Hemi-parasitic establishment in root zone of white sandal (santalum alnum l.): a documentary from West Bengal

The white sandalwood plant Santalum album L. is a tree species has been proved its ability to adopt various ecological conditions since ancient time. Like other terrestrial tree species Santalum album L. can grow in various soil conditions also though it requires hosts at least two years for up-taking nutrition for its proper establishment on soil. Santalum album L. has a special nutrient up-taking haustorial mechanism. It forms small campanulate haustoria on the roots of host plant to make parasitic relationship. The haustorial structures are not only found on the tap roots and rootlets of the host but also found on the tubers of the host. The haustorium is consists of a peripheral hyaline body and a central penetration peg like structure. This peg gives sufficient pressure and secrete cell wall degrading bio-chemical fluid to make a proper and sure relation with the host. The entire host parasite interface is made up of parenchymatous tissue (K.U.Tennakoon and D.D. Cameron, 2006). We could trace out a little bit relationship of Santalum album L. with different host plants. We could find three different host plants in this phase of work which were not recorded previously elsewhere. The aims and objects of this investigation were to prove the hidden relationship between Santalum album L. with different host plants for which the possible morpho-physiological and anatomical evidences have been illustrated in this context.