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Current Status of Planting Material and Field Trials

Gordon O. Sigu - KEFRI

James Mwang’ombe - KFS

Paper Presented during the KEFRI INBAR Bamboo Resources Workshop held on 21st April 2015, at the Kenya Forestry Research

Institute (KEFRI)

Headquarters, Muguga

PRESENTATION FLOW

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Introduction

Introduced Species

Raising of Planting Materials

Field Trials

Lessons Learnt

Concluding Remarks

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Introduction

• Over 150,000 ha in natural vegetation

• Yushania alpina (Arundinaria alpina)

• Located 2400-3400 m asl

• Mainly on slopes of the 5 water towers

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Introduction Cont..

• 40 species introduced

• Half of these successful in various zones

• Growing on farms in some areas like South Nyanza, Karatina

• Planted along rivers and town compounds

• Introduced species better in lowland and medium altitude zones

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Introduced Species

• Bambusa bambos• Bambusa lako• Bambusa nutans• Bambusa tulda• Bambusa vulgaris• Bambusa vulgaris

‘Vitatta’

• Spiny bamboo• black tropical bamboo• medium sized bamboo• large timber bamboo• common green

bamboo• common yellow

/striped bamboo

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Introduced Species Cont..

• Cephalostachyum pergracile

• Dendrocalamus asper• Dendrocalamus

brandisii• Dendrocalamus

giganteus• Dendrocalamus

hamiltonii

• medium sized bamboo

• Giant bamboo• Giant bamboo

• Giant Bamboo • large timber bamboo

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Introduced Species Cont…

• D. membranaceus• D. strictus• Oxytenanthera

abyssinica• Phyllostachys nigra

var. Henonis• Phyllostachys

pubescens

• large bamboo• solid bamboo• drought resistant

bamboo (African)• Black temperate

bamboo• Large timber and

edible shoots bamboo

Raising of Planting Materials

PROPAGATION METHODS CURRENTLY IN USE

•SEED

•WILDLINGS

•CUTTINGS

•OFFSETS

•TISSUE CULTURE

Bamboo Park

CULM / BRANCH CUTTINGS

Seedlings ready for field planting

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Using offsets

Extracted offsets should be transported to the planting site without any delay (preferably the same day or the next) and planted immediately.

Using Tissue Culture

•Mass production

•Rapid Multiplication

•Viable option for difficult species

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Macro-proliferation

• Multiplying nursery materials from seed/tissue culture seedlings

Bamboo Nurseries

• KEFRI + regions and centres

• KFS Stations

• CBOs/Individual Farmers

• ENSDA Narok

• Tiriki Bamboo

• Kitil Farm

• Bamboo Trading Company

• Sotik Tea Company

• Bamboo and Tree Company

• Kaimosi Tea

• Unilever Kericho

• Nyayo Tea Zones

• Kenya Water Towers Agency

Bamboo and Tree Company Ltd.

KEFRI Bamboo Trials

• Positive initiative by KEFRI• Testing exotic species and their

potential• Strategic response to restriction

on harvesting• Shows positive results of some

species outside their natural range

• Unveils the potential of bamboo in Kenya

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Field Trials

• Trials in:

– Gede and Jilore – coastal region

– Muguga and Penon – highlands

– Kakamega and Siaya – Lake region

Characteristics of Some Field Trial Sites

Site KAKAMEGA MUGUGA GEDE JILORE

Region Lake Region Highlands Coastal (Malindi)

Coastal (Malindi)

Coordinates 0°14’S / 36°38’E

1°54’S / 34°15’E

3°20’S / 40°5’E

3°12’S / 39°55’E

Altitude 1,675 m absl 2,050 m absl 50 m absl 80 m absl

Temperature (min)

17°C 11°C 22°C 24°C

Temperature (max)

33°C 28°C 33°C 34°C

Annual Rainfall

1100-1950 mm 900-1500 mm 900-1400 mm 550-1000 mm

Soils Dark Brown Loams

Deep Dark Red Clay Loams

Sandy White Loams

Sandy-red compact sandy soils

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Species Performance

• Dendrocalamus asper in Muguga

• D.hamiltonii in Gede

• B.blumeana in Jilore

• D.brandsii in Kakamega

• Y.alpina in Penon

• B.vulgaris (most sites)

Detailed Publications on performance and growth available including Guidelines

• Germplasm source

Site Matching

Bamboo Species to Site Matching-Kenya

Species Temp (°C)Average Rainfall (mm)

Altitude (m.a.s.l) Soil

Yushania alpina 10-25 1800 2400-3400 Grows well on well-drained loamy soilsOxytenanthera abyssinica 16-35 600 40-2200 Sandy soilDendrocalamus brandsii 10-35 1800 0-1300 Grows well on well-drained loamy soilsD.asper 10-35 1800 400-2400 Best in alluvial soils with good drainageD.giganteus Upto 2 1800 100-1600 Rich alluvial soils, in tropical lowlandsD.hamilltonii 22-23 1500 50-1500 Best in alluvial soils with good drainageD.strictus 20-30 600 0-1500 Best on sandy loamsD.membranaceus 22-23 950 0-1000 Best on sandy loamsBambusa vugaris Var Vitatta Upto 3 1000 0-2400

Best in alluvial soils with good drainage

Bambusa vulgaris Var vulgaris Upto 3 1000 0-2400

Best in alluvial soils with good drainage

Bambusa Bambos Upto 2 1000 40-2400 Grows in sandy soilsB. tulda Upto 37 650 0-1500 Best on sandy loamsThyrsostachys siamensis Upto 4 800-1000 300-400 Grows on a wide range of soilsCephalostachyum pergracile 16-25 1000 0-1000 Thrives well in drained loams

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Some Observations

•Bamboo needs proper maintenance when it is young (up to 3-4 years).

•Given the right care and attention it grows to be healthy and strong.

•When the clump is mature, correct harvesting methods is a form of management leading to

•a good yield of shoots and culms, year after year

Some Observations

• Increasing awareness about the potential of bamboo as:

– wood alternative– energy crop– material for cottage industries

• There is a demand for planting materials– prices of KSh 200 are considered to be too

high per plant– demand for giant varieties is high

Lessons Learnt

• Demonstration plots in strategic sites

• Pilot harvesting in natural stands to demonstrate sustainability and best practice

• Products design and development to run had in hand with planting

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Concluding Remarks

Nurseries and Planting Materials• There is an increasing demand by farmers for bamboo

plantlets, especially giant/large varieties

• Bamboo propagation is a business opportunity • Investment in tissue culture is very necessary

• Carry out studies on water use by bamboo

• Strategic Plan for Bamboo Development

Thank You