BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
Physical and mechanical properties of Thai bansh (Thyrsostachys siamensis has been studied at three different height positions along the culm. These properties were found to vary significantly along the culm height. The moisture content, sluinkage and the bending strength decreased as the height mcreased, but the specific gravity, compressive strength and modulus of elasticity increased with the height. Variations of these properties were also found significant among the species.
The paper presents the anatomical features of bamboo leaves in transverse
section for 26 bamboo species underseven genera occurring in Bangladesh both in wild
and in cultivation. The results are presented in a tabular form. The findings indicate that
anatomical features ofbamboo leavesin transverse section work as taxonomic characters
at species level. The paper also provides a dichotomous key to identify bamboo species
occurring in Bangladesh based on leaf anatomical characteristics.
The growth periodicity of clum and rhizome in Melocanna baccifera
clumps were studied. The culm emergence is maximum in July to midSeptember. It was observed that everyday only the middle internode of a
developing culm elongated maximum and moved gradually in successive
order from the base to the tip of the culm. The lower internodes rarely
elongated. The movement and elongation ofrhizome neck in the clump seemed
to take place either slowly or actively throughout the year irrespective of
seasonal variation. The culm emergence and rhizome neck development took
place simultaneously. The growth periodicity of underground rhizome system
and culm on the ground was found to be interrelated and seemed to be
alternating with each other. Periodicity for culm emergence and rhizome neck
development in M. baccifera was influenced by both soil and air temperature
and ambient moisture condition
The paper presents the leaf epidermal micromorphology of 26 bamboo
species under seven genera occurring in Bangladesh both in wild and under
cultivation. The results are presented in a tabular form. The findings indicate
that micromorphological features of abaxial leaf epidermis work as taxonomic
characters at species level. The paper also provides a dichotomous key to
identify bamboo species occurring in Bangladesh based on leaf epidermal
characters
The exact flowering cycles (from seed to
seed) ofbamboos are known for few species. Most
of the pastreports on bamboo flowering cycles are
based on speculation and estimation (Hasan 1973,
Banik 1991). The flowering cycles for many
species of bamboo from India, Bangladesh and
Myanmar were reported (Cavendish 1905,
Blatter 1930, Bor 1941, Hasan 1973, Bahadur 1980,
Naithani 1990, Banik 1991, Alam 1995). This paper
presentsthe estima ted flowering cycles ofBambusa
burmanica Gamble, B. cacharensis Majumdar and
B. jaintiana Majumdar based on past records and
recent flowering (Table 1)
The paper presents the micromorphological features of culm epidermis of 26
bamboo species occurring in Bangladesh. Different attributes of long cells, silica
bodies, cork cells, stomata, papillae and dermal appendages are provided in a table.
The study reveals that these micromorphological characters have taxonomic value at
species level. But due to homogeneity any delimitation cannot be defined at
supraspecific level.
The paper also provides an identification key to 26 bamboo species occurring in
Bangladesh, based on culm epidermal characters.
Seedlings of Bambusa tidda Roxb. and Dendrocalamus strict us Nees were grown in the
nursery under four different light conditions, viz. sunlight, partial sunlight, shade, and
6 hours photoperiod up to nine months of age. Almost all the seedlings were dead (80 to
90%) under shade and 6-hr grolux electric light photoperiod conditions after 200 -270
days. Survival was highest (80-95%) under both sunlight and partial sunlight condition.
The seedlings were comparatively healthy, green and tall under partial sunlight. Under
these two light conditions seedings started clump formation within three months of age.
The clump formation was delayed and a very few bamboo seedlings formed weak clumps
under shade and 6 hours photoperiod conditons.
The shoots of ten bamboo species of Bangladesh have been tested in respect to taste, flavour, texture and colour of the edible parts. The shoot colour and shape of each species were described. The weight of outer cover (sheaths) and internal edible portions of shoots are more or less same in most the ten bamboo species. Only three species, Bambusa polymorpha, Melocantia baccifera and Dendrocalaimis longispathns were found to produce shoots with somewhat slight bitter to sweet taste and pleasant flavour a t raw state. Shoots of the remaining seven species B. banibos, B. Longispicidata, B.vidgaris, B. tidda, D. gigaiiteus, Schizostachyum dullooa, Thyrsostachys oliveri possessed varying degree of bitterness or astringency. Fairly acceptable taste and easy availability of shoots of M. baccifera made the species most common bamboo vegetable for the tribal people of Bangladesh.
In all the species shoots production both by number and weight per clump was found to increase in the second and third year, if continuously harvested. However, the shoot production decreased per clump after third to fifth year if the harvesting continued, and after sixth year of continuous harvest some species even stopped shoot production. Continuous harvesting of bamboo shoots has been discouraged and selective harvesting in every year has been advised.
The properties of particleboard produced from l-,2-,3- and 4-year old Bambusa vulgaris Schrad, the commonest village bamboo in Malaysia, were ascertained. Culms of two years old or more were found to yield good particles for particleboard manufacture. Three particleboards with the density of 561,641 and 721 kg/m3 were produced by using urea formaldehyde resin as the binder at the resin contents of 6, 8 and 10%, pressing time of 6 minutes and temperature of 160°C. All the boards tested passed the minimum requirements of the British Standards BS 5669-1989.
This indicates the suitability of this bamboo species for the manufacture of particleboard.
In November 1989 two clumps of Thyrsostachys regia (Munro) Bennet (T. siamensis Kurz ex Gamble) flowered in Bangladesh Forest Research Institute Bambusetum, Chittagong. Flowering was of gregarious type and the clumps died after flowering. Floral buds bloomed after 4-5 weeks of their initiation. There are two florets in a spikelet and the flowers are protandrous. Anthesis generally occurred in the morning and occasionally in the afternoon. Anther dehiscence started at noon and continued for the whole afternoon. When in full bloom two bee species (Apis dorsata and an unidentified one) were found to visit the flowers. Fruits matured after 60-70 days of blooming. Squirrels and three bird species, Lonchura punctulata, L. striata andL. malabarica) were found to feed on matured seeds.
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