Comparative Study on Estimation of Carbon Content in Different Parts of Selected Bamboo Species

Abstract

Bamboos are a unique species in terms of their ecological impacts as well as their social and economic role in the livelihoods of people living in their vicinity. It has attracted the attention of researchers worldwide owing to its carbon sequestration ability and the potential of various bamboo species in this changing environment. In this research the biomass carbon storage of bamboo components were analyzed to estimate their respective carbon content in as well as in different components like culm, rhizome, leaves etc. Dendrocalamus asper stands out as the bamboo species which sequestered the maximum carbon (culm> rhizome> leaf) primarily due to its vast biomass content. The carbon content of D. asper was 87.52 tonnes of carbon per hectare. This was followed by B. balcooa with carbon content of 56.48 t C ha-1 with the least carbon content in B. vulgaris i.e., 33.92 t C ha-1. It points to the tremendous potential of bamboo in sequestering carbon but more research is desired to arrive at concrete results. Bamboo species have an inherent ability to grow in degraded lands which gives an additional advantage in promoting bamboo plantations as envisaged by National Bamboo Mission.