Bambusa Bambos Research Articles

Spread ofBambusa bambos(L.) Voss influences litter‐dwelling arthropod communities in native forests: a case study from Sri Lanka

Both native and non-native bamboo populations can expand their distributions in a rather irregular manner, inflicting changes in native vegetation with potential consequences for litter-dwelling arthropod communities. To our knowledge, no studies have been undertaken to explore the impacts of bamboo spread on litter-dwelling arthropods. This study examined the impacts of Bambusa bambos, a spreading native bamboo species, on abundance and order richness of litter-dwelling arthropods in tropical moist evergreen forests. Bamboo-rich and non-bamboo forests were compared in three study sites at Moragahakanda in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Arthropods were sampled from leaf litter and individuals were categorised into their respective orders. Arthropod abundance and order richness were higher in bamboo-rich forests than in non-bamboo forests across all sites, indicating more hospitable micro-habitat conditions following bamboo spread. Litter-dwelling arthropods belonging to orders Blattodea, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera were either more prevalent or more frequently associated with bamboo-rich forests than non-bamboo forests, suggesting a potential shift in community structure. The abundance and order richness of litter-dwelling arthropods in non-bamboo forests was explained by environmental variables, whilst no such associations were observed in bamboo-rich forests. The overall findings indicate that the spread of bamboo may facilitate litter-dwelling arthropods and cause a compositional shift in taxonomic assemblages, perhaps as a result of changes in the micro-habitat conditions on the forest floor.

Evaluation of Anti-diabetic Activity of Bambusa Bambos using Streptozocin Diabetic Model Induced

Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level over a prolonged period of time. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many health complications. Acute complications can include diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, or death. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, damage to the nerves, damage to the eyes and cognitive impairment. Herbal medicine is a drug or preparation made from plants or parts of plant (leaves, root, bark, seeds and flowers) valued for its medicinal, aromatic or savoury qualities to treat the symptoms of wide range of problems from depression to cold and flu. Herbal medicine has been widely used for thousands of years. One of them is Bambusa bambos which is very well known for its ethno pharmacological activities, also known as Bans in hindi andvansa in sanskrit. leaves were washed and dried was extracted with hydroalcohol. The present study represents the assessment of anti- hyperglycemic effects of the hydro alcoholic extract from bambusa bambos in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats. The bambusa bambos hydoalcoholic extracts at the tested doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg showed comparable activity with the standard. Metformin decreases hyperglycaemia primarily by suppressing glucose production by the liver. The streptozotocin induced diabetes is characterized by a severe loss in body weight. The decrease in the body weight of diabetic rats in this study was due to the loss or degradation of structural proteins. Insulin plays an important role in the regulation of protein synthesis and proteolysis in skeletal muscle. In the present study, diabetic control rats showed marked reduction in their body weight when compared to normal rats. The ability of the extract to protect body weight loss in diabetic rats seems to be the result of their ability to reduce hyperglycemia. During the study, it was found that the extract significantly (p<0.001) controlled the blood glucose level in STZ-induced diabetic rats. The bambusa bambos hydroalcoholic extracts showed reduction in blood glucose level in STZ-induced diabetic rats when compared to the diabetic control group at a dose of 400 mg/kg,
 Keywords: Bambusa bambos, Hydroalcoholic extracts, Metformin, Streptozotocin.

Genetic diversity of phytoplasmas associated with several bamboo species in India

