In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Introduction to Planting of Malaysian Bamboos 2. Bamboo Plantation Program Adopted in Malaysia 3. Bamboo Productivity 4. Results and Discussion for Propagation Method.
Introduction to Planting of Malaysian Bamboos:
Bamboos were once considered as weeds in forestry practice whereby, attempts were made to prevent or control their growth. Currently, due to rapid expansion of bamboo-based industries, bamboos have become the second most important non-timber forest produce in Malaysia after Rattan.
In Malaysia, it is viewed as a multipurpose plant with a wide range of uses which include construction, paper making, manufacture of joss- sticks, barbeque sticks, chopsticks and also as a source of food. With International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) guidelines and the pressure for instituting Sustainable Forest Management Practices, harvesting and utilization of natural stand timbers from the tropical forests are expected to be reduced by the year 2000. Facing with the consequences of timber shortages in the near future, integrated approaches of forest production for other than timber should be looked into. Based on research and development activities, bamboo could be expected as a potential alternative to support the increased demand in the production of timber-based high-value products.
Peninsular Malaysia has at least 60 bamboo species of which, 25 are indigenous while the rest are known only in cultivation. All the bamboo species are grouped under 11 genera namely- Bambusa, Chusquea, Dendrocalamus, Dinochloa, Gigantochloa, Melocanna, Phyllostachys, Racemobambos, Schizostachyum, Thyrsostachys and Yushania. Of the total species, only about 13 are commercially utilized while the rest are left idle in their habitat with lack of knowledge on their properties and potential usage.
(a) Current Bamboo Resources and Consumption:
Comprehensive survey works on the availability and distribution of bamboo, and its industrial profile conducted revealed that the distribution of bamboo is mainly located in the north western part of Peninsular Malaysia.
Due to this pattern of distribution, the location of bamboo industry engaged mainly in manufacturing products for local market is predominantly in the west coast regions where, the supply can be transported easily from the forest to the factories.
With regards to the type of bamboo consumed, the most common species extracted from the forest (amounted to about 2 million poles of 10 feet length) were those of Gigantochloa scortechinii (about 70%) followed by Dendrocalamus pendulus (about 20%) and G. wrayi, Schizostachyum grande, S. zollingerii and G. ligulata (total of 10%).
The data obtained from the Third National Forest Inventory (1991-1993) further revealed that the total number of bamboo clumps estimated within Peninsular Malaysia amounted to about 82.2 million and with 1.4 billion standing culms (6m/culm) (Table 1).
However, the total number of bamboo poles harvested from the forest reserve is, estimated at only 1.6, 2.1 and 2.4 million culms in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively, in order to meet the demand from the industry. Most of the resource came from Pahang/Perak, Kelantan, Kedah and Selangor.
(b) Problems of Natural Stand Bamboo Resources:
Most of the bamboo resources for the industries come from natural stands, especially in disturbed areas such as logged-over forests, degraded land and marginal localities fringing the forests, and also along river banks.
Although bamboo resources are quite substantial, the distribution and growth of bamboo in natural stands makes it unviable to support any industry with large capacity.
The problems faced, are as follows:
1. The wavering continuity in supply of the good quality culms in bulk quantity for industrial use is frequently reported to hinder the production of quality products.
2. Indiscriminate harvesting of wild bamboo stands without due consideration to their suitable age for final intended usage also remains to be the prime factor for higher wastage derived from machining activities.
3. Natural bamboo stands produced low productivity- a study showed that only 4.7% of the total standing culms of Gigantochloa scortechinii in natural stands were categorized as suitable to be harvested.
4. Most of the thick walled bamboo species suitable for production of bamboo boards and panel are hardly found in the forest. These species can only be domesticated and planted.
Considering their economic importance, and the problem in assuring continuous supply of uniform and high quality bamboos for industrial uses, it is therefore; felt that, there is a need to establish bamboo plantations on a large scale basis.
Bamboo Plantation Program Adopted in Malaysia:
(a) Choice of Species for Producing High Value Products:
Based on research, a few bamboo species have been identified as suitable to be utilized for various products. The lower to middle culm portions can be used to produce high value bamboo products such as, bamboo board, panel, parquet and laminates while the upper portion of the culm can be used for the production of high materials. The species identified and highly recommended are those of.
