PDKV recommends 3 bamboo species for commercial plantation
| Date :10-Jul-2020 |
(Left) Plantation of Balcoa bamboo species on Agro-Forestry Research Farm of College of Agriculture situated near Futala Lake. (Right) Bamboo biomass after harvesting.
By Ramesh Marulkar :
After conducting research on bamboo for last six years, the College of Agriculture, Nagpur, under Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV), has recommended three species of bamboo – Balcoa, Katang and Stocksii – being most suitable for cultivation in Maharashtra because of higher biomass production for commercial plantation. Farmers growing these three species of bamboo would get higher monetary returns. This is the major finding of the college after conducting research on 15 top bamboo species in the country from 2014 to 2020.
Dr V M Ilorkar, Senior Scientist, Head of Agroforestry Research Centre and Principal Investigator, Dr P D Raut and Priya Atram as Co-investigators, conducted the trials. It is customary and mandatory to all research centres under the university to present their research work in a meeting of Research Findings & Recommendatrion Committee (RFRC) and get approval of the committee before recommending it to farmers. Therefore, PDKV conducted online meeting of the committee recently under the presidentship of Dr V M Bhale, Vice-Chancellor, in which Dr Vilas Kharche, Director of Research, PDKV, Akola, participated. There are 122 bamboo species that are found in the country having rich bamboo biodiversity. Most productive species are found in North-East India and South India. However, due to non-availability of technical information on type of bamboo species suitable for local agro-climatic conditions, farmers from Maharashtra, including Vidarbha region, are in dilemma while selecting proper species for cultivation.
It is also observed that farmers are forced by nursery men to purchase only few species that are available with them. Now from the research it is confirmed that the biomass productivity of different bamboo species varies from 3.5 ton/ha to 45.0 ton/ha.
The college has recommended above three bamboo species for cultivation purpose in order to get cultivators higher income and raise standard of living. Giving information about findings of the research, Dr Ilokar said, the research trials conducted during the past six years for screening of bamboo species most suitable for cultivation in the State, it was observed that Balcoa, Katang and Stockssi are better among the 15 bamboo species selected for the experiments. Germplasm of different bamboo species was collected and brought from Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, and State Forest Department. All 15 species were planted on the Agroforestry Research Farm of PDKV at Futala Lake, Amravati Road, here.
All these species are sympodial type and best performer at therespective places of these institutes. However, due to limitations of climate and soil, three species namely Longispathus, Polymorpha and Giganteus could not make their survival due to genetical and morphological limitations, while species like Nutan, Brandise and Asper put their 50 survival. Nine species like Balcoa, Bambose, Stocksii, Tulda, Multiplex, Vulgaris, Wamin, Strictus and Japonica showed 100 per cent survival.
These species were planted in the field with approporiate research design and minimum set of cultural practices. They were investigated on 25 parameters as per the guidelines of Kerala Forest Research Institute. Their morphological biomass productivity and growth data was statistically analysed continuously. The species ranking based on biomass productivity and cost ratio were developed, Dr Ilokar pointed out. Bambose (Katang) has produced highest standing biomass of 261ton/ha, Balcoa – 224 ton/ha, Stocksii – 171 ton/ha and Tulda – 161/ha. Lowest biomass of 61 ton/ha was recorded for Strictus.
However, when these species were analysed using commercial and marketable parameters such as usable length, culm diameter, wall thickness, inter-modal distance, culm weight and harvesting carried out with silvicultural principles, it was observed that Katang has produced maximum marketable biomass of 42 ton/ha, Balcoa – 41ton/ha, followed by Stocksii of 35 ton/ha and Tulda 28 ton/ha. Lowest biomass was observed in Multiplex (11 ton/ha). The Agro-Forestry Research Farm and All India Coordinated Research Project on Agro-Forestry are conducting a set of research trials on propagation of bamboo (nursery techniques), species germplasm evaluation, productivity improvement through application of fertilizers, irrigation, etc., Dr Ilorkar said. (To be concluded)