AbstractSymptoms of phytoplasma diseases, including witches' brooms, shoot proliferation, little leaf, yellowing and decline were observed in eleven species of bamboos in eight states of India. Symptomatic bamboo samples were indexed for phytoplasma presence using universal phytoplasma‐specific 16S rRNA gene primer pairs. Sequence comparison analysis and virtual RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA sequences indicated that the symptomatic bamboo samples of Dendrocalamus asper, Dendrocalamus strictus and Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii from Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and New Delhi and Bambusa bambos, Bambusa nutans, Bambusa pallida,Bambusa tulda,Dendrocalamus hamiltonia and D. strictus from Karnataka were infected with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australasia’‐related strains (16SrII‐C or 16SrII‐D); Bambusa vulgaris,D. asper and P. stocksii from Karnataka were positive for ‘Ca. P. asteris’ strains (16SrI‐B), and one phytoplasma in B. nutans from Sikkim was identified as ‘Ca. P. cynodontis’ strain (16SrXIV‐A). Weeds and leafhoppers from the vicinity of bamboo plantations were also tested, and 16SrII group of phytoplasmas was identified in eight symptomatic weed species (Ageratum conyzoides,Cannabis sativa,Cleome viscosa,Datura stramonium, Parthenium hysterophorus,Ocimum canum, Phyllanthus niruri and Tephrosia purpurea) from five different states and one leafhopper species (Mukaria spledida) from three states. These results suggest that wide genetic diversity of phytoplasma exists in various bamboo species in different states of India. The report of 16SrI‐B, 16SrII‐D and 16SrXIV‐A subgroups of phytoplasmas infecting eight bamboo species except D. strictus are the first records in the world.

Use of lignocellulosic biomaterials for sustainable development of bamboo strand lumber for structural applications

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants and has mechanical properties similar to timber. The main reasons for the popularity of bamboo in construction can be attributed to its low cost, local availability, and adequacy of simple, local tools, and skills for fabrication. Application of bamboo in construction is, however, normally limited to low-cost housing and temporary structures due to several factors including irregular shapes, hollow circular cross sections, and durability issues. This report presents the results of an investigation into production of an engineered bamboo lumber product. Bamboo culms were cut into smaller strands and were re-constituted into rectangular sections by gluing and pressing at 140 °C to 145 °C. This approach overcomes the presence of the inherent hollow core and randomizes the inter-nodes and other growth characteristics found in bamboo. The reconstituted bamboo strand lumber (RBSL) was developed using crushed Bambusa bambos species and phenol formaldehyde resin. The physical and mechanical properties of reconstituted bamboo strand lumber were evaluated as per IS 1734 (1983). From the results it was found that the BSL can be used as an alternate to timber to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for building applications that will effectively transform the world.

Studies on antidiabetic herbal formulations available in the herbal stores of Karachi, Pakistan

Context: Diabetes mellitus is a condition, which is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, abnormal functioning of insulin and difficulty in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Antidiabetic medicines of herbal origin are widely consumed in Pakistan. Therefore, there was a need to generate data on antidiabetic herbal formulations manufactured and marketed in Pakistan. Aims: To develop a list of Pakistani manufactured antidiabetic herbal products and the most common herbal ingredients found in them. Methods: Antidiabetic herbal formulations were collected from the renowned herbal stores of Karachi, Pakistan, and their ingredients were checked. The most common herbal ingredients found in them were determined, and the possible constituents responsible for the antidiabetic action of these herbs were discovered. Results: A total of 15 herbal antidiabetic products were collected from the herbal stores. The most common herbs found in them include Syzygium cumini, Gymnemma sylvestre, Aloe vera, Nigella sativa, Acacia nilotica, Commiphora myrrha, Portulaca oleracea, Punica granatum, Rhus coriaria, Coriandrum sativum, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Bambusa bambos, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Swertia changii, Curcuma longa and Rumex vesicarius. The constituents responsible for antidiabetic activity include alkaloids, polysaccharides, glycosides, secoiridoid, phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins and volatile oil. Conclusions: The herbs incorporated in these formulations have proven antidiabetic effects; therefore, these formulations can produce significant results in the management of diabetes. More research on each of these formulations is needed to confirm the potency of all these herbal products.

IMPACTS OF BAMBUSA BAMBOS SPREAD ON SEEDLING RECRUITMENT, MORTALITY AND REGENERATION POTENTIAL OF NATIVE SPECIES IN TROPICAL MOIST EVERGREEN FORESTS OF SRI LANKA

Some native plants expand their populations rapidly in their home ranges, altering their structure and composition. Bambusa bambos, a native bamboo species, shows a rapid population expansion in tropical moist evergreen forests in the intermediate climatic zone, Sri Lanka. The present study was conducted to evaluate its impacts on the regeneration potential of other native forest species. The seedling emergence, survival and mortality were observed for a period of one year using quadrats laid along 18 transects marked from the forest edge towards the forest interior in forest patches with and without bamboo (+Bb and –Bb, respectively). The results revealed a higher abundance, richness and diversity of seedlings in +Bb than in -Bb, with lianas and herbs contributing more to these differences. However, tree seedlings showed higher turnover rates (recruitment and mortality) in -Bb, indicating their preference for undisturbed habitats. Tree and shrub seedlings survived better in -Bb forests while liana and herbaceous seedlings displaying the opposite. The results indicate that B. bambos spread showed an ability to alter the regeneration potential of native forests probably resulting bamboo-driven changes to micro-environmental conditions in the forest floor.

