only produce seeds for a few months a year while others produce year-round so collecting propagules and seeds at the right time is critical. Timing will vary from region to region. When fruiting season begins, start looking for seedlings washing up on shore. You will likely need to make several trips over the course of a few weeks to get enough propagules.

(ii) Prepare the collection team. Decide whether a small or large group is needed. Decide on the number of people needed for collecting based on the availability of quality seedlings in the collection area. You may also look for volunteers and train them.

(iii) Use pictures of trees and seeds to collect and teach people how to collect healthy, ripe seeds without damaging the trees or mangrove floor. The team should take large bags to store the collected seeds.

(iv) Collect seeds and propagules from the shore or under mature healthy trees, not directly from trees. Though collecting from trees may be easier, it is likely that the seeds from the trees are not yet mature and you might also damage the trees.

(v) If, however, you do choose to harvest propagules from wild trees, collect propagules/seeds from healthy mature trees, i.e., trees less than 5 years old. The most harvested are propagules from rhizophora species which when ripe have a distinct yellow/reddish collar. Propagules are easily released from the cap when harvested from the tree (see Table A1.5).

(vi) When collecting from the shore, only select healthy, good quality seeds and propagules. Select seeds that are free from physical damage.

(vii) Ball and core seeds from wildings (young saplings between 0.5 m and 1 m tall) if there are not enough seeds or propagules in the area. Wildings are collected either by “balling” with a spade or by “coring” with a corer.

Balling involves inserting the blade of the spade into the soil at the appropriate distance from the wilding and lifting up the chunk of soil containing the wilding. Gently wrap mud around the root ball and wrap the ball in plastic or some other material (e.g., banana leaf) so that the soil is kept intact and the roots are not exposed during transportation.

A corer can be constructed from hollow steel pipes (usually 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long). The corer should have a serrated edge at bottom. Slide the corer over the seedling and push the corer into the ground in a spiral motion. Lift the corer out and carefully shake it to release the plug of soil carrying the wilding. Wrap the plug in plastic or some other material (e.g., banana leaf) so that the roots are not exposed. Place the seedlings in wooden trays to keep them intact when transporting (see Figure 10).

Figure 10: Harvesting Using a Corer

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