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University of Florida Hendry County Extension PO Box 68 LaBelle, FL 33975
gmcavoy{at}mail.ifas.ufl.edu
P. SHANMUGHAVEL and K. FRANCIS. Scientific Publishers (India), PO Box 91, Jodhpur, India. 2001. Hardcover, 154 pp., $30.00. ISBN 81-7233-274-2.
Bamboo is an integral part of the cultures of South and South-East Asia and represents an important natural and renewable resource. Bamboos, which are woody tree-like grasses, have a long history as an exceptionally versatile and widely used resource in many cultures. They have been called "poor man's timber" and "the-cradle-to-coffin-plant" and provide many of the resources needed for human existence.
India has developed a substantial pulp and paper industry that relies on bamboo as a source of fiber. Although the Indian subcontinent is a rich center for diversity for bamboo with some 130 species occurring on over 10.5 million hectares or 12% of the forested land, the bamboo resource in its natural habitat is dwindling rapidly because of population growth, over exploitation, shifting cultivation practices, and extensive forest fires.
This scenario is true throughout South and Southeast Asia where the seemingly endless supplies from vast natural bamboo forests have declined into a situation of acute scarcity. In the face of this state of affairs, many governments have had to restrict or ban the harvest and exportation of bamboo. With the deterioration of natural bamboo stands, future availability of this vital resource can only be assured by developing sustainable production systems to provide adequate quantities of bamboo to meet the needs of industry and other traditional users of this versatile natural product.
Despite the importance of this crop on a worldwide scale, much of the scientific information available on bamboo is incomplete and scattered among various sources. In writing the Physiology of Bamboo, the authors have attempted to address this deficit by pulling together available published research reports reflecting current knowledge on the cultivation and physiology of this important crop. Their efforts have resulted in a comprehensive volume that focuses on bamboo cultivation and management, including bamboo growth and development, anatomy, biomass production and allocation, nutrient composition, and the dynamics of nutrient cycling within the plantation ecosystem. Given the urgency to establish a sustainable basis for bamboo production as a plantation crop as opposed to a non-renewable resource extracted from imperiled natural systems, this publication provides base-line data and a foundation for the establishment of extensive bamboo cultivation, as well as further research into this neglected species.
The Physiology of Bamboo is not intended for the casual reader or bamboo hobbyist, the book is a serious scientific work in which the authors have meticulously and painstakingly assembled numerous tables documenting nearly every conceivable parameter relating to the physiological, morphological, and biodynamic aspects of the growth and development of bamboo and the performance of bamboo in the forest ecosystem. The book is well researched but may be tedious for some readers because of the colloquial English employed at times.
Following an introduction (Ch. 1) and general description of common bamboos (Ch. 2) and the cultivation and management of bamboo (Ch. 3), the chapters on the growth and development of the crop (Ch. 4) as well as biomass production and allocation (Ch. 7) have thoroughly quantified crop performance over time and will provide planners, as well as production managers with valuable data with which to assess biological productivity and economic performance. The information provided on the anatomy (Ch. 5) and physical and mechanical properties (Ch. 6) of bamboo is essential in promoting expanded usage of this already versatile plant. For the proper understanding and management of bamboo in the forest ecosystem, knowledge of nutrient composition, levels, and the dynamics of nutrient cycling in bamboo is critical. While substantial information is available on the mineral nutrition of a wide range of temperate and tropical crops, relatively little information has been available on the nutrient dynamics of bamboo. The information collected in this work (Ch. 8, 9, 10) contributes substantially to the knowledge base vital to the development of a fertility program that will sustain the productivity of the soil while supporting large-scale plantation production systems.
Although the versatility of bamboo as a unique raw material for a diversity of applications is well known, its largest use may be for the manufacture of paper. Chapter 11 describes the fiber characteristics, chemical analysis, and pulp and paper making characteristics of bamboo. In the final chapters of the book (Ch.12, 13, 14), the authors suggest methodologies to help guide future research on bamboo, document comparative studies of biomass accumulation and productivity of other forest ecosystems, and provide an extensive bibliography of existing bamboo research.
The Physiology of Bamboo is a timely and valuable monograph on the existing research into the cultivation and physiology of bamboo. This handy little book will provide an excellent reference for those interested in the study and production of bamboo.
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