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BackgroundNitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient element that is involved in almost every aspect of a plant's physiological mechanism. Therefore, the current research aims to determine the optimal amount of N fertilizer to bamboo seedlings for better nutrient management practices to minimize N pollution in bamboo forests. We evaluated the physiological response of Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro grown under five varying levels of N fertilizer; such as N0, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5 (0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 g·pot-1, respectively). ResultsN4 treatment had a significant effect on the number of shoots, which was greatly correlated with net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and photosynthetic pigment (Car, Chls, and Chl a/b) as well as N-related indices [leaf N, leaf ammonium N (NH4+-N), and nitrate reductase (NR)]. N supply significantly increased soil carbon and N contents, which could be conducive to the accumulation of leaf chlorophyll content, improving leaf photosynthesis mechanism, and accelerating N metabolism and conversion through an enzymatic reaction. ConclusionsOverall, the N application of 6 g·pot-1 was advantageous to improve physiological characteristics and shoot production of seedlings. As a consequence, we suggest that optimal nitrogen supply can be effective to improve soil fertility to attain high bamboo production.

Summary The diversity and dynamics of the dominant bacterial communities arising during the pickling process of bamboo shoots (Dendrocalamus latiflorus) were investigated by nested polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis combined with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results showed only several kinds of halophilic bacteria during early sampling time (0−3 days). After pickling for 7 days, Lactococcus lactis significantly increased (P

The mechanism of floral transition in bamboo remains unclear. Dendrocalamus latiflorus (Bambusease, Bambusoideae, Poaceae) is an economically and ecologically important clumping bamboo in tropical and subtropical areas. We evaluated morphological characteristics and gene expression profiling to study floral induction and early flower development in D. latiflorus. The detailed morphological studies on vegetative buds and floral organography were completed using paraffin sectioning and scanning electron microscopy. The 3 mm floral buds commence the development of stamen primordia and pistil primordium. Furthermore, homologs of floral transition-related genes, including AP1, TFL1, RFL, PpMADS1, PpMADS2, SPL9, FT, ID1, FCA, and EMF2, were detected and quantified by reverse transcriptase PCR and real-time PCR in vegetative and floral buds, respectively. Distinct expression profiles of ten putative floral initiation homologues that corresponded to the developmental stages defined by bud length were obtained and genes were characterized. Six of the genes (including DlTFL1, DlRFL, DlMADS2, DlID1, DlFCA, DlEMF2) showed statistically significant changes in expression during floral transition. DlAP1 demonstrated a sustained downward trend and could serve as a good molecular marker during floral transition in D. latiflorus. The combined analysis provided key candidate markers to track the transition from the vegetative to reproductive phase.

There is a growing need to characterize the mechanical properties of single bamboo fibers with their high potential in commercial applications. In this paper, an improved microtensile technique has been applied to measure the tensile strength of fibers isolated from Ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro) as an important commercial bamboo species in China. The property variation with respect to the age and locations within a culm was in focus. Ma bamboo fibers had superior stiffness and strength data compared with those of softwood fibers. Four-year-old Ma bamboo fibers are stiffer and stronger than 1-year-old fibers. Their in-trunk variation is rather small both in radial and longitudinal directions. This is due to the relatively constant microfibrillar angle in bamboo culms. Accordingly, the large variations in the bulk mechanical properties of bamboo are mainly attributable to fiber distribution density in the culm rather than the fiber itself.

Summary The enzymes activity, texture, pectin, microstructure and colour change in bamboo shoots (Dendrocalamus latiflorus) were examined to evaluate the effect of blanching and drying treatments on quality of bamboo shoot slices (BSS). Peroxidase (POD), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase in BSS will become completely inactive at 95 °C for 6-, 9- and 12-min blanching treatments, respectively. The hardness and protopectin (PP) content decreased after the blanching treatment. Meanwhile, the content of water-soluble pectin increased initially and then decreased gradually during the blanching. After the blanching treatment, the L* and a* of BSS decreased, while b* increased, ΔE > 2. The hardness of rehydrated BSS decreased by 43.57% after freeze drying (FD), which, however, decreased more after hot air drying (HAD). The pectin of rehydrated BSS was also determined to explain the hardness change in BSS. The BSS acquired similar microstructure of fresh samples after FD, while microstructure of BSS was severely damaged after HAD. The colour of BSS changes significantly after drying treatment. However, FD can maintain better colour of BSS than HAD. The results may provide a reference for industrial production of BSS.

