Effect of Weeding-cum-soil Working on Common Bamboo Raised from Culm Cuttings

The management operation like weeding-cum-soil working in bamboo plantations is effective for enhancing growth and yield of bamboo. The Common Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schrader ex Wendland), which is a preferred bamboo species for cultivation in many parts of the world, is raised by culm cutting and other vegetative methods because it does not produce viable seed. The experiment was conducted at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, India for optimization of weeding-cum-soil working in plantations raised from rooted culm cuttings at a spacing of 5 m 5 m. The study consisted of four different trials carried out in 1 year, 2 year, 3 year and 4 year crop separately. In each year trial six different treatments were imposed: viz., 0 (Control-T), 1 (T), 2 (T), 3 (T), 4 (T) and 5 (T) number of weeding-cum-soil working per year. The optimum levels of weeding-cum-soil working were found to be three (T) in 1 year and 2 year, two (T) in 3 year and 4 year for the plantations raised from rooted culm cuttings. In case of two numbers (T), one practiced during first week of July and the other during first week of September. In case of 3 numbers (T), in addition to previous two one more practiced in March of the same year. However, in 1^st year all three were practiced during August to October.