0193-B4

BAMBUSA BAMBOS - AN AFFORESTATION TRIAL

P. SHANMUGHAVEL AND K. FRANCIS ¹

ABSTRACT

Bambusa bambos - An afforestation trial. P. Shanmughavel and K. Francis 2002. Bamboo resources in their natural habitat are dwindling, due to over exploitation, extensive forest fires and gregarious flowering. Sustained availability can be ensured by raising elaborate bamboo plantation by afforestation in tropical forests. This paper reports the results of the afforestation trials carried out at Kummittapuram and Chickally, in Sathyamangalam reserve forest, Tamil Nadu, India. Guidelines for raising bamboo plantation by afforestation is given.

INTRODUCTION

Bamboo is integral to the culture of South and South - East Asia. Every country has its own indigenous bamboo flora. Over 75 genera and 1250 species are reported to occur in the globe. India perhaps has the world's richest resources of bamboo, claiming about 130 species occurring over an area of 10.05 million hectare. This is about 12.8 percent of the total forest area of the country (Tewari, 1992). Even then bamboo resources in their natural habitat are dwindling, due to over exploitation, shifting cultivation practices and extensive forest fires. The report of the National Commission on Agriculture, brought about the current demand and output of wood projected requirements from the year 1980 (4.274 million. Cu.M) to 2000 (7.005 M.Cu.M) and recommended the bamboo as target species for afforestation programmes, in order to bridge the increasing gap between demand and supply (Shanmughavel and Francis, 1995). In view of increasing the bamboo production in tropical forests, the Bamboo (Bambusa bambos) seedlings were planted in the forests of Sathyamangalam by the office of the conservator of forests, Bamboo Estates, Gobichettipalayam during 1990. The present paper reports the results of the afforestation trials carried out in the natural forests.

STUDY AREA

The study area lies between 20 ^o 30'N latitude and 90 ^o E longitude. The climate of the area is monsoon. This area has red soils. Soil pH is between 7-8. The maximum soil nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium were 160, 22, 180, 150 and 155 kg. ha ^-1 respectively. The mean annual temperature is 30 ^o C. and the mean annual rainfall is about 1000 m.

PREPARATION OF NURSERY :

Seedlings obtained from tissue culture method were used for this study. Nursery beds of 10 x 5m were prepared in the field and filled with a mixture of soil and sand(3:1). The seedlings of about 7cm height were pricked out from the polythene bags. About 15-25 seedlings were planted in 1m ² of raised nursery bed. One week prior to planting, the nursery beds were drenched with 0.01 percent aldrex and 0.05 percent bavistin to prevent termite and fungal attack respectively. Watering was done 2-3 times a day and care was taken to avoid over saturation. Nursery beds were provided with a thatch to protect the seedling from direct sunlight.

TRANSPLANTATION

The seedlings in the nursery were uprooted carefully and transplanted to 45 cm ³ pit in the fields at a spacing of 6m x 6m.
The plantation details are given below.

The planting was completed before the monsoon got fully set in. In order to provide better initial growing envirnment to the seedlings the upper half of the pits was filled up with a mixture of 25 g complex 17:17:17 per pit in addition to red earth and farm yard manure, while lower half was filled up with the original soil. Soil treatment-Gully plugging was also done. Protection against damage by rodents, grazing and browsing animals was provided by making prushwood fence. Two fire watchers were made responsible for detection and reporting of fire to the fire reporting station of the concerned beat.

SURVIVAL PERCENT :

It was observed that the survival percent showed maximum at Kummittaputam (85%) followed by Chickally (80%). It is the survival percent which determines the suitability of the species to the site, if the growth is in normal range. The seedlings attained the height growth of 4 to 4.5m at 4 ^th year which is considered as successful, reason being that this is the introductory trail and height growth can be given importance only when it differs extraordinarily from this performance on a normal site. (Shanmughavel and Francis 1994, 1995)

GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF BAMBOO :

All the transplanted seedlings began to produce rhizomes. From these rhizomes lateral culms were emerging, which are the chief causatives for the total biomass yield. The number of culms developed from the rhizome totally comstituted to a clump. The productivity of bamboo was assessed by the number of new culms produced annually. At a given site, the production of new culms depends mostly on the culms of the previous year, the degree of congestion and the clump age. The average annual recruitment of culm gradually increased and numbered at 4, 5, 7 and 9 per clump at Kummittapuram and 2, 5, 8 and 11 at Chickally during 1 ^st , 2 ^nd , 3 ^rd & 4 ^th year respectively. The height growth found to be 4 to 4.5m at 4 ^th year on both study areas, (Table-1) Monsoon dependency of the plantation was more prominent, since maximum recruitment of culms seems to be monsoon dependents rather than intermittant showers.

