Effects of bamboo charcoal-based bio-fertilizer on wine bamboo sap yield and nutrient composition

Abstract

To explore fertilization methods for wine bamboo cultivation in southwestern semi-arid areas of China, this study analyzed annual changes in sap yield and nutrient composition from May 2013 to March 2015 by using bamboo charcoal-based bio-fertilizer (ZT) and organic fertilizer treatments (CK). The study also provided basic data for functional beverage preparation and for application of ZT. The results of the two experimental cycles revealed that under the ZT treatment, sap was available for collection from May, the beginning of the rainy season, to November, the beginning of the dry season. The period of abundance was July to October with the highest yield of sap of 3.18 L stalk−1 in September, 2014, still lower than the moso bamboo sap, which was likely due to the scale of sap production of monopodial bamboos being different from that of sympodial bamboos. In January, trace amounts of sap were still detected, suggesting that the effect of the treatment was significant. Moreover, in the dry season, soil water content and soil temperatures at 10–15 cm depths indicated that the fertilizer had the ability to maintain soil temperatures and moisture. In both fertilizer treatments, the correlation between the collected sap and environmental parameters was significant. In the ZT treatment for the entire 2 years, the effectual environmental factors were soil water at 10–15 cm, air temperatures, and wind speeds. The same determining factors were observed for the rainy season. In the CK treatments, the effectual environmental factors for the entire year and the rainy season were soil water at 0–5 cm and air moisture. The bamboo charcoal-based bio-fertilizer elevated the potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, and total phosphorus content, simultaneously increasing the sap yield, protein and reducing sugar contents, and with a relative increase in sap pH. The wine bamboo sap contained 18 amino acids. Glutamic acid, alanine and proline were the most abundant. Compared to the controls, the treatment showed higher levels of all amino acids. Thus, the ZT treatment could be more beneficial to the development of root systems because the function of heat preservation and moisture retention prolong the sap collection period, increase sap yields, and elevate mineral element, conventional nutrients, and amino acid contents with evident fertilization effects and broader application prospects.