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

The trial sites of Kakamega and Muguga both have very fertile soils and high annual rainfall and are suitable for
agriculture. The performance of bamboo species in Kakamega can be used as a basis for species selection in the
Lake Region.
At at elevation of just over 2000 m above sea level, Muguga lies in the lower elevation range of Kenya’s
highlands. In areas located between 2,500-3,400m above sea level, the only bamboo species observed in Kenya
is the indigenous species Yushania alpina. At an altitude of up to 2,400m (e.g. Olenguruone) the species
Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vitatta’ is cultivated and grows vigorously. No other exotic species have been observed in
Kenya above this altitude. The performance of exotic bamboo species in Muguga therefore provides an
indication of suitable species in the lower elevation range of Kenya’s highlands.
The trial sites in Kenya’s coastal region, namely Gede and Jilore, have a much lower rainfall, but they are
nevertheless suitable for several tropical bamboos. Some bamboos that performed poorly at Kakamega and
Muguga, showed much better results at the coast. Despite the fact that there are no natural bamboo resources in
the coast, there are initiatives to plant bamboo, especially to meet demands by the tourism industry. The
analysis of the performance of bamboo species under the conditions in Gede and Jilore may therefore be useful
for private farmers in the area.
General Observations and Species Planted
The KEFRI trial plantations have been neglected for many years. Lack of management, clump maintenance and
harvesting and is evident in the weeds between the rows of clumps, the abundance of old or rotting culms within
clumps, the absence of any fertilizer and mulching regime. Each site appears more like a wild bamboo forest
than what is properly called a ‘trial plantation’. The 5m x 5m spacing of clumps provided clear evidence of the
plantation structure, but the deficiency of management made the assessment and analysis of each site extremely
difficult. The sites have not been systematically harvested to measure yield. Instead the sites have mainly been
used as sources of germplasm for further propagation at KEFRI nurseries. Because of the conditions of the site,
the analyses-and especially the assessments of potential yield-were made using conservative assumptions.
The following species and varieties were observed in the trial sites: (1) Bambusa vulgaris; (2) Bambusa vulgaris
‘Vitatta’; (3) Bambusa bambos; (4) Bambusa tulda; (4) Cephalostachyum pergracile; (5) Dendrocalamus asper;
(6) Dendrocalamus brandisii; (6) Dendrocalamus giganteus; (7) Dendrocalamus hamiltonii; (8) Dendrocalamus
membranaceus; (9) Dendrocalamus strictus; (10) Thyrsostachys siamensis; (11) Phyllostachys species.
There is confusion about the identity of some species planted in the trials, especially in Muguga and Kakamega.
There were in several cases clear differences between the plants in particular species plots. The author later
learned from Dr. Bernard Kigomo that, at the time of establishing the trials, there was a mix of some plants
during transport and planting. This is why plants differ significantly from the typical form of the species in
some plots, which raised serious doubts regarding the identity of some species. A particular case in point is the
plant referred to as “Phyllostachys pubescens” planted in Kakamega. The plants were grown from seeds
obtained in Japan. Although the plants certainly belong to the Phyllostachys genus, they are extremely smaller
in both height and diameter and do not resemble the species Phyllostachys pubescens. Due to doubts about
VIII World Bamboo Congress Proceedings Vol 4-118