Katang bamboo (Bambusa arundinacae) is one of the important bamboo species grown naturally in various parts of Madhya Pradesh. It has a great potential, particularly in light textured and well-drained soil in ‘Bamboo Hitgrahi Yojana’ a family beneficiary scheme implemented in various districts by forest department.
Under this scheme, Katang bamboo is planted in 1987 in an area of 40 ha of compartment 441, Bhaura range, near Shahapur, North Beutul Division MP. The plantation area is almost flat upland where soil is very deep, dark brown in colour and well drained with slight erosion. Texture of surface soil is sandy-loam which changes to sandy clay loam to clay loam in the subsurface. Earlier this land was used for grazing by animals and for growing millets.
Inspite of favourable site characteristics followed by better climatic conditions which include annual precipitation of the order of 1379.6 mm with 56 rainy days and temperature variation from 41.4’C maximum to 25.8°C minimum in May and 28.1 C maximum to 10.4 C minimum in January, this plantation is showing various stages of dying as observed in September, 1989.
Visual Diagnosis:
The sequential stages in dying of this Katang bans are:
1. Yellowing of lower leaves,
2. Yellowing of upper leaves and then followed by,
3. Yellowing of culms, which finally in advance stage results in,
4. Blackening of foliage and culms.
New culms thrown from a clump remain green for more or less one year and then turn black in colour.
On the basis of the extent of mortality, plantation was divided into severe mortality, moderate mortality and no/slight mortality areas.
1. Severe mortality — Complete blackening of foliage and culms,
2. Moderate mortality — Blackening of foliage,
3. Slight mortality — Yellowish foliage and culms.
Soil samples were collected from these three zones at 0-5, 5-15, 15-25 and 25-30 cm depth for laboratory analysis and the results are given in Table 1.
In addition to above, upper and lower leaves of Katang bans were also sampled from severely and moderately affected clumps for estimation of nutrients. The results of this analysis are given in Table 2.
Dendrocalamus Strictus Plantation:
Dendrocalamus strictus planted in 1988 in the same compartment at a distance of about 1 km from above Katang bans, was however, in healthy stage. This plantation is on flat land where soil is well drained, sandy loam to sandy clay loam in texture, deep and dark in colour. Soil and leaf samples were collected for laboratory analysis.
Results and Discussion Related to Katang Bans Plantation:
As per the standard soil fertility rating (Table 3), the plantation site of Bambusa arundinacae is very poor in available nitrogen both, in surface and sub-surface layers. Soil horizons wherein bamboo rhizomes remain confined are very deficient in available nitrogen. It ranges from 156 to 188 kg N/ha only.
This has resulted in lower uptake of nitrogen in leaves of Katang bans (Table 2). Total nitrogen in upper and lower leaves varies from 1.05 to 1 07% in severely affected plants and 1.83 to 1.96% in moderately affected clumps. Healthy leaves of Katang bans normally should contain about 3.0% N (18.6% crude protein) as reviewed by Gulati et. al., (1984).
Available soil P varied from 1.6 to 8.2 kg P/ha, particularly in the location where bamboo mortality was of severe nature. This location is therefore, deficient in available P (Table 3). Other two locations however, have sufficient available P, particularly lower horizons where it varied from 11.2 to 43.2 kg P/ha. Inspite of this, uptake of P in leaves of Bambusa arundinacae at all locations is of the order of 0.06 to 0.08% (Table 2). It seems to be quite low. Leaves of Bambusa arundinacae normally contain 0.2% P.
Thus, root mechanism of this bamboo does not seem to be strong enough to extract sufficient soil P for normal growth under the prevailing circumstances. Otherwise it is possible that severe nitrogen deficiency in plants might have shattered the mechanism of P uptake by root.
Available K in this soil varies from 181 to 437 kg/ha and as such is of medium to high order. Potassium in leaves of Katang bans varies from 1.30 to 1.82% and in general is less than that of Dendrocalamus strictus where it is varying from 11.48 to 2.04%. Plantation site of Dendrocalamus strictus has sufficient available nitrogen which ranges from 282 to 313 kg N/ha. Satisfactory growth of Dendrocalamus strictus containing 2.07 to 2.96% leaf nitrogen may, therefore, be associated with it.
The results of leaf nitrogen are in accordance with Gulati et al., (1984) who reported 2.3% N (14.2% crude protein) in leaves of Dendrocalamus strictus. Even though, this site is poor in available soil phosphorus which varied from 1.6 to 6.4 kg P/ha, uptake of P in upper leaves of this bamboo has been 0.20% and in lower leaves about 0.06%.
This may be due to free mobility of P in plant system. The results are in agreement with that of Gulati et. al., (1984) who mentioned of 0.2% P in leaves of Dendrocalamus strictus. Prasad et al., (1990) also found 0.2% P in leaves of one year old Dendrocalamus strictus. Roots of Dendrocalamus strictus might have been able to extract some P unlike Bambusa arundinacae.
Conclusion:
It is obvious from the above discussion that, the leaves of Katang bans (Bambusa arundinacae) under study contain three times less nitrogen and 2-3 times less phosphorus than the healthy ones reported by Gulati et al., (1984) and Prasad et al., (1990).
Mortality in Katang bans in Bhaura range, Beutul is, therefore, mainly due to nitrogen deficiency followed by phosphorus. It may be corrected by incorporating adequate amount of nitrogenous and phosphorus fertilizers. Differential uptake of P points at better root mechanism of Dendrocalamus strictus over Bambusa arundinacae to extract soil nutrients, particularly soil phosphorus.