Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurz is a versatile NTFP resource. It forms natural bamboo vegetation extended over about 35,86,410 ha of hilly forests distributed only in the geographical region of  northeast India, Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Sylhet of Bangladesh, and Arakan  hills of Myanmar. The major biological attributes of M.baccifera that  strengthen  the species capability in competing other bamboo and tree species in  colonizing the hills of the above region are identified. These are underground extensive rhizome net-work with much elongated rhizome necks, the diffused nature of clump to  provide room for  more number of culms annually, rapid expansion rate of clump, tolerance to biotic interference including fire, huge production of fertile seeds with faster seedling growth, etc.  The higher density of pagoda like erect solitary culms with radiating unequal numerous branches provide better mechanism in intercepting the rain water to the ground by throughfall and stemflow. The bamboo forest (BF) has profuse root growth and dense root distribution in the 0-66cm of soil depth and as a result ground is more porous in terms of non-capillary and total porosity of the soil mass. The large scale death of M.baccifera forests due to recent (2002-2010) flowering has mixed impact on the hill ecosystem, biodiversity and socio-economy of indigenous people.

The present study aims to evaluate the nutritional and anti-nutritional levels in ten bamboo species comprising industrially important as well as ornamental types grown in Kerala to judge their potential as a sustainable food source. The species evaluated include Bambusa balcooa Roxb., Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss, Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. (green and yellow), Bambusa wamin E.G.Camus (Budha bamboo), Cephalostachyum pergracile Munro, Dendrocalamus giganteus Munro, Dendrocalamus strictus (Roxb.) Nees, Gigantochloa atroviolacea Widjaja (Black bamboo) and Gigantochloa manggong Widjaja. Key nutritional parameters like moisture, ash, carbohydrate, protein, fat, fiber, vitamin C and total cyanogen content (TCC) were analyzed. D.strictus and two ornamental species - B. vulgaris and G. atroviolacea -were found to be rich in protein, fiber and vitamin C which could be used as a good food source in terms of nutrition. In these species emerging shoots 14 days after emergence recorded maximum outturn (74%) and minimum wastage. The distribution of total cyanogen content (TCC) was found to vary within shoots itself. Among species studied, the highest content was found in the apex region and lowest at the basal portion of the fresh shoots. Appropriate selection of species and judicious harvest of emerging shoots at correct age can maximize outturn of edible portion in harvested shoots and help cultivators in making it a commercial venture.

Bamboo shoots being low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in mineral contents have been consumed traditionally by the people world over. Besides nutrients it also contains some anti-nutrients e.g. cyanogens. Due to seasonal availability of bamboo shoots, processing for reducing anti-nutrients in raw shoots while keeping nutrients intact and enhancement of shelf life of the value added products assume great significance for its utilization. This paper focuses on post harvest processing and value addition of bamboo shoots for its utilization as food products. Juvenile bamboo shoots of Bambusa bambos, B. tulda, Dendrocalamus asper and D. strictus were collected and processed, by boiling in brine solution, to remove the anti-nutrients (cyanogen). A simple, efficient and cost effective processing method for bamboo shoots was developed. This method significantly reduces the amount of cyanogens and retains considerable amount of nutrients and thus may be utilized for processing of bamboo shoots. Different value added edible products viz. chunks or bari (by adding pulses), pickle, sauce and papad (by adding potato) were prepared. All products were good in taste and texture. Nutritional analysis was done to determine the shelf life of the products. The nutrient content of processed products (chunks, sauce, pickle and papad) showed a gradual decrease and need to be consumed within 6 months from the date of making. However, in case of papad the carbohydrate content did not decrease much but the taste was not acceptable after 8 months. Whereas, in case of pickles, even nutrient content decreased but the product was acceptable even after two years after preparation as it was good in taste and texture. Thus, processing and value addition practices can be considered as key to the future of sustainable management of bamboo resources because they not only provide quality edible products but also enable harvesters/collectors to get better income opportunities.

