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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Comparative growth analysis of different bamboo species in the tropical zone of central Kerala

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11384
Submitted
20 August 2025
Published
19-06-2026 — Updated on 01-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

Kerala is recognised as a significant biodiversity hotspot for bamboo species, hosting 28 unique species across 0.24 million hectares, yet the current supply of 0.304 million tons remains insufficient to meet the state's estimated demand of 0.62 million tons. Despite this economic relevance, growth information for several priority bamboo species designated by International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) remains limited. Against this backdrop, the present study was conducted during the period 2022–2023. The primary objective of this research was to observe the growth behaviour of six distinct bamboo species-Bambusa vulgaris, B. balcooa, B. tulda, Dendrocalamus brandisii, D.  asper and D. longispathusover a span of one year. Dendrocalamus brandisii demonstrated remarkable growth performance, with the highest clump height (14.95 m) and internodal length (44.01 cm). Bambusa vulgaris recorded the highest values for culm girth and clump circumference (22.21 cm and 6.47 m), closely followed by D. brandisii, while B. tulda displayed relatively lower performance in these parameters. Dendrocalamus asper produced the maximum number of culms per clump, followed closely by B. tulda. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering grouped the species into three clusters: Cluster I (B. tulda), Cluster II (D. brandisii, D. asper and D. longispathus) and Cluster III (B. balcooa and B. vulgaris), highlighting the variations in growth parameters among different bamboo species in the tropical humid climate of central Kerala.

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