WBC-VIII-Vol.4 – Resources – Forestry, Plantations and ... - BambuSC

Background: KEFRI Trial Plantations
In 1988 the Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI), through the initiative of Dr. Bernard Kigomo, started a
bamboo research program that involved the establishment of trial plantations of exotic bamboo species in six
locations within three regions of Kenya. The 6 trial plantations sites of KEFRI are located in (i) Kakamega and
(ii) Siaya in the Lake Region, (iii) Muguga and (iv) Penon in the Highlands, and (v) Gede and (iv) Jilore in the
coastal region.
Some of the bamboo planting materials that were used in the trials were obtained in Kenya but most of the
germplasm was imported from Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, India, Thailand, and Japan in the form of seeds
and vegetative material. The germplasm was mass propagated at the KEFRI nursery in Muguga and
subsequently planted in the trial sites between 1988 and 1990.
An initial study of the trials was made by KEFRI in 1995 and published by Dr. B. N. Kigomo and
Mr. G. O. Sigu (1996). Their study provides details of the characteristics of the planting sites, the form (i.e.,
seeds, rhizomes, offsets, or cuttings) and provenance of the germplasm, the species planted in each site, as well
as success or failure, and growth performance of each species per site.
Objectives and Expected Results of the Plantation Analyses
The objective of studying the KEFRI trial plantations was to analyze the trial plantations in various regions
Kenya in order to provide up to date information on species to site matching, with specific focus on identifying
suitable species for developing bamboo plantations in the Lake Region, Highlands and coastal regions of Kenya.
Due to time limitations and logistical constraints, only 4 out of the 6 KEFRI trials sites were studied, namely:
Kakamega, Muguga, Gede and Jilore.
Since the trial sites at Siaya in the Lake Region and Penon in the Highlands were not visited, it was therefore not
possible to analyze and compare the results of the trials plots in Penon to those of Muguga, nor to compare the
results of the Kakamega trials to those of Siaya.
The characteristics of these sites included in this study are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Characteristics of KEFRI Bamboo Trial Sites
Site KAKAMEGA MUGUGA GEDE JILORE
Region Lake Region Highlands Coastal (Malindi) Coastal (Malindi)
Coordinates 0°14’S / 36°38’E 1°54’S / 34°15’E 3°20’S / 40°5’E 3°12’S / 39°55’E
Altitude 1,675 m asl 2,050 m asl 50 m asl 80 m asl
Temperature (min) 17°C 11°C 22°C 24°C
Temperature (max) 33°C 28°C 33°C 34°C
Annual Rainfall 1100-1950 mm 900-1500 mm 900-1400 mm 550-1000 mm
Soils Dark Brown Loams Deep Dark Red Clay
Loams
Source: Kigomo & Sigu, 1996.
Sandy White Loams Sandy-red compact
sandy soils
VIII World Bamboo Congress Proceedings Vol 4-117