DefinePK

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intro: Bamboos attain large size yet are the members of grass family, the Gramineae. They have sometimes been treated as a different family from the Gramineae; however most taxonomists agree to keep them in Gramineae, sub-family Bambusoideae. The plant has a many jointed cylindrical hollow stems called the culms. The stems are connected to a rhizome network that spreads out horizontally beneath the soil, forming a bush known as clump. The propagation of bamboos by seed is most successful but many of the bamboos flower and seed after long intervals. Seeding cycles vary from species to species and may be 30-100 years (Banik, 1980). Due to long inter-seeding intervals, the propagation is done vegetatively. Bamboo cultivation by rhizome planting is the most common method applied in this country. Normally, it takes 10 years for nonclump-forming (Monopodial) types of Bamboos to reach a size suitable for harvest, but the time is shorter for the clump-forming (Sympodial) types.