2008-'09 - Kerala Forest Research Institute

Annual Report 2008-09
and 3-6 shoots were produced from a clump during this period. Shoots were also
produced during November-December when Kerala received northeast monsoon
rains. However, if regularly watered, new shoots developed at specific intervals.
The shoots could be harvested 7-14 days after their emergence when the shoot
height was about 15-30 cm depending upon the species. It was estimated that a
freshly harvested young shoot of Bambusa bambos weighing 5 kg could yield 1.5-
2.5 kg edible bamboo. Growth of bamboo was very fast and the culms attained
harvestable maturity in less than five years. The
average number of shoots produced in Bambusa
bambos was 23 per annum with an approximate
weight of 32-50 kg. In Dendrocalamus hamiltonii
the average number of culm production was
recorded to be 53 weighing approximately 20-40
kg. It is evident that bamboo has emerged as a
cash crop to generate income for the rural
communities in the bamboo shoot industry and
their potential as a dietary.
Establishment of a bamboo stand for
conservation and sustainable utilization of
Pseudoxytenanthera bourdillonii (Gamble)
Naithani (Arayambu). KFRI Research Report
Pseudoxytenanthera bourdillonii culms No. 312 (Muktesh Kumar M.S. and
Seethalakshmi, K.K., 2009)
Pseudoxytenanthera bourdillonii popularly known as Arayambu or ponmungil is
a rare endemic bamboo of Kerala part of the Western Ghats. Over-exploitation,
flowering at very long intervals and death of clump after flowering have led to
dwindling population of this species in its natural habitat. Rooting response was
very poor in culm cuttings in all the treatments. No rooting was found in branch
cuttings. Of the 11 treatments including GRS and control over three seasons using
cuttings from three different parts, rooting was observed only in four treatments.
Although there was an indication that with IBA treatments during February-May
rooting was possible, the current success rate of 10-15 percent was not promising.
Observations showed that offset planting alone was successful. Success rate, although
very low in current experiments, there was an indication that rooting of culm
cuttings was possible in this species. The population identified was restricted to a
few clumps in isolated localities. The natural habitat where the species is distributed
needs to be protected as far as possible, from biotic factors. For ex situ conservation,
plots need to be established in other agro-climatic regions similar to its natural
distribution.
Information Compendium on Kerala Forestry Sector. KFRI Research Report No.
16
Kerala Forest Research Institute