Identification of plant genetic resources affected by shrimp farming in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh

The main purpose of the study was to identify the plant genetic resources (PGRs) affected by shrimp farming and to determine their magnitude of vulnerability. Data were collected from randomly selected 100 respondents, through personal interview, using an interview schedule, at Dumuria upazila of Khulna district, during 16 November 2009 to 15 February 2010. The fruit PGRs were more affected by shrimp farming than that of timber yielding and other types of PGRs. Among the 18-fruit PGRs available, all were endangered, except indigenous velvet apple, Diospyros peregrine (Gaertn.) Gürke, which was in threatened condition. Among the fruit species, banana, Musa acuminate; guava, Psidium guajava L.; jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.; sapota, Manilkara zapota L. and betel nut, Areca catechu L. were in highly endangered. Among the 17-timber yielding and other plant species, only 7-PGRs were affected by shrimp farming while majority (10-PGRs) had been available in different extents. Among the vulnerable PGRs, bamboo, Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss; flame of the forest, Delonix regia (Boj. ex Hook.) Raf.; teak, Tectona grandis L.f. and banyan, Ficus benghalensis L. were endangered, while Indian ash tree, Lannea coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr.; ipil-ipil, Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit and cool mat, Schumannianthus dichotomus (Roxb.) Gagnep. were in threatened condition. In general, the total fruit trees decreased in numbers (-74.17%) after inception of shrimp farming. On the other hand, the total numbers of timber yielding plants increased by 15.45%. From the overall consideration (irrespective of types), the number of plant population decreased (-58.10%) after inception of shrimp farming. It means that the plant species were affected by shrimp farming and became endangered. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 18-26, Dec 2021

<i>Buchwaldoboletus xylophilus</i>, a boletoid fungus new to India

<italic>Buchwaldoboletus xylophilus</italic>, a saprobic, non-ectomycorrhizal bolete is reported for the first time from Kerala State, India. The fungus was collected from soil around <italic>Bambusa bambos</italic>. Morphological and molecular characters were employed for taxonomic identification. Comprehensive description, maximum likelihood tree generated using nrITS sequence data and photographs are presented. This forms the first report of the species from India.

Ethnobotany of edible plants in Muang District, Kalasin Province, Thailand

Abstract. Phatlamphu N, Saensouk S, Saensouk P, Jungsongduang A. 2021. Ethnobotany of edible plants in Muang District, Kalasin Province, Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 5425- 5431. Edible plants have been used as a food source and have had other purposes since ancient times, but urbanization and modernization might be obscuring traditional knowledge. Therefore, this research aimed to conduct a study on the ethnobotany of indigenous people in Muang District, Kalasin Province based on edible plants by focusing on their specific uses. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions from March 2019 to February 2021. Quantitative analysis was applied using the Cultural Important Index (CI), Fidelity Level (FL) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF). Cluster analysis based on the Jaccard’s Similarity Index (JI) was calculated for the similarity of edible plant uses in four communities is as follows: urban/semi-urban (UB), forest community (FC), wetland community (WC) and community in valley (CV). There were 140 edible plant species that belonged to 125 genera and 62 families. The most important edible plants species were Tamarindus indica which had a CI of 2.65 followed by Bambusa bambos (2.00) and Citrus hystrix (1.90). The highest FL value is given for 51 edible plant species with 100% FL. The ICF is a range of 0 to 1; the most consensus of ailment categories was the treatment of wound (ICF = 1.00). The JI varied between 0.2640 and 0.2971; the highest JI was the pairs of WC and FC. UPGMA cluster analysis indicated that UB is isolated as they have less similarity to other communities. The results show a risk of traditional knowledge loss due to the expansion of the economic system at all levels and the advancement of modern medicine.

