Rooting behaviour and soil properties in different bamboo species of Western Himalayan Foothills, India

Abstract

Due to extensive root system, connected rhizome bamboos are considered suitable for improving soil properties within a short period, though most of the claims are anecdotal and need to be supported with quantified data. The study evaluates seven bamboo species viz., Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa nutans, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Dendrocalamus stocksii and Dendrocalamus strictus for their rooting pattern and impact on soil health properties. Coarse and fine root intensity was maximum in B. vulgaris. Coarse root biomass ranged from 0.6 kg m −3 in B. nutans to 2.0 kg m −3 in B. vulgaris and B. bambos. Fine root biomass ranged from 1.1 kg m −3 in B. nutans to 4.5 kg m −3 in D. hamiltonii. Contribution of fine roots in terms of intensity and biomass was much higher than coarse roots. Fine root biomass showed declining trend with increase in soil depth in all the species. During sixth year, the litter fall ranged from 8.1 Mg ha −1 in D. stocksii to 12.4 Mg ha −1 in D. hamiltonii. Among soil physical properties significant improvement were recorded in hydraulic conductivity, water stable aggregates and mean weight diameter. Soil pH, organic carbon and available phosphorus under different species did not reveal any significant changes, while significant reduction was observed in total nitrogen and potassium. Significant positive correlation was observed between WSA and iron content. Soil microbial population and enzyme activities were higher in control plot. Considering root distribution, biomass, soil hydraulic conductivity and water stable aggregates, B. bambos, B. vulgaris and D. hamiltonii are recommended for rehabilitation of degraded lands prone to soil erosion. Bamboo grows worldwide in at least 37 million ha and covers 3.2 percent of forest areas of their host countries, or about 1 percent of the global forest area 1. Bamboo being an annual yielding crop with multipurpose utility has proven potential for contributing to poverty reduction, environmental protection and achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-SDG1, SDG7, SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 15, and SDG 17 2. Many countries are now exploring options for achieving land degradation neutrality through the use of bamboo. Bamboo also contributes to the Bonn Challenge, the global initiative targeting the restoration of 200 million hectares of the planet's degraded lands, to which International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) member states have agreed to contribute about five million hectares of bamboo plantations 3. India is the second richest country of the world, after China, in terms of bamboo genetic resources 4. The bamboo area of the country is estimated to be 15.69 million hectare with total standing stock of 189 million tons 5. Raising of bamboo on degraded soils improves soil quality and sequesters carbon in the soil 6,7. Bamboo due to its fast growth and extensive root system improves soil physical, chemical and biological properties; controls soil erosion; filters sediment and is considered suitable...

Ebb-and-Flow Subirrigation Improves Seedling Growth and Root Morphology of Tomato by Influencing Root-Softening Enzymes and Transcript Profiling of Related Genes

“…Root activity is an important indicator to reflect the strength of the plant root system [80]. It is closely related to the plant life cycle and can reflect the dynamic relationship between root growth and water supply [80,81].…”

“…Root activity is an important indicator to reflect the strength of the plant root system [80]. It is closely related to the plant life cycle and can reflect the dynamic relationship between root growth and water supply [80,81]. Studies on maize [82] and duckweed [83] show that the root activity of plants decreases or increases first and then decreases under drought stress.…”

Build-up of labile, non-labile carbon fractions under fourteen-year-old bamboo plantations in the Himalayan foothills

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“…In this direction, International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) and many researchers ( Sohel et al., 2015 ; Kaushal et al., 2020a ) have underlined the significance of bamboo for reclamation of degraded lands across the globe. The fast-growing nature of bamboo species makes it capable to sequester more carbon, resulting in substantial “carbon-gain” through increased primary productivity as well as enhancing the SOC (inbar.int) and potentially take part in global climate change mitigation.…”

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