Search

The leaf is the main photosynthetic organ in plants, such as bamboo. Leaves from bamboo are used as a food additive. However, according to our investigation, to date there have been no reports concerning the leaf development of bamboo. By measuring over 7500 parenchymal cells, we discovered that the linear leaf growth of Pseudosasa japonica could be divided into three growth sections. The first one is a roughly 1-cm long division zone (DZ), containing about 1580 cells, located at the bottom of the leaf; the second one is an about 3-cm long elongation zone (EZ), with ~1905 cells, located above the DZ; and the last is a mature zone (MZ) in which cell elongation is completed. The cell production rate of the DZ was 25.33-35.81 cells per hour, with an average of 29.73; and the cell division rate was ~0.45 cells per cell every 24 h. PacBio and Illumina transcriptome sequencing found 21 933 unigenes expressed in these zones. Further analysis revealed a dynamic transcriptome, with transcripts for cell division in the DZ changing to transcripts for cell elongation, photosynthetic development, secondary metabolism, stress resistance, and nutrition transport toward the leaf distal. Those transcriptome transformations correlated well with the changes of relative water content, biomass accumulation, and cellulose crystal degree and were supported by quantitative polymerase chain reaction data. These results revealed a developmental gradient of the bamboo linear growth leaf, which offers a foundation to elucidate and engineer leaf development in bamboo, an economically valuable plant.

Damayanto IPGP, Rustiami H, Miftahudin, Chikmawati T. 2020. A Synopsis of Bambusoideae (Poaceae) in Lombok, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 4489-4500. There is little documentation of bamboo on Lombok. Non-native Indonesian bamboos have been reported occurring in Lombok. As such, suspicious bamboo specimens and information in those reports need to be examined and possibly re-determined. This study aimed to provide updated taxonomical information of bamboo species in Lombok and to investigate the accuracy of previous studies regarding the existence of several non-native Indonesian bamboo species on the island (i.e. they do not have original distribution in Indonesia). Data from fieldwork were combined with specimens in Herbarium Bogoriense to create a synopsis of bamboo in Lombok and to develop an identification key to the species. Eleven species of bamboos in Lombok were reported from this study, namely Bambusa glaucophylla, B. maculata, B. multiplex, B. spinosa, B. vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, Gigantochloa apus, G. atter, Schizostachyum brachycladum, S. lima, and Thyrsostachys siamensis. Several doubtful species (B. albustiata, B. ventricosa, Guadua angustifolia, S. jaculans, Pseudosasa japonica) were presented to clarify the existence of a non-native Indonesian bamboo in Lombok. Moreover, there is not enough evidence to state Dinochloa sp. occurred in Lombok. The results of this study can be used by stakeholders for bamboo identification and as the baseline taxonomic account for future studies and conservation of bamboo species in Lombok.

Summary Pith cavity formation is critical for bamboo to overcome the bending force during its fast growth; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Multiple approaches, including anatomical dissection, mathematical modelling and transcriptome profiling, were employed in this study to investigate the biology of pith cavity formation in bamboo Pseudosasa japonica. We found that the corruption of pith tissue occurred sequentially and asymmetrically from the top‐centre of the internode down to the bottom, which might be caused by the combined effects of asymmetrical radial and axial tensile forces during shoot‐wall cell elongation and spiral growth of bamboo internodes. Programmed cell death (PCD) in pitch manifested by TUNEL positive nuclei, DNA cleavage and degraded organelles, and potentially regulated by ethylene and calcium signalling pathway, ROS burst, cell wall modification, proteolysis and nutrient recycle genes, might be responsible for pith tissue corruption of Ps. japonica. Although similar physiological changes and transcriptome profiles were found in different bamboo species, different formation rates of pith cavity were observed, which might be caused by different pith cells across the internode that were negatively correlated with the culm diameter. These findings provided a systematical view on the formation of bamboo pith cavity and revealed that PCD plays an important role in the bamboo pith cavity formation.