Taxonomical Diversity, Socioeconomic and Ethnomedicinal Significance of Bambusa Schreber 1789 (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) in Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India

Bamboo is a renewable and versatile resource, characterized by high strength and low weight, and is easily worked using simple tools. It is widely recognized as one of the most important non-timber forest resources due to the high socio-economic benefits from bamboo based products. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing woody plants with more than three times faster growth. There are about 100 genera and more than 1642 species of bamboo all over the world. In India there are 20 genera and 25 species documented so far. Bamboos are the members of the natural subfamily Bambusoideae, family Poaceae (grass family) under the class Monocotyledonae. Bamboos (the Giant members of the Grass family) are geographically distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world with tall, erect and woody arborescent habits. The present study carried out in the New Forest, Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun (Uttarkhand), India which have immense diversity in genus Bambusa Schreber. Sum of 10 species of Bambusa Schreber were recorded during investigations. The socioeconomic and ethnomedicinal survey reflected that, these contain antibacterial, anticancer and other profound pharmacological properties to cure several diseases. The largest culm sheath was observed in Bambusa bambos (12-30cm), while the smallest culm sheath in Bambusa multiplex (4-5cm). The present study will be an elementary platform to glimpse the wild and cultivated diversity with socioeconomic value of bamboo from a single geographical locality.

The Analysis of Pore Development and Formation of Surface Functional Groups in Bamboo-Based Activated Carbon during CO2 Activation.

Pore development and the formation of oxygen functional groups were studied for activated carbon prepared from bamboo (Bambusa bambos) using a two-step activation with CO2, as functions of carbonization temperature and activation conditions (time and temperature). Results show that activated carbon produced from bamboo contains mostly micropores in the pore size range of 0.65 to 1.4 nm. All porous properties of activated carbons increased with the increase in the activation temperature over the range from 850 to 950 °C, but decreased in the temperature range of 950 to 1000 °C, due principally to the merging of neighboring pores. The increase in the activation time also increased the porous properties linearly from 60 to 90 min, which then dropped from 90 to 120 min. It was found that the carbonization temperature played an important role in determining the number and distribution of active sites for CO2 gasification during the activation process. Empirical equations were proposed to conveniently predict all important porous properties of the prepared activated carbons in terms of carbonization temperature and activation conditions. Oxygen functional groups formed during the carbonization and activation steps of activated carbon synthesis and their contents were dependent on the preparation conditions employed. Using Boehm’s titration technique, only phenolic and carboxylic groups were detected for the acid functional groups in both the chars and activated carbons in varying amounts. Empirical correlations were also developed to estimate the total contents of the acid and basic groups in activated carbons in terms of the carbonization temperature, activation time and temperature.

Build-up of labile, non-labile carbon fractions under fourteen-year-old bamboo plantations in the Himalayan foothills

Carbon fractions under different bamboo species viz., Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus asper and Dendrocalamus strictus were evaluated to understand the potential of these different bamboo species in soil rehabilitation in Himalayan foothills. The highest accumulation of the different carbon fractions likes very labile (6.12 mg g−1), less labile (2.55 mg g−1) and non-labile (11.40 mg g−1) was observed under D. hamiltonii, while highest labile fraction (3.17 mg g−1) was recorded under D. strictus. The highest active (8.85 mg g−1) and passive pool (13.95 mg g−1) were recorded under D. hamiltonii. Higher carbon management index (CMI) was obtained under D. hamiltonii (186.04) which was comparable with D. strictus (182.66) and B. nutans (179.24). Among all the six species, D. hamiltonii had the highest buildup of active and passive pool in both the soil depths. Bamboo plantations irrespective of the different species helped in enhancing the SOC fraction and enhanced C buildup in the soil in comparison to the open fallow land and holds potential in combating the problems of land degradation and soil rehabilitation.