1. Bambusa vulgaris (Buluh aur/minyak)
2. Bambusa heterostachya (Buluh galah)
3. Dendrocalamus asper (Buluh betong)
4. Gigantochloa levis (Buluh beting)
5. Gigantochloa scortechnii (Buluh semantan)
6. Gigantochloa spp. (Buluh brang)
(b) Planting of Bamboos:
Currently, there are no bamboo plantations in Malaysia. Some bamboo species are planted in villages by farmers only for own use. Most of the bamboo species found in Malaysia grow naturally in the forest. The uncontrolled exploitation of these resources, however, has resulted in reduced yields and deterioration in quality.
Considering the economic importance and the problem of continuity of bamboo supply for industrial uses, there is a need to establish bamboo plantations both in the forest and on private land. The main problem faced in establishing large scale bamboo plantations is the availability of planting materials. However, the selected bamboo species can be propagated vegetatively.
Bamboo Productivity in Malaysia:
(a) Culm / Shoot Production
Results obtained from trial plots of selectively planted bamboo species (of age between 3 to 6 years) show that the average total number of shoots emerge annually ranged between 9 to 15. Only 7 to 11 of these bamboo shoots are considered productive, that is they can grow and develop into bamboo culms annually. In Peninsular Malaysia, shoots commonly emerge (or so called shoot production season) from May to September annually.
In general consensus, bamboo plantation with a planting density of 400 clumps/ ha produces between 2,800 to 4,400 culms/ha/year and this once again depends much on the type of bamboo species being planted.
(b) Biomass production:
In a bamboo plantation aged about 5 years and above, the estimated annual culm biomass production was estimated to be about 13.75 t/ha, 16.32 t/ha and 29.04 t/ha for Buluh aur, semantan and betting correspondingly. From the total annual culm biomass production, 60%-70% is usually harvested for consumption.
Results and Discussion for Propagation Method:
Table 2 shows the propagation methods of selected Malaysian bamboos.
These propagation methods are discussed below:
(a) Culm Cuttings:
Culm cuttings are obtained from 2 to 3 year-old culms harvested from healthy bamboo clumps. After felling, the culms are cut into one or two node culm sections leaving about 10-15 cm of culm portion at either end beyond the node. The branches are not completely removed but short trimmed. Care should be taken not to damage the nodal buds while trimming the branches.
Culm cuttings are then transported to the nursery for planting as soon as possible to prevent them from drying. Another precaution taken to prevent desiccation is by wrapping the cuttings in moist gunny sacks.
Nursery beds of 10 m x 1 m x 30 cm are prepared and filled with a mixture of top soil and sand (1:2). The two node cuttings are placed horizontally across the nursery beds and covered with a thin layer of soil of 2-3 cm. To minimize dehydration of culm cuttings during horizontal planting, a small hole is made between the two nodes and the internode portion is filled with water. The water filled cuttings are then planted horizontally in the nursery beds.
Another method of propagation by culm cuttings is by planting one node cuttings in polybags. The size of polybags used depends on the culm diameter, and the size commonly used is 9 x 12 cm. filled with top soil. The one node culm cuttings consist of nodal bud with trimmed branches.
The culm cutting is cut 5 – 8 cm at the lower portion and 20 – 30 cm at the upper portion of the node. The cuttings are planted vertically and the depth of the cuttings planted (the node portion) in the polybags is 3 – 5 cm. This method of planting gives a lower rate of survival compared with the two node culm cuttings planted horizontally in the nursery beds.
In general, middle and top portions of bamboo culm used for culm cutting give the highest survival rate and number of new culms produced at the age of 5 months. The success of the cuttings varies and is significantly influenced by the species itself. Experimental trials showed that B. vulgaris (81% survival) gave the best results while G. scortechinii (5% survival) gave the poorest.
After 4 – 5 months the culm cuttings will produce 2-3 new culms and at this stage the culm cuttings are ready to be transplanted to the planting site.
(b) Branch Cuttings:
Propagation using branch cuttings is applicable for most thick walled bamboo species which have large rooted branching with dormant buds. Only five of the selected bamboo species, Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, Gigantochloa levis, Gigantochloa ligulata and Gigantochloa spp. (Buluh brang) can be propagated by branch cuttings.
Branch cuttings are extracted from culms aged between two to three years old. The branches are carefully removed from the culm sections to prevent damage to the delicate buds. They are then cut into 30 cm lengths (consisting of at least three nodes) and planted in polybags (9 cm x 12 cm) filled with top-soil. The depth of the cuttings planted in the polybag is 5-8 cm.