Key message Not only the first systematic characterization ofCAOgene in bamboo species, but also the first attempt to study the relationship betweenCAOgene expression and bamboo leaf color variation.

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are members of the order Carnivora. Their diet, however, consists almost entirely of bamboo. Herbivores are under strong pressure to be selective in what they eat because of the low digestibility of plant material. The purpose of this study was to determine whether two captive giant pandas exhibited preferences among three species of bamboo: black (Phyllostachys nigra), bissetii (Phyllostachys bissetii), and arrow (Pseudosasa japonica). Eighteen classic choice trials were conducted in which the species were randomly paired and placed in one of two predetermined locations in the giant pandas’ indoor enclosures. The pandas preferred leaves to culms or branches for each bamboo species. In the first hour of exposure, both pandas exhibited a preference for arrow bamboo. A comparison of total bamboo consumption over the course of the night indicated a strong preference for arrow bamboo by the male. The female exhibited equal preference for both arrow and bissetii over black bamboo. Further examination of feeding behavior determined that the pandas processed arrow bamboo behaviorally more efficiently than the other two species. This is the first study to experimentally assess bamboo preferences in giant pandas, and may have implications for husbandry and management programs as well as strategies for in situ conservation. Zoo Biol 24:177–183, 2005. � c 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

During the annual period of bamboo shoot growth in spring, free-ranging giant pandas feed almost exclusively on the shoots while ignoring the leaves and full- height culm. Little is known about the nutritional changes that occur during bamboo shoot growth, if nutritional changes differ among species, or how these changes might influence forage selection. Our objective was to examine the nutrient and mineral composition during three phases of shoot growth (60, 90-150 and180 cm) for seven species of bamboo (Phyllostachys (P.) aurea, P. aureosulcata, P. bissetii, P. glauca, P. nuda, P. rubromarginata, Pseudosasa japonica) fed to captive giant pandas at the Memphis Zoo. Total dietary fiber content of bamboo shoots increased (p0.0001) from an overall species average of 61% dry matter (DM) at60 cm to 75% DM at shoot heights180 cm, while crude protein, fat and ash exhibited significant declines (p0.05). Phyllostachys nuda had the overall greatest (p = 0.007) crude protein (21% DM) and fat (4% DM) content, and lowest overall total fibre (61% DM) content compared to the other species examined. In contrast, Pseudosasa japonica had the overall lowest crude protein and fat, and relatively higher fibre content (9%, 3% and 74% respectively). Concentrations of Zn and Fe were highest in shoots60 cm (10-50 μg/g DM) and decreased (p0.05) during growth in all species examined. Concentrations of Ca, Cu, Mn, Na and K varied among species and were largely unaffected by growth stage. Due to their higher concentrations of nutrients and lower fibre content in comparison to culm and leaf, bamboo shoots should be a major component of captive giant panda diets when available.

International audience; Over the last decade, bamboo plantations have started to be used as vegetation filters for wastewater treatment. This treatment system can be useful in reducing wastewater discharge into the environment, thus contributing to the preservation of water resources by using the plantation's evapotranspiration to reduce the rate of water infiltration. The evapotranspiration rates of the bamboo species used is therefore an important factor. The actual evapotranspiration (ET) and the crop coefficients (kc) for the five tropical and temperate species of three-year-old bamboo plants, i.e. Bambusa oldhamii, Bambusa multiplex, Bambusa vulgaris, Phyllostachys aurea and Pseudosasa japonica, were studied in lysimeters for a period of more than one year under a tropical climate. The average ET rates for the bamboo species studied ranged from 4 to 7 mm day−1 with maximum values of between 10.7 and 17.1 mm day−1 during the wet season, and an average kc of 1.1 to 1.9. The ET was correlated to weather parameters, especially minimum temperatures. The differences in ET rates between the bamboo species can be explained by morphological parameters, in particular the total aboveground biomass. Among the five bamboo species studied, B. oldhamii had the highest ET rate and produced the most biomass. In comparison with other high-biomass-producing plants, the evaporation rates for young bamboo plants were similar to those for willow and poplar vegetation filters.