Assessment of eco-hydrological parameters for important sympodial bamboo species in Himalayan foothills

Bamboos due to high soil water conservation potential are gaining increased attention in plantation programs across the globe. Large-scale plantation of fast-growing bamboo, however, can have important hydrological consequences. The study aims to quantify the eco-hydrological parameters, viz., throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF), and interception (I) in seven important sympodial bamboo species in north westernHimalayan foothills ofIndia. The species selected include Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa vulgaris., Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus stocksii, and Dendrocalamus strictus. Throughfall versusgross rainfall (GR) relationship in different species indicated high throughfall production during high rainfall events with r2 > 0.90. Average throughfall was lowest (62.1%) in D. hamiltonii and highest in B. vulgaris (74.6%). SF ranged from 1.32% in B. nutans to 3.39% in D. hamiltonii. The correlation coefficient (r) between leaf area index (LAI), number of culms, and crown area with the interception were 0.746, 0.691, and 0.585, respectively. The funneling ratio (F) was highest (27.0) in D. hamiltonii and least in B. nutans. Canopy storage capacity was highest in D. strictus (3.57mm) and least in D. hamiltonii (1.09mm). Interception loss was highest (34.4%) in D. hamiltonii and lowest in B. vulgaris (23.5%) and D. strictus (23.6%). Higher interception in bamboos makethemsuitable for soil conservation, but careful selection of species is required in low rainfall areas.

Analysis of wastes height reduction, macrobiology and microbiology colony (fecal coli) on dry leaves composting process

The scattered leaf wastes can be turned into high nutrition organic fertilizer by utilizing vermicomposting methods. The wastes will be consumed by earthworms reducing the mass of the waste and the excrement can be used as vermicompost. One of the important things regarding the potential of earthworms in vermicomposting is the consumption rate or the decrease in the waste pile heights. Also, the number of microorganism colonies can be determined using the MPN (Most Probable Number) method based on the parameters of fecal coli bacteria in SNI 19-7030-2004. The vermicompost produced in this study comes from banyan leaves (Ficus benjamina) and bamboo leaves (Bambusa bambos). It takes 56 days for the vermicompost to ripen. The decrease in pile heights was measured every three days using a ruler and resulted in an average reduction of 2.18 cm/day for Ficus benjamina leaves and 1.0 cm/day for Bambusa bamboos leaves. Samples of microorganisms were taken on the 28th and 56th day and the MPN value was calculated. The MPN value obtained on the 28th day was 290 MPN/g and on the 56th day was 460 MPN/g, indicating that the colony had reached the predetermined quality standard.

Ecological restoration of coal fly ash-dumped area through bamboo plantation.

The present study entails the phytoremediation potential of different bamboo species on 5-year-old FA-dumped site near Koradi thermal power plant of Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The selected FA-dumped site was treated with farmyard manure, press mud, and bio fertilizer followed by plantation of six promising species of bamboo namely Bambusa balcooa Roxb., Dendrocalamus stocksii (Munro.) M. Kumar, Remesh and Unnikrishnan, Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss, Bambusa wamin E.G. Camus, Bambusa vulgaris var. striata (Lodd. ex Lindl.) Gamble, and Bambusa vulgaris var. vittata Riviere and Riviere. The experimental results indicated that the organic input in the FA-dumped site nourished the soil by improving its physico-chemical, and biological characteristics. The results revealed the contamination of the site with different trace elements in varied quantity including Cr (89.29mgkg-1), Zn (84.77mgkg-1), Ni (28.84mgkg-1), Cu (22.91mgkg-1), Li (19.65mgkg-1), Pb (13.47mgkg-1), and Cd (2.35mgkg-1). A drastic reduction in concentration of heavy metals in FA was observed after 1year of bamboo plantation as compared to the initial condition. The results showed that bamboo species are good excluders of Ba, Co, Cr, Li, Ni, Mn, and Zn, whereas they are good accumulators of Cd, Pb, and Cu. The values of biochemical parameters, such as pH, total chlorophyll, ascorbic acid (AA), and relative water content of all the bamboo leaves ranged from 5.11-5.70, 1.56-6.33mgg-1, 0.16-0.19mgg-1, and 60.23-76.68%, respectively. It is thereby concluded that the bamboo plantation with biofertilizers and organic amendments may indicate adaptive response to environmental pollution on FA-dumped site.

