Quality assessment of sandalwood (Santalum album l.) from bankura district in West Bengal, India

Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is a precious timber plant which has been serving the world’s population since human civilization. Its valuation depends on the quantity of oil and santalol contents of the heartwood. Normally, heartwood formation starts after 12-15 years of plant age. It depends on the soil characteristics and other climatic factors. Some other factors viz. host plant association, mycorrhizal association etc. can play important role for the survival of the sandalwood plants. Keeping all these views in mind, a venture was undertaken to quantify the produce and to assess the oil quality of the heartwood. The role of host plant association in different gardens of the forest division and oil & alcohol contents (α- and β - santalol) were measured.