Propagation from seed is a cost effective
and efficient way of propagation. When bamboos
flower and set seed, which can take place over
a number of years or even decades , the
natural regeneration and survival of the
bamboo is ensured through the millions of
seeds that the bamboo produces. In the year
following the flowering of the bamboo (or
years in the case of gregarious flowering),
blooms tend to be concentrated in the months
between November and April. Seeds tend to be
generally available then from March to April
onwards, however seeds in the period May to
July tend to have better viability and
reproductive ability.
Plants originating from seeds do take
longer to develop into mature clumps than
plant material derived through vegetative
methods of propagation. However seed based
propagation does ensure diversity of the
bamboo."Download
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Different bamboos have different sized
bamboo seeds
" The seeds of the Bambusa Tulda and
Bambusa Nutans produce very small seeds,
typically there could be 125,000 seeds per
kilogram
" The seeds of the Dendroclamus Species
tend to be larger than the bambusa species,
however each individual type of Dendrocalamus
seeds does in itself vary in size
" The seeds of Melaconna baccifera are very
large and a kilogram of seed may only contain
65-70 seeds. These are around the size of a
guava or small apple
Seed Quantities
The quantity of seeds produced by a clump
or over a certain area (depending on the type
of bamboo) also varies from species to
species.
" Bambusa bambos produces seeds in large
quantities, which can form dense carpets on
the forest floor,
" Dendrocalamus strictus - a clump of this
bamboo can produce around 30-35 kilograms of
seed
However, some bamboos species do not flower
at all, or it may be that there are no
recorded instances of flowering as there is
much still to learn about the flowering of
bamboos particularly in the extremely remote
areas where access is limited . Some species
of bamboo do flower but do not set seed, other
bamboos do produce seed but only in very small
quantities, therefore seeds from these species
are very difficult to obtain particularly if
the seed is scattered over a large area.
As previously discussed there are problems
with relying on bamboo seeds as a means of
propagation as it is only available on rare
occasions and its predictability cannot be
guaranteed since the flowering cycle of many
species is extremely long.
Two of the most common Bambusa are Bambusa
Balcooa and Bambusa Vulgaris, these species
flower but only very rarely. So when flowering
does occur, it is extremely sporadic in nature
and the seeds tend to be scattered and
confined to just a few bamboo clumps at a
time. Such flowering does not result in
setting of seed, these species can therefore
only be regularly multiplied vegatatively
through traditional propagation methods.
Although an alternative to this method is to
propagate them from tissue cultured plants,
Q. How Are Seeds Collected?
After flowering the bamboo seed falls to
the ground, although the bamboo culm can be
shaken to dislodge any ripe seeds, this latter
method of collection from the culm does result
in a cleaner collection of seeds than if they
were picked from the ground. Seeds that does
fall to the ground is at risk from insects,
birds, rats and other animals. It is also
often difficult to collect seed from the wild
as concentrations of growing stock tend to be
in dense forests, and the fallen seeds of
common clumping species tend to germinate in
just a few weeks therefore the seed must be
collected as soon as possible to ensure the
quality and viability of the seeds is at its
maximum.
Therefore seed collection is easier if it
is controlled, this can be done by clearing
the bamboo clumps of other vegetation and
placing a large clean cloth or tarpaulin onto
the ground where the seeds may fall, the
fallen seeds will stand a better chance of
survival from the elements and will be cleaner
than if left to fall on the ground. Any seeds
that do fall to the ground should be cleaned
by shaking free any dirt and removing any
insects so that the rest of the seeds during
storage do not become contaminated or eaten!
Seed Storage
It is essential that seeds are stored
immediately and in controlled conditions as
soon as they are collected as fresh bamboo
seeds germinate better than those that are
stored but provided that the correct storage
conditions are maintained the viability of the
seed can be maintained. Seeds need to be
stored in low moisture and in cool dry
conditions. The seed must not be stored in
humid conditions where it is warm and damp
i.e. like that of a greenhouse.
It is important to process and transfer
seeds to the ideal storage conditions as
quickly as possible to avoid any loss in
viability. Only those seeds of a high quality
with high viability rates should be chosen for
storage. Care should be taken to ensure that
the seeds are clean from insects, dirt and any
fungal debris so as not to infect or damage
other seeds which may be in storage
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