&lt;p class="Body"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Injurious status of &lt;em&gt;Schizotetranychus schizopus &lt;/em&gt;(Zacher, 1913) (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Indian Thorny Bamboo&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Spider mites, especially members of Schizotetranychus represent a common and dominant group of bamboo pests, enjoying worldwide distribution. The present paper highlights the feeding attributes of a notorious species of bamboo spider mite, viz. Schizotetranychus schizopus (Zacher, 1913) infesting the Indian Thorny Bamboo, Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss. Observations on feeding behavior of the mite were completed in the laboratory by collecting mite specimens from infested leaves of bamboo plants grown in Calicut University Botanical Garden. The species showed initial colonization on the abaxial surface of bamboo leaves, adjacent to the midrib and feeding activity of the members of the colony resulted in the development of damage symptoms like chlorotic spots, white patches, yellowing etc. Comparative analysis of the biochemical constituents of mite infested and uninfested leaves of B. bambos revealed significant alterations. Mite infested bamboo leaves presented significantly reduced values of chlorophyll fluorescence (30.10% loss in Fv/Fm ratio) thereby indicating a decline of photosynthetic efficiency. Significant reduction in total carbohydrate (58.87%) and total protein (21.02%) contents also could be accounted in mite infested leaves. Meanwhile, mite infestation was found to enhance the production of stress compounds such as Total Phenol (22.86%) and Proline (69.05%). An increase in the uptake of micro and macronutrients like Potassium (18.87%), Calcium (36.66%), Copper (48.76%) and Zinc (19.62%) was also observed in mite infested leaves. Despite this, the uptake of nutrients such as Phosphorus (8.22%), Magnesium (3.55%), Sulphur (1.54%), Iron (11.46%), Manganese (13.64%) and Boron (30.09%) significantly decreased owing to mite infestation. Significant decrease in moisture content also was evident in the mite infested bamboo leaves. The results of the study helped to evidence the biotic stress induced by the mite on its bamboo host, by promoting enhanced production of Total Phenol, Proline, Potassium, Calcium, Copper and Zinc which would play a substantial role in the defense mechanism of the plant.

Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss, a Reliable Bamboo Species for Production of Black Diamond Bamboo Charcoal

Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss is an Indian Thorny Bamboo that does not require any management strategies for propagation. It is a multipurpose bamboo species. Its edible shoots are being used as vegetable, leaves for forage and seeds for famine food to valuable culms (wood and construction material) and highly adaptive to tropical subtropical and temperate regions. Its most sustainable resource in making Bamboo charcoal (BC) is so-called ‘Black Diamond’ an environmental-friendly material helps in mitigating energy crisis and preventing deforestation. BC has extremely good absorbing property, which is known for cleansing applications. Basically, as air and water purifier, it conceivably has a higher enrichment capacity for heavy metal ions due to its microporous structure and large surface area. In this article, we are reviewing a reliable species for B. bambos charcoal production and some of its applications.

A preamble study on ecophysiological impact of bamboo species for sustaining soil health

Bamboo, perennial flowering plant species of family Poaceae, was studied in present study to estimate the effect of different bamboo species on physico-biochemical properties of soil collected from rhizosphere of ten bamboos species viz, Bambusa balcooa, B. bamboos, B. smultiplex, B. nutans, B. tulda, B. vulgaris, Dendrocolomus asper, D. giganteus, Dendrocolomus hamiltoni, Dendrocolomus stricus. In the present study soil macronutrients and enzyme activities were analyzed that play role in soil physical, chemical and biological properties that in turn help in crop production, soil health improvement, biomass production with enhanced microbial activities. In the bamboo rhizosphere the pH and EC correspondingly ranged between6.56 to 8.10 and 18.80 to 45.23 milli S/m where highest pH and EC were observed in Dendrocolomus strictus and Bambusa balcooa respectively. While in the bamboo rhizosphere total organic carbon and total organic matter respectively ranged between 9.133% to 18.567% and 15.708% to 31.935%. The Highest total organic carbon and total organic matter was recorded in Bambusa bambos. The highest available Nitogen was found in the B. tulda(1.833 kgh-1) whereas highest available Phosphorus was observed to be 0.088 kgh-1 (D. asper and D. stricus). The highest available Pottassium was found in biosphere of, B. balcooa (33.167 kgh-1). The highest β glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase enzyme activity and its specific activity was reported in Dendrocolomus gigantus 115.17 (Catechol mg-1soil g-1 h -1), 355 (U mg-1) and 413.5 (mg PNP g-1soil h-1) and 200.10 (U mg-1) respectively. The inputs of organic matter through bamboos species increased crop roots density and better microbial and enzymatic activities. The results indicate that adoption of the agroforestry practices help to improved organic matter status of the soil, which is also reflected in the increased nutrient pool necessary for long-term productivity of the soil.

