Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Managed Multistem  Regional Crop

A plant of the moist tropics. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature falls within the range 20 - 33°c, though it can tolerate 15 - 38°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 3,000mm, tolerating 600 - 4,400mm[418 ]. Succeeds in full sun or light shade[418 ]. Succeeds in moist soils, preferring a fertile medium to heavy soil[418 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but tolerates 5 - 7[418 ]. Harvesting of the culms may start 5 - 6 years after planting[310 ]. Young shoots are harvested in the rainy season. Culms are considered mature when 2 years old[310 ]. The average green culm yield is estimated at 12,000 culms/ha per 3 years, weighing about 84 tonnes[310 ]. Other reported culm yield data per 3 years per ha in air dry weight are: 38 tonnes (Bangladesh), 21 tonnes (Myanmar) and 17.5 tonnes (India)[310 ]. Bamboos have an interesting method of growth. Each plant produces a number of new stems annually - these stems grow to their maximum height in their first year of growth, subsequent growth in the stem being limited to the production of new side branches and leaves. In the case of some mature tropical species the new stem could be as much as 30 metres tall, with daily increases in height of 30cm or more during their peak growth time. This makes them some of the fastest-growing species in the world[K ]. Seedlings, unlike those of most bamboos, grow vigorously from the beginning. By the end of their first year's growth they have usually produced 1 or 2 shoots, but up to 5 shoots can be produced[310 ]. The least shoot produced can be up to 3 metres tall[310 ]. The shoots are crowded together in a clump[310 ]. More shoots are produced during the second season - these can be up to 7 metres tall and the clump becomes larger[310 ]. By the fifth season, the culms have attained almost their maximum height, but they are still thin and crowded together[310 ]. Per clump, more than 70 culms may be present[310 ]. In later years, the culms become spaced out with the gradual extension of the rhizomes[310 ]. Clumps are mature after about 10 years, reaching 4 - 5 metres in diameter and producing 30 - 40 new culms annually[310 ]. Young shoots emerge above the soil during the rainy season and develop to their full height within 4 - 6 months[310 ]. Lateral branches emerge and develop in the following season[310 ]. Bamboos in general are usually monocarpic, living for many years before flowering, then flowering and seeding profusely for a period of 1 - 3 years before usually dying. The plant flowers gregariously, with a flowering cycle of 30 - 45 years. In the season before flowering no new shoots are produced. Flowering may continue for about 10 years over a tract that is sometimes called a flowering wave[310 ]. Soon after flowering, the leaves wither and fall, the culms turn yellow and the fruit forms rapidly, ripening and falling - often already germinating even before they fall[310 ]. Many fruits fail to mature and those produced from the earlier flowering part are larger than those from the later part[310 ]. Eventually, clumps that have flowered die[310 ]. The rhizomes are very vital and start growing easily - this means that eradication of the plant from cleared bamboo forest is very difficult because every rhizome part left in the ground quickly develops into a new plant[310 ].

Carbon Farming

• Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
• Management: Managed Multistem  Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.