Advances in Bamboo Science最新文献

This review article explores the multifaceted significance of fermented bamboo shoots, a culinary tradition deeply rooted in the practices of local tribes in Northeastern India. The therapeutic properties of fermented bamboo shoots span anti-aging, anticancer, antioxidant, cardioprotective, and weight loss benefits, positioning them as valuable functional foods enriched with probiotics. Northeast India, encompassing the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, and Tripura, serves as a hub for the cultivation and consumption of fermented bamboo shoot-based products. The unique microbial ecosystem associated with bamboo shoots contributes to the synthesis of diverse health-promoting compounds, with rich concentrations of glycosides and flavones. Microorganisms, including Lactobacillus species, Bacillus species, Candida species, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae play a pivotal role in the fermentation process, contributing to the distinct characteristics of these products. The active involvement of tribal communities, constituting 75 % of the regional population, underscores the cultural and traditional significance of this culinary practice. The review also delineates an array of fermented bamboo shoot-based products offerings, such as ekung, heccha, eup, mesu, lung-siej, soibum, soidon, soijim, and hirring, reflecting the rich culinary diversity arising from this traditional practice. Beyond their cultural importance, these products hold substantial industrial and economic value, and are integral to the livelihoods of local communities in Northeastern India. In summary, fermented bamboo shoots have emerged as a complex resource intertwining cultural heritage, health benefits, and economic dimensions within the unique context of Northeastern Indian communities.

Illegal logging is an important cause of deforestation and forest degradation. As a voluntary market-driven mechanism, sustainable forest management certification aims to reduce illegal logging in forests and promote sustainable management practices by creating a transparent, independent tracing and auditing mechanism. To date, around 11% of global forest areas have been certified under forest certification schemes. Biologically, bamboo belongs to the grass family and is classified as a non-timber forest product. Owing to its high fibre quality, many bamboo panel-based products, such as flooring, furniture, and kitchenware, are traded as alternatives to timber products in the global market. Forest certification is widely acknowledged as a means of ensuring the sustainability and legality of forest sources by European countries and the United States, which are the largest importers of bamboo products. Therefore, certified bamboo and its products are often required to meet the legal requirements and public procurement policies when entering these markets. Currently, 48 valid Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) bamboo forest management certificates and 3237 valid bamboo FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certificates have been issued, while only 1 bamboo forest management and 3 bamboo CoC certificates have been documented in PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) online database. Here, we describe the current development of global bamboo forest certification in terms of certification standards, practices, and markets; analyze challenges and future trends; and offer recommendations for creating interest in this issue and taking further action.

Moso bamboo shoots, recognized as a green health food, are distinguished by their high protein, low fat, low sugar, and high fiber content. Their substantial nutritional value and appealing taste have made the product very popular with consumers. However, post-harvest, Phyllostachys edulis shoots are susceptible to rapid lignification. This paper explores the lignification process in Phyllostachys edulis at room temperature post-harvest. We assessed the physiological indices of four synthetic enzymes and their relative expression levels in lignin biosynthesis. Additionally, we investigated the correlation between the relative expression of lignin biosynthesis, enzyme activity, and lignin synthesis. Understanding the physiology of lignin biosynthesis in moso bamboo shoots post-harvest is crucial for comprehending their growth characteristics, benefiting production management, timely harvesting, and controlling the aging process to enhance economic value. The findings demonstrate that lignification in moso bamboo shoots progresses from the bottom to the top. At room temperature, the activities of PAL, POD, and 4CL enzymes, together with their expression in different parts of the moso bamboo shoots, exhibited a significant correlation with changes in lignin content. These enzymes are likely involved in lignin biosynthesis. The activity of the CAD enzyme in the bamboo shoot peaked at 2 hours, with CAD-related genes expressing the highest in the upper part at 10 hours, in the middle part at 2 hours, and in the lower part at 18 hours.

Key message

The synthesis of lignin in moso bamboo shoots may be associated with PAL, POD, and 4CL.

