Aspects of bamboo agronomy

Various aspects of the growth and development of bamboo are reviewed, including growth cycles of plant parts, effects of aging on important plant tissues, uptake of water and nutrients, photosynthesis, storage and translocation of photosynthates and nutrients, and accumulation and partitioning of biomass and nutrients. Also discussed are how these aspects can be manipulated with agronomic techniques, such as management of standing-culm density, culm-age structure, leaf area, and leaf-age structure. Selected aspects of how the environment (i.e., water availability), soil physical properties (such as slope, texture, bulk density, moisture-holding capacity, and soil temperature), and soil chemical properties (such as pH, salinity, and nutrient availability) impact on bamboo production are outlined. This review also discusses how the environment can be managed with irrigation, terracing, tillage, covers and mulches, canopy adjustments, and fertilization with optimal amounts of nutrients, nutrient ratios, schedules, and forms of fertilizer.