PROGRESS OF AFFORESTATION :

Bamboo is a favoured species in the national afforestation programmes as being a marvellous substitute of timber towards meeting the industrial and rural requirements, checking erosion, conserving soil and moisture. Rehabilitation of degraded forest area is afforestation of degraded forests with a view to meeting the requirements of fuelwood and fodder of the local population. Here the management usually remains with the forest department. The afforestation programmes executed earlier, involved species which were not important for their fuelwood and fodder values invariably the species that required by the industry. A quantum jump can be seen in the afforestation activity from the sixth plan onwards.( Table 2)

It can be seen from Table 2 that although increasing emphasis was given to afforestation during the fourth five year plan (1951-74), schemes which could meet the requirements of social forestry received little attention. The National Commission on Agriculture's compelling plea for change in the traditional approach and to generate resources for local people outside reserved and protected forests through well-organised social forestry organisation and community participation considerably influenced the afforestation programmes.

In the fifth five year plan (1974-79), social forestry components were allocated about 50 percent in the total forestry programme. There was a substantial step up in outlays and targets during the sixth five year plan (1980-85) and the total afforestation targets for the sixth plan far exceeded the total planting targets of the first to fifth plan period that social forestry received considerable emphasis and social forestry components comprised almost 78 percent of the total forestry planting targets. Block plantations on common land, strip plantation on the sides of the roads, canals and railways farm forestry and agroforestry on private marginal lands were carried out. Rehabilitation of degraded forest area and planting of fuel and fodder trees were given priority. Funds continued to be made available through the state forest departments and were further supplemented with externally aided social forestry projects in 14 states (NWDB, 1989). Efforts were made to popularise social forestry programmes in rural areas particularly in the poorest section of the community by distribution of seedlings free of cost.

Neginhal (1949) first reported the important role of bamboo in the ecological development of forest growth and the maintenance of fertility of forest soils. Prasad (1964) presented the techniques of raising large scale bamboo plantation using bamboo rhizomes and seedlings in the afforestation programme.

CONCLUSION

The result revealed that, the plantation raised by afforestation trails, so far have attained great success by getting the survival percent from 80-85%. In order to get maximum yield, the plantation management practices should be continued for some more years. To conclude, this study will be helpful to those engaged in large scale plantation establishment by afforestation methods.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors are highly grateful to the Conservator of Forests, Bamboo Estates, Gobichettipalayam and District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam division for providing all facilities to carryout the work successfully. The financial assistance by the council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, to the first author is acknowledged.

REFERENCES

Anon., (1989) Handbook of Agriculture, I.C.A.R., Newdelhi, P 130.

NWDB (1989) Developing India's Wastelands, GOI, Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, P82.

Neginhal, G.S. (1949) Introduction of Bamboo through afforestation measures.Indian Forester 75 (11):457-458.

Prasad,B.N. (1964) Large scale afforestation of Bamboos in Dhalbum. Proc. of the all India study tour and symposium. 64:102-115.

Shanmughavel, P. and K. Francis. (1994) Performance of Bambusa bambos plantation at Kummittapuram, Sathyamangalam Forests, Tamil Nadu. Van Vigyan. 34(3): 128-130.

Shanmughavel, P. and K. Francis (1995) Studies on growth of transplanted seedlings of Bambusa bambos at Chickally, Sathyamangalam Forest Division, Tamil Nadu, Van Vigyan. 33(4) : 150-154.

Tewari, D.N. (1993) Monograph on Bamboos. The International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun. Tamil Nadu.

Table - 2 PROGRESS OF AFFORESTATION IN FIVE YEAR PLANS (ANON., 1989)

TABLE - 1 AVERAGE GROWTH DATA

¹ Department Of Botany,
Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore - 641 046. India.