Despite the worldwide social and economic importance of bamboos, most species have been poorly studied in areas with high species richness, such as Brazil. We conducted a physico-chemical characterization of four bamboo species native to southern Brazil. Merostachys skvortzovii Send. and Chusquea meyeriana Rupr. ex Döll are the most common and occur frequently as dominant invasive species, Apoclada simplex McClure & L.B.Sm. is listed as a threatened species, and Chusquea cf. gracilis is a rare species. Juvenile and adult samples were analyzed for moisture, ash, extractives, lignin, carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), silicon (Si), oxygen content (O), and inorganic analytes. Important differences were found between adults and juveniles and among the studied species. The results point to higher cellulose content for Chusquea cf. gracilis and C. meyeriana, while Chusquea meyeriana presented the greatest diversity of chemical elements. Overall, the results can inform the development of new applications of these species. This is particularly important for Merostachys skvortzovii and Chusquea meyeriana as they have widespread ecological importance and can arrest forest successional development in the region.

Exposure to teratogenic agents during pregnancy can lead to fetal abnormalities. Establishing histological, hematological, and biochemical parameters is pivotal to enhancing the evaluation of the effect of any substance on embryo-fetal development. The present study investigated the maternal toxicity of aqueous extract of Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J.C. Wendl shoots in pregnant Wistar rats. The pregnant rats were then allocated into four groups (n=6): a control group (without treatment) and three test groups (treated with the extract 250, 500, and 1000 mg/Kg, respectively). The treatment was initiated on gestational day (GD) 6 and continued until the 15th day. On GD 20, all the rats were anesthetized and subjected to laparotomy. Blood samples were collected from the pregnant rats for hematological and biochemical analyses, while various organs were isolated for histopathological studies. The study demonstrates dose-dependent toxicity of the extract, with significant variations (P<0.001) observed in ALP and AST levels at the 1000 mg/kg dose, suggesting hepatic impairment in maternal subjects. Moreover, significant variations in total leukocyte and lymphocyte counts suggested pronounced inflammation or multi-organ dysfunction at this dose. Histopathological examination also revealed various indicators of multi-organ failure, including transmural mixed inflammation in the gall bladder, disruption of cardiac myofibre arrangement, tubular cell damage in the kidneys, cellular alterations in the liver, shrinking of pancreatic Langerhans islets, and lymphoid depletion in the spleen at 1000 mg/kg dose. These findings underscore the potential maternal toxicity associated with Bambusa vulgaris shoots, highlighting its potential risk for consumption during pregnancy and emphasizing the need for further research and caution regarding its use during this critical period.

Bamboo species play pivotal roles in maintaining ecological diversity and driving socio-economic development in Sabah, Malaysia. However, due to overlapping traits among distinct bamboo species, identifying them based solely on morphological characteristics poses challenges. DNA barcoding emerges as a highly effective method, demonstrating potential accuracy in identifying diverse plant species across various taxa and ecosystems. In this study, we used the chloroplast matK and rbcL regions as barcode markers to identify 15 bamboo plants in Sabah. Both matK and rbcL exhibited a notable 100% accuracy at the genus level, indicating their reliability in capturing broader taxonomic categories during BLAST searches and genetic distance analysis. However, at the species level, the success rate was limited to 60%, revealing challenges in differentiating closely related bamboo species using the existing DNA barcodes. Our findings underscore the need for an advanced DNA barcode reference library with extensive species coverage for accurate species identification. This study not only unveiled crucial insights into bamboo diversity and taxonomy in Sabah but also contributes to ongoing bamboo resource conservation and supports sustainable resource management in the region.

Precision irrigation systems have become indispensable tools in modern agriculture due to their ability to address water management challenges and optimize bamboo productivity. This paper presents a novel innovation called AquaBamboo, a next-generation precision irrigation system designed to revolutionize sustainable bamboo water management. The paper outlines the shortcomings of traditional irrigation methods, highlighting their inefficient water management for bamboo, lack of real-time data integration, and limited precision. This suggested approach overcomes these challenges by integrating IT sensors, advanced analytics, and predictive modelling to deliver water precisely tailored to each bamboo species' requirements. The system's dynamic adaptability to changing environmental factors ensures optimal water delivery, enhancing bamboo health and yield while minimizing water waste. AquaBamboo's holistic approach not only improves resource efficiency but also contributes to sustainable agriculture practices, aligning with the principles of responsible water management. The significance of this approach lies in its potential to transform conventional irrigation practices, optimize water utilization, promote bamboo species' health, and advance the sustainability of all bamboo agricultural operations. This paper offers a comprehensive understanding of AquaBamboo's features, advantages, and innovative contributions to precision bamboo agriculture management.

