Morphological and physical properties of bamboo species in south Gujarat, India

Bamboo, a versatile, fast-growing woody perennial grass is considered as one of the important non-timber forest products. The morphology and physical characteristics of bamboo vary between species and among the culms which influence its utilization pattern for various industrial applications. Total five (4-year-old) culms per clump of six bamboo species. i.e Dendrocalamus strictus, D. stocksii D. hamiltonii Bambusa vulgaris (Green) , Bambusa balcooa were selected and harvested to study the morphological and physical and B.bambos properties. The highest clump height and internodal length were in B. vulgaris, while the maximum clump girth was in B. balcooa. Culm middiameter and internodal mid-diameter were highest in B. bambos. However, the maximum yield per clump recorded in D strictus . followed by B. bambos and B. balcooa. The moisture content in each bamboo species varied inversely with basic density. The highest basic density and the lowest moisture content were in B. balcooa followed by B. vulgaris . The minimum and maximum hollowness proportion was in D. stocksii and B. bambos, respectively. Based on the morphological and physical properties, D. strictus and B. bambos performed better for biomass, while B. vulgaris and B. balcooa showed high basic density. Hence, bamboo culms and their clumps could be characterized by individual growth, biomass and physical variables for further utilization.