Evaluation of the biomass, carbon sequestered and microbiota in a naturally-growing Bambusa vulgaris. Schrad. Ex J.C. Wendl stand

Abstract

The world is increasingly facing the conflicting pressures of economic growth and environmental protection, and forests have the capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere in large amounts. This study evaluated the biomass, carbon content and microbial activities of a naturally growing Bambusa vulgaris stand at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan, Oyo state. Three clumps were randomly selected for the study and analyzed to obtain the biomass, carbon content and microbial population. After harvesting, the culm samples were divided into leaf, branch and culm components and their respective fresh weights were taken. All the sub-samples were then oven-dried at 65 °C for 48 h and to get the oven-dried weight, a ratio of oven-dry to fresh weight was calculated. The total stand biomass for B. vulgaris was then determined and computed on a per hectare basis, while the microbiota were determined using standard methods. The B. vulgaris stand stored in total 59.37 t/ha carbon of which 30.55 t/ha were stored in the above-ground biomass (culms, branches and leaves), 1.53 t/ha in the below ground biomass and 24.29 t/ha in the soils. The total biomass stored by the stand was 59.42 t/ha, of which 56.59 t/ha was stored above ground and 2.83 t/ha in the below-ground biomass. Total biomass carbon content in B. vulgaris was 32.08 t/ha. The aboveground carbon storage was much higher in culms (16.69 t/ha) than in branches (8.52 t/ha), leaves (5.32 t/ha), in litter fall (0.02 t/ha) or rhizomes (1.53 t/ha). The total soil carbon content was 24.29 t/ha, of which 8.48 t/ha occurred at 0–15 cm depth, 8.19 t/ha at 15–30 cm, and 7.62 t/ha at 30–45 cm depth. A regression model was developed for future predictions of carbon content of B. vulgaris. About 16 microorganisms were identified in the study (10 bacteria and 6 fungi species) with populations ranging with soil depth. The amount of carbon sequestered and the short time needed for bamboo to grow makes it a good carbon sink, thereby helping to mitigate climate change issues.