Majority of the bamboo production in Northern India is accounted from forests where productivity is very low. Efforts are therefore required for enhancing the productivity of bamboos by undertaking organized cultivation outside the forest areas. The present study was undertaken for screening eight different bamboo species viz. Bambusa balcooa, B. bambos, B. nutans, B. tulda, B. vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, D. hamiltonii, D. strictus in terms of growth behaviour, biomass production, carbon storage potential and soil health. After six years of plantation, maximum clump height (10.67 m) and clump girth (5.93 m) was observed for B. nutans whereas minimum clump height and girth was observed for D. asper. Highest culm diameter was observed in B. vulgaris (6.23 cm). Total above ground biomass and carbon stock were maximum for D. hamiltonii (144.5 t ha^-1 and 64.63 t ha^-1 respectively) whereas minimum above ground biomass (14.34 t ha^-1) and carbon stock (6.39 t ha^-1) were accumulated by D. asper. D. hamiltonii was found to mitigate highest 237.2 t ha^-1 CO₂.  Oxygen released from different species ranged from 17.1-172.6 t ha^–1 during the six year of study. Soil health was significantly improved under all the bamboo species as compared to control. Among all bamboo species, D. hamiltonii was better species for its effect on soil health.

The present investigation was carried out in low and mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh which represent the wet sub-temperate zone, humid sub-temperate zone, humid sub-tropical zone, and sub-humid tropical zones of the state. A detailed survey of the bamboo growing areas of Himachal Pradesh was carried out and then the study area was divided into four altitudinal ranges. Composite soil samples were collected from bamboo groves at each site from 0-30 cm (L1) and 30-60 cm (L2) soil depth for analyzing physice-chemical properties of soil. It is concluded that bamboo has the potential to rehabilitate the degraded lands by improving the physical and chemical properties of soil within a short period.

Conventional bamboo cultivation practices advocates planting bamboo in cleared open areas. However, farmers in the south Konkan region of Western Ghats are traditionally cultivating bamboo in association with native trees. Various positive effects of native trees on the growth and development of individual culm, and a clump in general are reported as perceived by farmers. In addition to bamboo, farmers are getting multiple benefits derived from the preserved tree components. By considering bamboo as a main crop, I briefly reviewed various actual and possible interactions based on central biophysical hypothesis of agroforestry. Productivity of bamboo-tree agroforestry system as a whole is a function of multiple interfaces e.g. competition, mutualism, commensalism, association etc. and the mechanisms could be - various above and below-ground interactions, nutrient pumping, hydraulic lift, litter-fall and decomposition, nutrient cycling, microbial interactions, mycorrhizae association etc. and probably many others. Economic and ecosystem importance and the aspects of functional ecology in general are discussed. Importance of native trees and diversification of income sources to adopt various market and climate driven forces than monoculture farming are highlighted.

Classical taxonomic studies of the bamboos are based on floral morphology and growth habit, which can cause problems in identification due to erratic flowering. Identification and genetic relationships in 18 species of bamboo were investigated using SDS-PAGE and RAPD analysis. Protein profiles of 18 bamboo species revealed clear polymorphism which can be used to identify species. Dendrogram based on SDS-PAGE data separated 18 species into two major clusters with Bambusa nutans & B. polymorpha, Gigantochloa andamanica & Dendrocalamus longispathus, G. andamanica & D. gigangteus showed maximum similarity of 71.4% in each case while genotype B. tulda and B. nutans (10.4%) showed lowest similarity. On the other hand, RAPD analysis proved to be a better tool with 14.67 as an average number of bands per polymorphic primers. Dendrogram based on RAPD separated 18 species into 2 major clusters with D. membranaceous and B.multiplex showed maximum similarity of 83% while genotype D. asper and B. balcooa showed least similarity (10.6%).

The experiment was conducted at Agroforestry Research Centre, of G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar to assess the effect of age (one and two year old), growing condition (intermittent misting and no misting) and different seasons (summer, monsoon, autumn and spring) on rooting and shooting of culm cuttings of Dendrocalamus asper. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications. The findings indicated that in D. asper, one year old culm cuttings in the intermittent misting condition showed good results. The findings also indicated that shooting and rooting per cent of culm cuttings planted in different season showed response as Spring (March)> Summer (June)> Monsoon (August)> Autumn (October).