Growth Rings and Climate Patterns: Evaluating the Dendrochronological Review of Central and Peninsular India

Dendrochronology has emerged as a vital tool for reconstructing past climates and understanding tree-climate interactions, yet its application in Peninsular India remains limited and uneven. This review synthesizes published studies from the region, covering 20 tree species across 14 families, and reveals a striking dominance of Tectona grandis, which accounts for more than 96% of research efforts. Teak has proven to be a robust proxy for monsoon rainfall and drought events, owing to its distinct growth periodicity and strong climatic sensitivity, but the overwhelming reliance on a single species restricts broader ecological inference. Other promising taxa such as Toona ciliata, Magnolia champaca, and Dalbergia latifolia remain underexplored despite demonstrated dendrochronological potential. Spatially, research is disproportionately concentrated in moist deciduous and evergreen forests, while dry deciduous ecosystems, which may capture stronger precipitation seasonality signals, are underrepresented. Methodologically, most studies emphasize dendroclimatology and ring dating, with limited integration of wood anatomy, density, and isotopic approaches that could deepen climate signal extraction. Collectively, these gaps highlight the urgent need for expanding species coverage, diversifying ecological settings, and adopting interdisciplinary methodologies to strengthen tree-ring science in India. Advancing such efforts will not only refine monsoon reconstructions but also enhance regional climate resilience strategies, water management planning, and long-term ecosystem monitoring under global climate change.