Population status and regeneration of a tropical clumping bamboo Schizostachyum dullooa under two management regimes

Abstract

Schizostachyum dullooa (Gamble) Majumder ‘dolu bamboo’ is a thin walled sympodial moderate sized to large tufted bamboo, dominant in the successional fallows of northeast India. The impact of resource management on productivity and sustainability of the species was evaluated by investigating the population status and regeneration in Cachar tropical semi evergreen forest under private property resource management (PPRM) and common property resource management (CPRM) regimes. Population status revealed current-year, one-year, two-year and three-year-old culms contribute 54%, 24%, 16% and 6% of the total culms per clump, respectively, under PPRM. Three-year-old culms were absent in CPRM and population status was thus represented by current year (83%), one-year (16%) and two-year (1%) old culms. Net change, rate of change and % gain in population for different age classes showed the prevalence of management practices under CPRM was unscientific. Efficiency of new culm production per clump used as an index of regeneration was 69.7% in PPRM and 59.88% in CPRM. New culms produced under CPRM were small and thin. We conclude that CPRM is inappropriate for a long term economic and ecological sustainability of the species and alternative management protocols are needed for conservation of the species.

Keywords: management regime; population structure; production efficiency; Schizostachyum dullooa.

Authors: Arun Jyoti Nath and Ashesh Kumar Das

 Journal Name and Issue: Journal of Forestry Research 22(1): 43-46

Year of Publication 2011

Carbon storage and sequestration in bamboo-based smallholder homegardens of Barak Valley, Assam

Abstract

Smallholder farming systems throughout the world are believed to be potential sinks to remove atmospheric CO₂. Smallholder bamboo farming system in Barak Valley, Assam, which forms a part of the traditional homegarden system, holds promise in this respect. Occurrence of bamboo in all homesteads coupled with progressive increase in culm density over the years reflects its potential for carbon (C) storage. Hundred homegardens were selected from the study site and the total number of culms from all the different age classes per clump of Bambusa cacharensis, Bambusa vulgaris and Bambusa balcooa were recorded with their diameter at breast height. Harvest method was employed to estimate the aboveground biomass and from biomass values C stock was determined. C estimate in aboveground vegetation in bamboo farming system ranged from 6.51 (2004) to 8.95 (2007) Mg ha^–1 with 87%, 9% and 4% of the total C stored in culm, branch and leaf respectively. The rate of C sequestration was 1.20–1.46 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1, with a mean of 1.32 Mg ha^–1 yr^–1. In bamboo farming system under selective felling regime, although the C stock and sequestration was low compared to other agroforestry systems across the world, it represented a permanent stock. Harvesting of mature culms was balanced by C gain from new culms produced in the clump. Carbon assimilation ratio, an index to evaluate C sequestration potential per unit of C stock, exhibited bamboo farming as an efficient C sequester than other pure plantations or natural forests. Promotion of smallholder bamboo farming systems to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels to receive certified emission reduction is recommended.

Keywords: Bamboo farming, carbon assimilation ratio, smallholder, homegarden.

Authors: Arun Jyoti Nath and Ashesh Kumar Das

 Journal Name and Issue: Current Science 100 (2): 229-133 (IF 0.83).

Year of Publication 2011

Gregarious flowering of a long-lived tropical semelparous bamboo Schizostachyum dullooa in Assam

Abstract

Schizostachyum dullooa (Gamble) Majumder (dolu bamboo) is a thin-walled sympodial moderate size to large tufted bamboo. The species is distributed in the moist semi-evergreen forests of northeast India (Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram) to Sylhet, Chittagong and Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh. This is a dominant bamboo species in the successional fallows of northeast India and forms the overriding vegetation in tropical and subtropical hill slopes in which it grows. This is one of the important bamboo species after Melocanna baccifera in the hill tracts of Cachar District, Assam and has been harvested by human populations for subsistence and commercial needs since time immemorial. Internodes of the green culm are used for preparation of a traditional food during the religious harvest festival in addition to its wide range of uses in house construction, fencing and craft making3. Young shoots of the species is also a food item of Phayre’s leaf monkey during the rainy season. The importance of the species as the provider of ecosystem services4 is clear from the numerous ways through which it generates services.

Authors: Arun Jyoti Nath and Ashesh Kumar Das

 Journal Name and Issue: Current Science 99 (2): 154-155 (IF 0.83)

Year of Publication 2010

Traditional use of Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. in fish farming in Chatla floodplain of Cachar, Assam

Abstract

Floodplain ecosystems are of immense important for their social, ecological and economical benefits. Floodplains have been managed and utilized by the traditional fisher communities to secure their livelihood. Besides harbouring fishes floodplains are also an important site for rich vegetation. Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. locally Hijol is the dominant tree species growing in the hillocks of the Chatla floodplain. This study was conducted to explore the traditional use of the branches of B. acutangula in the fish farming in Chatla floodplain of Cachar, Assam.  A rich tradition of utilization of branches among the Kaivartas was recognized.  The knowledge of shedding the leaves from branches through sundry and water soaking is practiced by the fishermen for fishery management. Traditional plantation management system through pollarding was observed. The need of incorporation of traditional knowledge before implementation of any rural programme is recommended.

Keywords: Fish farming, Kaivartas, Pollarding, Livelihood, Cachar

Authors: Arun Jyoti Nath, Amarjit Raut and Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee

 Journal Name and Issue: Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 9 (3): 544-546 (IF 0.23)

Year of Publication 2010

Above ground standing biomass and carbon storage in village bamboos in North East India

Abstract

Bamboo forms an important component in the traditional landscape of North East India. For biomass estimation of village bamboos of Barak Valley, North East India, allometric relationships were developed by harvest method describing leaf, branch and culm biomass with DBH as an independent variable using a log linear model. The culm density of the stand was 8950 culms ha^-1 during 2005 of which 67% of growing stock was represented by Bambusa cacharensis, 17.88%by Bambusa vulgaris and 15.12% by Bambusa balcooa. Above ground stand biomass was 121.51 t ha^-1 of which 86% was contributed by culm component followed by branch (10%) and leaf (4%). With respect to species, B. Cacharensis made up to 46% of total stand biomass followed by B. vulgaris (28%) and B. balcooa (26%). Carbon storage in the above ground biomass was 61.05 t ha^-1. Allocation of C was more in culm components (53.05 t ha^-1) than in branch (5.81 t ha^-1) and leaf (2.19 t ha^-1). Carbon storage in the litter floor mass was 2.40 t ha^-1, of which leaf litter made up the highest amount (1.37 t ha^-1) followed by sheath (0.86 t ha^-1) and branch (0.17 t ha^-1). Carbon stock in the soil up to 30 cm depth was 57.3 t ha^-1. Gross C stock in the plantation was estimated to be 120.75 t ha^-1. Carbon storage estimated in the bamboo stand of present study offers insights into the opportunity of village bamboos in the rural landscape for carbon storage through carbon sequestration. Management and utilization of village bamboos as a potential source of carbon sink by smallholder farmers are discussed in the context of their livelihood security and the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.

Keywords: Above ground standing biomass, Carbon storage, Allometric equations,  Management system, Village bamboos

Authors: Arun Jyoti Nath, Gitasree Das, Ashesh Kumar Das

Journal Name and Issue: Biomass and Bioenegry 33(9): 1188-1196 (IF 3.64).

 Year of Publication 2009