Soil physico-chemical properties under some dominating vegetations of coastal Odisha

An analysis of soil physico-chemical properties and growth parameters under some dominating vegetations was done during July 2018 - June 2019. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design having seven naturally dominating tree species such as Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Mallotus philippensis, Xantolis tomentosa, Acacia nilotica, Bambusa bambos and Bambusa bambos (Dwarf) with three replications. The analysis revealed that soils under Acacia nilotica possessed highest bulk density (1.42 g/cm3) whereas Mallotus philippensis had lowest (1.27g/cm3). Particle density of soil under Xantolis tomentosa was recorded highest (2.61 g/cm3) while Bambusa bambos (Dwarf) registered minimum (2.44 g/cm3). Maximum pH and electrical conductivity were resulted under Acacia nilotica (8.20 and 0.045 dSm-1 respectively) whereas minimum pH under Shorea robusta (5.89) and minimum EC under Bambusa bambos (Dwarf) (0.005 dSm-1). The soil organic carbon under Bambusa bambos claimed highest (13.85 g/kg soil) while Shorea robusta secured minimum (5.44 g/kg soil). With regard to growth, Tectona grandis excelled in height (37.35m) whereas Bambusa bambos (Dwarf) achieved minimum height (3.95 m). Average clump diameter of Bambusa bambos was significantly higher (108 cm) and lowest value (12.61 cm) was recorded under Xantolis tomentosa. Bambusa bambos generated highest basal area per hectare (47.53 m2/ha) while Xantolis tomentosa registered the lowest (2.27 m2/ha). The results indicated that dominance of different vegetations within the same climatic condition is due to variation in soil properties and those properties should be taken into account for recommending the suitable species for a particular site.

&lt;i&gt;Bambusa bambos&lt;/i&gt; (L.) Voss. alters Structure and composition of native forests: A study from moist evergreen forests in Sri Lanka

Studies to evaluate consequences of native species showing invasive behaviour are rather scarce in the tropics. Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss., a native bamboo species, expands populations in its native range causing changes to the appearance of forests in dry and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka. The study evaluated the impacts of B. bambos spread in Tropical Moist Evergreen Forests (TMEFs) in Sri Lanka. A vegetation study was carried out in forest patches with and without bamboo (B+ and B-) from three study sites viz., Galboda (GAL), Moragolla (MOR) and Maragomuwa (MAR) located in the Intermediate Zone of the island. Six 100 m2 quadrats were eramarked at different distances from the forest edge towards the forest interior along three transects in each B+ and B- forest communities per site totaling 108 quadrats (2 forest communities B+ and B- × 3 transects × 6 distances × 3 sites = 108). Due to high site-specific differences, the results were analyzed and presented site-wise. Of the total of 127 species, 35 (27.6%) and 20 (15.7%) species were exclusively found in B+ and B-, respectively. The endemics were constantly more abundant in bamboo-free forest patches. The analyses also revealed a high dissimilarity of species compositions between B+ and B- forest communities. The mortality incidences were significantly greater in bamboo-forests, possibly due to frequent fires aided by high accumulation of light bamboo litter. Despite no consistent differences between B+ and B- communities in all study sites due to high heterogeneity, the results indicate that B. bambos has shown the potential to alter the composition and structure of these native forests through bamboo-driven modifications to micro-environmental conditions of these forests. Thus, the study highlights the importance of more comprehensive studies to explore long-term impacts of B. bambos in native forests in the region and to introduce measures to mitigate some of these negative impacts. The underlying causes of high mortality incidences should also be further investigated as it may leads to the decline of the quality of these native forests.