Regeneration study of lowland bamboo (Oxytenanthera abyssinica A. R. Munro) in mandura district, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

The present study is about germination and regeneration issues of the multipurpose lowland bamboo in Mandura Woreda. The Woreda has patchily distributed vegetation features characterized by Combrutum molle and Entada abyssinica growing in association with Oxytenanthera abyssinica, commonly known as lowland bamboo. The lowland bamboo forest in the Woreda was flowered in 1998 E.C. Lowland bamboo vegetation is threatened by cutting, decay of new shoots, mass flowering, agricultural expansion, over grazing, fire and cutting style of which fire is the most leading threat reported. Seed germination of the species was found to take on average three to four times faster in Petri-dish than in soils. Two years stored seeds showed less viability, about 65% and 2 days slower rates of germination. Mixed soils found to increase seed viability from 37.5% to 68.78%. Number of culms per clump is highest in protected forests and least in wild forests. The percentage natural expansion (reproduction) was highest in cultivated and wild forest habitats. The ability of clumps to produce new offshoots is directly proportional with the clump circumference.