Adaptation and Growth Performance of Different Lowland Bamboo Species in Bako, West Shoa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Bamboo is a fast growing tree species than other trees and starts to yield within three or four years of planting. Even though Ethiopia is one of the most endowed countries in having huge coverage of bamboo resource in Africa, the country has narrow genetic diversity only has two species. Yushania alpine (highland bamboo) and Oxytenanthera abyssinica (lowland bamboo). The adaptation of lowland bamboo at Bako Agriculture Research Center conducted from 2010 to 2013 to evaluate the adaptability potential of different provenance of lowland bamboo species and to provide the best performing of lowland bamboo species around Bako areas. Based on the objectives, four different lowland bamboo species were collected from Debrezit Agriculture Research Center and Forestry Research Center of Addis Abeba. The species are: Oxythenantera abyssinica, Guadua amplexofolia, Dendrocalamus hamlitonii and Dendrocalamus memebranceous among those mentioned only Oxytenanthera abyssinica are indigenous the rest are exotics. The experiment was laid out in RCBD with three replications. The selected bamboo species has no problem on survival and adaptability at Bako area except some growth variation. Despite this fact, Dendrocalamus hamlitonii specie is show high difference in new emerging shoots, internodes length, culm height and culm diameter whereas, Guadua amplexofolia revealed low in all growth parameters. So, based on these results we recommend Dendrocalamus hamlitonii, Dendrocalamus memebranceous and Oxythenantera abyssinica for different production since they have a good internodes length, ability to emerge new shoots, culm height and diameter while the growth of Guadua amplexofolia is quite different when compare with others. Therefore, the adaptation of lowland bamboo under Bako and related agro ecologies is reliable so, we recommend for further economic and livelihood benefits for different stakeholders through expanding the plantation.

Keywords: Bamboo; exotic; indigenous; lowland; Plantation