Propagation of Bambusa vulgaris (yellow bamboo) through nodal bud culture

Abstract

Bambusa vulgaris (yellow bamboo), is the most commonly cultivated and used bamboo species in many countries. With the increased demand for bamboo, the importance of bamboo plantations has been realized. This would require large quantities of planting material continuously for which tissue culture techniques offer a solution. The propagation of B. vulgaris through nodal-bud culture was studied. Single nodal segments were tested for bud-break and shoot growth on basic Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium (MS) supplemented with different combinations and concentrations of growth regulators. Results suggest that cytokinin is important for bud-break. Gibberellic acid enhances multiple shoot production in this species. The position of the node on the culm appears to affect bud-break and multiplication, middle nodes are the most suitable. Also, removal of prophylls enhances bud-break. The shoots developed from axillary buds could be rooted on MS basic medium at 50% macro and I B A (0.25 \xM). Upon transfer to the field (after four weeks in the rooting medium), the shoots developed into true-to-type plants.