Bamboos are an important source of fibres. Natural bamboo fibres possess have characteristics that make them of potential use in textiles. However, they have not received the attention they deserve due to the difficulty of extracting finer fibres. Full utilization of the potential of bamboo requires the extraction of the fibres using advanced techniques. In this study, three different extraction methods were developed, utilizing a newly created composite enzyme and alkalis in combination to extract finer natural bamboo fibres. The new enzyme was applied in both a solid form and a liquid state. Mechanical processes were also employed in preparing the bamboo culms and extracting the fibres. Three commonly grown bamboo species, Bambusa emeiensis (Neosinocalamus affinis), Phyllostachys edulis (Phyllostachys heterocycla), and Phyllostachys reticulata (Phyllostachys bambusoides), were used in the study to extract natural bamboo fibres. The bamboo samples were treated with 3–6% alkali and 24–36% composite enzyme, based on their weight. The composite enzyme was a recently developed enzyme that was used in both a liquid form and a solid form without the need for water as a solvent (non-aqueous treatment). The physical properties such as moisture content, length and fineness, and mechanical (tensile) properties such as breaking tenacity, breaking load and breaking extension of the resulting fibres were assessed with their minimum, maximum and average values. Structural analyses were performed using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analyzer (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The yield percentages of bamboo fibres were also determined. The bamboo fibres had a moisture content of 7.32–7.71%, an average length of 5.48–6.01 cm, a linear density of 9.71–11.43 tex, a breaking load of 138.96–147.67 cN, a breaking tenacity of 12.16–15.21 cN/tex, and a breaking elongation of 2.60–2.75%. SEM, TGA and FTIR tests indicated that the fibres were not single cellulosic fibres but rather fibre bundles in which single fibres were bonded by lignin and hemicellulose. The TGA results showed that the fibres were sufficiently thermally stable to withstand high temperature textile processes. The XRD results indicated the improvement of the crystallinity of the natural bamboo fibres owing to the partial removal of the non-crystalline lignin and other components. The measured properties of the fibres showed standard deviation values of 0.36–2.52, indicating a high level of uniformity within each sample. The experimental results demonstrated that the fibres obtained in this study have the potential to be used in textiles. The fibre yield percentages (approximately 52.7–55.2%) confirmed that all three bamboo species have the potential to provide usable fibres.

Bamboo, a member of the grass family, is a fast growing and high yielding renewable resource. The popularity of bamboo has risen in recent times owing to its multifaceted and myriad of practical applications. There are unlimited uses of bamboo, therefore proper utilization of this beneficial resource will be useful to the industrial sector. This review provides a comprehensive summary regarding the potential of bamboo as a vital non-wood fibrous raw material for pulp, paper and other allied industries owing to its ability to conserve forests and foster sustainable economic development. Bamboo's abundance, renewability, mechanical strength, and other functional features make it an appealing and potential building biomaterial in the pursuit of sustainable raw materials needed for industrial development. This review provides an in-depth summary and unique perspective on the application of bamboo at a commercial scale in various sectors, thereby encouraging the utilization of this potential material towards environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Flowering in woody bamboos remains an intriguing, infrequent and unpredictable event. Bambusa vulgaris ʽVittata’ is a woody bamboo species of Asian origin, which is widely cultivated in Argentina and the world due to its various applications. However, there are no records of the flowering of this entity in its place of origin or in cultivation. The goal of the present work is to report the flowering of a B. vulgaris ʽVittata’ specimen, cultivated in Buenos Aires, providing information and images of the event and an illustration of its reproductive structures. New reproductive characters have been found to differentiate the taxon, which are included in a dicotomic key.