Abstract
Dwindling supplies of bamboo resources and the increase in the demand for bamboo have led to the need for better propagation techniques. This is the only way to ensure the sustainability of the bamboo resource base and improve livelihoods. Thus, this study was carried out to examine the different growth parameters of culm cuttings of Bambusa vulgaris in propagation beds with a substrate consisting of dark soil, manure (compost) and sand in a ratio of 1:1:1. Data on different growth parameters was collected on a daily basis over a three week period and analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that the different growth parameters (diameter, height, leaves and sheaths) of culm cuttings of B. vulgaris evolved in like manner in three propagation beds. Descriptive statistics for growth parameters of culm cuttings of B. vulgaris showed little or no differences across three shelter/propagation beds (shelter bed 1, shelter bed 2 and shelter bed 3) with 1.4675 ± 1.6172 cm, 93 ± 112 cm, 22 ± 30 leaves, and 4 ± 6 sheaths being the mean diameter, height, number of leaves and number of sheaths for all three propagation beds, respectively. ANOVA test showed no statistically significant variation (p > 0.05) between growth parameters of culm cuttings of B. vulgaris across the three propagation beds, implying that the different growth parameters were relatively similar. Pearson correlation showed the existence of direct and inverse relationships between the different growth parameters of culm cuttings of bamboo. The existence of these direct and inverse relationships could be attributed to the rapid growth rate of bamboo, the substrate used, and the species of bamboo used (B. vulgaris). The study recommends more large-scale propagation projects of this bamboo species in order to ensure the sustainability of the bamboo resource base and improve livelihoods of bamboo dependent rural communities.
Highlights
The demand for bamboo and its products is growing rapidly while supply remains almost constant due to dependence on natural bamboo resources which are reducing in stock (Liese, 1999; Chung and Yu, 2002; Choudhury et al, 2012; Chaowana, 2013; Kaware et al, 2013; Shukla et al, 2015; Ray and Ali, 2017; Poudel, 2020)
To bridge the gap between demand and supply of bamboo, there is an absolute need for large-scale propagation of bamboo through appropriate propagation techniques (Ray and Ali, 2017)
Findings showed that different growth parameters of culm cuttings of B. vulgaris evolved almost in like manner in three propagation beds containing a similar substrate of dark soil, manure and sand in the ration 1:1:1
Summary
The demand for bamboo and its products is growing rapidly while supply remains almost constant due to dependence on natural bamboo resources which are reducing in stock (Liese, 1999; Chung and Yu, 2002; Choudhury et al, 2012; Chaowana, 2013; Kaware et al, 2013; Shukla et al, 2015; Ray and Ali, 2017; Poudel, 2020). To bridge the gap between demand and supply of bamboo, there is an absolute need for large-scale propagation of bamboo through appropriate propagation techniques (Ray and Ali, 2017). Some of these propagation techniques include vegetative and seed-based propagation. Vegetative propagation of bamboo through culm cuttings has been observed to be the simplest and most cost-effective method developed over the last few decades (Ruíz-Pérez et al, 2004; Hossain et al, 2006; Bhol and Nayak, 2012; Bhol and Parida, 2015; Ray and Ali, 2017). Better propagation techniques have led to more bamboo agroforestry practices (Nath et al, 2009; Banerjee et al, 2009; Tewari et al, 2015; Kittur et al, 2016; Nirala et al, 2018; Abdullah et al, 2019; Dev et al, 2020; Garima et al, 2021)
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