It takes 4-5 months for the branch cuttings to establish roots in the nursery before they are transplanted to the field. The advantage of branch cuttings is that it gives a high percentage of survival (between 75-90%) in the nursery stage and can easily be transported to the planting site with minimum injury. The established roots give a better survival rate in field planting.
(c) Rhizome-Offset Plantings:
The planting of rhizome-offsets is the most common method of propagating bamboos in villages. This technique involves basal parts of a culm along with the underground rhizome portion. Even though rhizome offset is suitable for propagation of Malaysian bamboos, the technique is only practical for small scale planting. For large scale plantation, the major drawbacks of this technique are due to the high cost of extraction and transportation, and the availability of planting material which is rather limited.
Rhizome-offsets are collected from healthy and vigorous clumps. Generally, offsets from 1 to 2-year old culms give better results as the rhizomes are young, vigorous and possess active rhizome buds. The buds of older rhizome offsets (4-7 years of age) are mostly dead and cannot produce any new culms.
The extraction of offsets can be done both manually and mechanically using tractor, chain-saw and small tools such as axes and long knives. Care should be taken to minimize damage to the rhizome buds. The desired length of the culm part of an offset is 1 to 1.5 m or with 3 to 4 nodes bearing viable branch buds.
The rhizome-offsets are then transported and planted immediately in planting holes of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm with a spacing of 5 m x 5 m. Planting should be done in the rainy season, if not, the planted propagules must be watered twice a day during the first 3 months.
(d) Field Plantings:
Bamboo raised in the field through open planting was best found grown in the sandy clay loam areas. The spacing for large size bamboo species is 5 m x 5 m (400 clumps/ha) such as for Buluh betong, beting, aur, brang and semantan. The planting hole used is 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm. It would be better if the soil at the planting area can be loosened or ploughed before planting.
Water is crucial at the beginning of planting period. Field planting should be done preferably at the beginning of the rainy season because, this will reduce the cost of watering. If there is no rain, the propagules should be watered twice a day for the first three months.
During planting of bamboo propagules, each planting hole should be applied with 200 gm of CIRP mixed with 2 kg of organic fertilizer. Organic matter is important for the growth of bamboo. It helps to improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil by stabilizing the moisture content and nutrient retention. These conditions promote the growth of rhizome and bamboo culms.
Table 3 shows the results of experiments conducted in FRIM. Application of 2 kg organic fertilizer per planting hole gave better percentage of survival and culm production during initial establishment of G. levis propagated by branch cutting propagules.
(e) Growth of Bamboo in Field Planting:
Table 4 gives the percentage of survival and new culm production at 30 months after the propagules are planted in the experiment carried out in FRIM. It shows that the propagules of B. vulgaris, D. asper and G. levis propagated by branch cuttings gave better survival (with mean percentage of 88.6%) as compared with culm cutting and rhizome-offset propagules. B. vulgaris gave the highest survival rate (93%) followed by G. levis (91%), and D. asper (82%) which produced an average of 12, 14 and 18 new culms per clump respectively.
The high percentage of survival and growth of branch cutting propagules was more likely due to well-developed root-rhizome system and less injury suffered during transplanting, since they were contained in polybags.
The percentage of survival in culm cutting propagules varied between the bamboo species, and ranged between 68 to 95% with 7 to 28 culms respectively. The overall mean percentage of survival was 80.8% with an average production of 14.1 culms. S. zollingeri gave the highest survival rate and culm production compared with the other species.
Planting shock which causes the death of propagules usually occurs during the first month of field planting, possibly due to injuries to the rhizome-root system during transplanting.
Generally, rhizome-offsets gave the lowest survival rate (mean of 74.7%), possibly due to the nature of planting material which was bulky and difficult to handle, and hence it was liable to be injured during transit to the planting sites.
Moreover, there was delay in planting of the propagules because of the long distance from the place where the planting materials were obtained. The moisture stress caused by the short dry spell during the field planting had affected the vigour of the propagules after planting.
Conclusions:
The selected bamboo species can be easily propagated using branch cuttings. The advantage of branch cuttings is that it gives a high percentage of survival (between 80-90%) and can easily be transported to planting site with minimum injury. With proper management, bamboo plantation can be established within one year after field planting and 4 to 5 years to reach the stage of culm production.