Dear Venkat101,
The cultivation practices of Bamboo are as follows:
Soil : Most Bamboos are found in sandy loamy to loamy clay soil, derived form river alluvium or underlying rock. Although bamboos prefer a well drained soil, it is observed to grow even in swampy soils. The soils of Barak valley vary from clay to clay loam to sandy loam and soil reaction is acidic with ph of 4..5 to 6.0 A luxurious growth of bamboo is a common feature and therefore, the soil and climatic conditions are best suited for cultivation of bamboo.
Species: The north east region hosts 58 species belonging to 10 genera. The common bamboo in Barak Valley is muli bamboo (Melocanna bambusoides) and jati bamboo (Bambusa tulda). Presently, the bamboo which procured by the paper mill now proposes to raise the nursery using the species, Bambusa bambos and Dendrocalamus strictus. The reason for preference of these species is non availability of seed of Bambusa tulda. The required seedlings for the first year programme of 750 acre is already available in the nursery of Cachar Paper Mill.
Planting : There are various methods of propagating bamboo through seed and vegetative methods. The vegetative method is mainly through rhizome. Although, for early income generation, rhizome as planting material is desirable, due to non availabililty of rhizome in large quantity for developing as high as 1000 hectare is a constraint. Therefore, seedlings will be used as planting material in the present project. The planting will be taken up with the onset of monsoon. Pits of 60 cm X 60 cm will be dug and the seedlings will be planted at a spacing of 5m x 4m. The number of plants per acre is 200. A provision has been made for casualty replacement to the extent of 20%.
Intercropping :The gestation period in bamboo plantation is five years. During the first three years, it is possible to cultivate profitable intercrops such as turmeric, ginger, chillies etc. and various shade loving medicinal and aromatic plants.
Fertilisation: The application of fertiliser is most important during transplantation from nursery to main field. Bamboo is a heavy feeder and therefore, even a rich soil might become depleted after a few years if no fertiliser is added. The fertilisers although may be applied at any time in a year, it is preferred to apply after harvest and before irrigations. It should be noted that rhizomes continue to be active (growing)except in the coldest part of the year. It is therefore proper to apply small quantities of fertilisers round the year thanone/two large doses. Bamboo responds well to nitrogen and potassium which are found in compost, green manure, wood ash and chemical fertilisers. Lime is often applied to neutralise soil acidity.
Harvesting and yield :The annual yield of a bamboo clump depends on the number of new culms produced each year. This in turn is related to the production of young culms. Culms become mature after two to three years. To maximise shoot output some shoots must be left each year to develop into leafy young culms. It is reported that bamboo clump on an average produce 10 culms in a year under good growing conditions. Considering a 30 year of life cycle one clump may produce 300 culms on the whole.
The harvesting can be done from fifth year onwards, however, for commercial production, harvesting will start from sixth year. In the first year of harvest i.e. sixth year, 6 culms per clump will be harvested followed by 7 in seventh year, 8 in eighth year and 9 from ninth year onwards. The culms which are one or two year old are generally left for regeneration. Considering the average weight of a culm at 10 kg, the yield in the first year of harvest is 9.6 tonnes per acre, which will stabilize at 14.4 ton by ninth year.
Please contact us for project report for availing term loan from banks:
G.Ananda rao B.Sc(Ag)
Agri Finance consultant, Vijaya Agro Consultants
Mobile: 9703128495
Mail:
garao56@gmail.com
