Micropropagation of Bamboo

Micropropagation Techniques for Bamboo Cultivation

Introduction to Bamboo Propagation

• Bamboo has numerous applications in modern times, but traditional propagation methods (offset rhizome, cuttings, layering) are insufficient for market demand.

• The Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bengaluru has developed micropropagation techniques through plant tissue culture as a superior alternative.

Steps in Micropropagation Process

Step 1: Explant Collection

• Neural segments from newly emerging shoots of healthy mature columns are collected as explants.

Step 2: Surface Sterilization

• Nodal segments undergo surface sterilization using ethanol, fungicide, and antibiotics followed by rinsing with distilled water.

Step 3: Inoculation

• Nodal shoot segments are inoculated upright in MS liquid medium for shoot induction and incubated under specific conditions (25°C, 2500 lux light intensity).

Step 4: Shoot Multiplication

• After sprouting shoots, clumps are transferred to fresh MS liquid or agar gel medium for multiplication; these clumps are regularly sub-cultured.

Step 5: Rooting

• Clumps of three to four shoots are moved to agar child MS medium for in vitro rooting.

Hardening Process

Steps for Plant Establishment

• Well-developed rooted shoots are washed to remove the medium and treated with fungicide before being placed in containers with sand inside mist chambers for primary hardening.

• Plants undergo secondary hardening in poly bags containing potting mixture before being kept under shade prior to transfer to open nursery conditions.

Conclusion on Tissue Culture Technology

• Tissue culture technology enables large-scale multiplication of elite bamboo clumps. A complete micropropagation protocol has been established for 15 bamboo species at IWSD.