Top shoot borer damage causing high mortality to cane in the
cane arboretum of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute is reported.
The causal pest was identified as Ommatolapus hacmorrhoidalis
(Wiedemann ) (Curculionidae : Coleoptera). The nature and extent of
damage by the pest and susceptibility of different species of cane,
viz., jai or jali bet (Calamus guruba), karak or kirink or- baro bet
( C. viminalis var. fasciculatus), bhudum bet (C. latifolius) and golak or
golla bet (Daemonorops jenkinsianus) to the pest were studied. Jali
bat was found to be highly susceptible to the attack of the pest
showing 62.7±4.62% shoot infestation whereas the other species were
resistant to the attack of this pest.

Ground-layering and air-layering trials were carried out on
bariala (Bambusa vulgaris) and muli bansh (Melocanna baccifera)
All the treated branches of B. vulgaris
produced successful propagules in the air-layering experiment. The
ground-layer in a of twelve culms (2 years old) of the same species
also produced 23 rooted and rhizomed propagules. Initiation
rooting and rhizome appeared only in the branches of mid-culm zone
in both of the layering experiments, M. baccifera did not respond
to any of the layering methods.

Growth and development of each of the propagules of
B. vulgaris planted in the field are being recorded to determine the time
required for attaining the march&ntable culm size.

In a preliminary study od pollen fertility percentages and
open pollination in emasculated flowers, leading to fruit formation in
Santalum album ( sandal) were investigated. Open-pollination percentage
measured through fruit formation was low. Inter-plant differences
both in pollen-fertility and in fruit formation were highly significant.
It was observed that though the pollen-fertility percentage is high,
fruit formation is low.