The Effect of Water Availability on Shoot and Culm Properties of a Developing Phyllostachys Iridescens Grove

Abstract

Neményi et al. : The effect of water availability on shoot and culm properties of a developing Abstract. A three year experiment was carried out on sandy soil with a vegetatively propagated single clone of Phyllostachys iridescens in Gödöllő, Hungary to investigate the effect of water availability on the number of developing and aborted shoots and the number, diameter and height of culms in a newly planted grove. Part of the experimental plot was provided with drip irrigation and irrigated 3 times a week during the vegetation period from April until the end of October in all years. The first experimental year (2010) was a moist year, while during the second (2011) and third year (2012) there was drought during spring and summer. The number of shoots that developed into culms did not significantly increase over the years in unirrigated control plants, while in irrigated plants there was a three to four fold increase in culm recruitment compared to initial values. There was no significant difference between treatments in culm diameter and culm height during the first two experimental years. However, there was a five fold significant difference in these parameters in the last year. We found a strong (R 2 =0.90, P=0.001) correlation between culm diameter and culm height. Our results prove that water supply during the growing season is of vital importance to developing temperate bamboos.

Az Erdőmérnöki Kar Tudományos Kiadványa

“…Bamboo as an energy crop is a resource that has been increasingly researched in Europe in recent decades. Its relevance in Hungary is indicated by the fact that a multi-year experiment on the effect of water availability on shoot and culm properties of a bamboo species (NEMÉNYI et al 2016) and the Mite Fauna of Hungarian Bamboo Plantations (KONTSCHÁN et al 2015) had been reported. A new study at the University of Debrecen focused on the potential use of bamboo in phytoremediation in Hungary (LIANG et al 2022).…”

“…Researchers found a strong positive correlation between culm diameter and culm height. Furthermore, NEMÉNYI et al (2016) explained that Phyllostachys bamboo is a temperate bamboo genus that has the ability to adapt to sites with less irrigation or drought areas. However, during the three-year project, it was proven that irrigation during the growing season significantly influenced (multiplied) the number of shoots and the development of culms.…”