A field experiment was conducted at AICRP on Agroforestry, PDKV, College of Agriculture, Nagpur to study the effect of water conservation practices and bamboo felling intensity on production of bamboo and to evaluate suitable combination of water conservation practices and felling intensity on its production. Among the sixteen  treatment combinations circular trench (with 1.75 meter diameter, 25 centimeter depth and 60 centimeter width around the bamboo clump.) + 30% felling intensity of bamboo was found best to produce highest biomass 38.13 tons/ha. The Cost Benefit ratio (3.06) and gross monetary gain/ha Rs. 311940 /ha was highest for treatment Circular trench + 30% felling intensity.

Activated carbon is an important component of filter material for the removal of hazardous components in exhaust gases, for the purification of drinking water and for waste water treatment. The demand for activated carbon will continue to rise due to its wide range of use as a result of environmental compliances in many countries. Present paper focuses on synthesis of Activated Charcoal from various species of Bamboo and its application in the areas of Air and Water filtration. It is found that bamboo has the potential to be a promising precursor for the production of activated carbon. The characteristics of the bamboo activated carbon are comparable with commercial ones. Some species of bamboo were reported to have Iodine Value of about 1100mg/ gm (ASTM, 2011).

The present investigation was carried out in the low and mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh where bamboo occurs naturally and also raised by the farming community in abundance. The study revealed that only two genera viz., Dendrocalamus and Bambusa are present in the entire study area with a total of  five species D. hamiltonii, D. hookeri var. parishii, D. strictus, Bambusa arundinacea and B. nutans from 300 m asl to 1700m asl. Culm and total biomass was highest at the 500-900 m asl elevation range for D. hamiltonii, D. strictus,  D. hookeri var. parishii and B. nutans. However, in B. arundinacea, culm and total biomass was highest at 900-1300 m asl elevation range. All the species recorded their highest culm biomass at the 500-900 m asl elevation range.

Plant tissue culture offers the potential for rapidly increasing selected bamboo clones for conservation and reforestation. Bud break is important for the successful micro propagation in bamboo. An organogenesis optimization protocol is described for Dendrocalamus asper. Nodal explants containing auxiliary buds from 8-10 years old field grown clumps of D. asper were established in Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of phytohormone 6-benzyelamino purine (BAP) and kinetin.  The maximum bud breaking was observed in 6 ppm  BAP concentration. Shoot proliferation was found maximum in MS media supplemented with combinations of BAP and kinetin (4.0 ppm  BAP, 0.5 ppm  kinetin and 4.0 ppm  BAP, 1.0 ppm  kinetin) after subcultureing the explants.

Bamboo is an integral part of life in the Northeast India, occupying 33% of bamboo growing area and holding 39% of the bamboo growing stock of the country.  The region is the centre of origin of woody bamboos, and has a rich diversity with more than 90 species. Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat (RFRI) has undertaken various research activities on bamboos in the Northeast India, including distribution, flowering, genetic improvement, silviculture, agroforestry, pest and disease management, genetic variation studies, ex-situ conservation, tissue culture, preservative treatment, use in restoration of degraded lands, value addition and socio-economics. The paper reviews and summarizes the work done by RFRI since 1976 till date, and also provides the roadmap for the future research and extension, which will be applicable not only for the region, but for the entire country.

Bamboo offers one of the best and important renewable, eco-friendly low-input alternative or non-conventional raw material resource to wood for livelihood as well as industrial purposes. Kerala Forest Research Institute is completing 45 years of service supporting the bamboo sector of Kerala, India. Its major contributions to bamboo technology are being made by the Wood Science and Technology faculty of the Institute, the present review is limited to the same sphere. The paper reviews and summarizes the work done by KFRI since 1975 till date, and also provides information on specific consolidation or re-stocking of the significant contributions in Bamboo Technology from the Institute.

Taking note of the fact that bamboo is a source of income for poor in India including floodplain areas of Uttar Pradesh, present study was undertaken in Uttar Pradesh to assess the importance of utilizing bamboo as an important source of feed and fodder for livestock. Bamboo leaves and twigs, being palatable, can be chewed by cattle and it can be used as a nutrient rich green fodder and dry fodder for cattle in rural areas thereby reducing the consumption of expensive feed concentrates for livestock, poultry and fish. Under current societal regimes, very few people use bamboo leaves as a livestock fodder. Bamboo leaves and twigs and concentrates when used as a supplement yielded satisfactory results. Ensuring continuous supply of nutrient rich feed and fodder is critical to the agriculture, dairy and meat production and also fisheries. The present paper discusses the methods to explore the potential of bamboo as feed and fodder for livestock to improve the overall health and productivity of livestock.

A survey for documenting traditional medicinal knowledge was conducted in district Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. Intensive exploratory surveys were carried out in the villages and data was collected on use of plants as folk medicines by local communities as enlisted in the paper. The information on 103 plant species belonging to 93 genera and 52 families along with their botanical names, local names, and traditional medicinal formulations for the treatment of various diseases has been documented during the present study. This paper will provide an insight on the associated traditional knowledge of the medicinal plant species used by the rural communities in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh.

Three important high value medicinal plants of Madhya Pradesh viz., Embelia tsjeriam-cottam, Celastrus paniculatus and Centratherum anthelminticum were selected for demand-supply estimation as the prices of these species had shot tremendously during past five years and not much information was available on this. Demand for these species was estimated by interviewing 191 Ayurvedic and other Indian system of Medicine (ISM) industries about their annual requirements in drug preparations. Supply from forests and other sources was estimated by interviewing traders at each block level where the species occur and quantity of trade district wise. Total demand for Embelia tsjeriam-cottam (Baibirang) is 37.79 quintals and supply is 248 quintals in M.P. In the case of Celastrus paniculatus (Malkangni) the demand in the state is for 42.9 quintals and supply 218.5 quintals. Similarly for Centratherum anthelminticum (Vanjeera) also the demand is 213.80 quintals and supply available is 2610 quintals. The state is therefore surplus in these medicinal plants and 89-90% of raw material is reported to be supplied to other states.

The present study deals with documentation of dye yielding plant diversity in Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. The local inhabitants of this sanctuary use different colours or dye obtained from plants for different purposes. The dye yielding plants have different medicinal and economic values and it has also been known that the natural dyes are eco-friendly and not harmful. 42 natural dye yielding plants under 39 genera belonging to 25 families have been recorded from the sanctuary. This article deals with details of dye yielding plants along with their botanical name, vernacular name, family, habit and dye yielding plant parts used.

Incarvillea emodi is one of the threatened and endemic plant species of Western Himalaya. Though having immense medicinal and horticultural potential the species remained underutilized. The present paper provides detailed information on the economical potential value of this species to bring it into the limelight of the stakeholders and conservation biologists.