Abstract

CASTANEDA-MENDOZA, Arturo; VARGAS-HERNANDEZ, J. Jesús  and  GOMEZ-GUERRERO, Armando. Components of net aerial primary production in a Bambusa oldhamii plantation. Agrociencia [online]. 2012, vol.46, n.1, pp.63-74. ISSN 2521-9766.

Biomass production is an important criterion to be considered for the establishment of commercial forestry plantations for bioenergy production. In this study, an estimation of net aerial primary production (NAPP) was made in a young plantation of Bambusa oldhamii Munro from the sum of biomass production from growth of new culms, biomass increment of the pre-existing culms, and production of litter. Biomass production in the incorporated culms was 15.82 Mg ha^-1 year^-1, of which 13.77 Mg (87 %) corresponded to stems and 2.05 Mg (13 %) to foliage. Biomass increment in the pre-existing culms was 10.88 Mg ha^-1. One- and two-year-old cohort production was 7.31 and 3.57 Mg ha^-1. Litter production was 5.56 Mg ha^-1 year^-1. Results show that NAPP was 32.20 Mg ha^-1, with 50 % coming from incorporation of new culms, whereas 17 % of the NAPP is recycled in the system through litter. Estimated production of biomass in this plantation is comparable to that registered for high productivity bamboo plantations in other regions of the world.

Keywords : bamboo; litter; biomass production; bioenergy; tropical forest species.