One new genus and two new species of eriophyoid mites of the subfamily Phyllocoptinae Nalepa from Luang Namtha Province, Northwest Laos are described and illustrated. They are: Namengia latifloris gen. nov. & sp. nov. (Phyllocoptinae, Acaricalini) infesting Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro (Poaceae), Petanovicia cathartica sp. nov. (Phyllocoptinae, Phyllocoptini) infesting Allamanda cathartica L. (Apocynaceae). These new species are vagrant on the leaves of their host plant respectively causing no visible damage.

The objective of this study was to find an effective method for treating ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus) and moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) using new water-based reagents containing copper. The effects of green-color protection using various treatments on bamboo culms were examined in this study. Two methods were used: heating in a water bath and ultrasonic dipping. The results revealed that excellent green-color protection (a* value of −6.2) was obtained when ma bamboo culms were treated with 0.25% ammoniacal copper quaternary compound-type B (ACQ-B) in a water bath at 100°C for 2 h. It was also found that the wettability of bamboo epidermis increasedsignificantly after pretreatment in a mixture of 1% KOH and surfactant in a water bath at 100°C for 30 min. Furthermore, pretreated moso bamboo culms exhibited excellent green-color protection after they were treated with 0.25% ACQ-B at 100°C for 2 h (a* value of −8.2). This novel treatment method definitely endows the bamboo culms with a fascinating green skin color and consequently could increase the economic value of bamboo products. No improvement in green-color protection was found when ultrasonic energy was added to the water bath at ambient temperature.

Inflorescence proliferation is a plant tissue culture technique that can be used to obtain in vitro inflorescences year-round without the intervening development of vegetative organs. In this study, we used albino mutant inflorescences of Dendrocalamus latiflorus as the original explant material to investigate the effect of plant growth regulators on long-term inflorescence proliferation. The albino inflorescences proliferated on solidified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ), and the optimal concentration for successful long-term inflorescence proliferation was 0.45 μM TDZ. A combination of α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) with 0.45 μM TDZ inhibited the inflorescence proliferation. Inflorescences cultured on a TDZ-free medium supplemented with 26.82 μM NAA rooted in 21 d, vegetative shoots formed by 42 d and, in one case, flowering occurred after 63 d. The auxins 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, 4.52 μM) and picloram (4.14 μM) induced shoot formation. The protocol described can be used to produce large numbers of mutant inflorescences within a relatively short period of time.

Ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro) treated with chromated phosphate (CP) exhibits an excellent green color. To understand the effects of the treatment sequence of CrO3 and H3PO4 and their interactions regarding green color protection, CrO3-H3PO4 and H3PO4-CrO3 two-step treatments plus a H3PO4-CrO3-H3PO4 three-step treatment were carried out in this study. Results revealed that the treatment sequence of CrO3 and H3PO4 definitely affects the effectiveness of bamboo color protection. Green color protection of ma bamboo culm could not be achieved by treating it with CrO3 or H3PO4 alone or with the H3PO4-CrO3 two-step treatment. Only by treating it with the CrO3-H3PO4 two-step treatment or the H3PO4-CrO3-H3PO4 three-step treatment did ma bamboo exhibit an excellent green color. The results indicated that bamboo reacts first with CrO3 and then forms an insoluble complex with H3PO4, which produces the green color on its epidermis. Chlorophyll analyses demonstrated that chlorophyll is not a key factor for green color protection. The green pigment was also formed when chlorophyll-free bamboo was treated with 2% CP at 60°C for 3h.

SummaryProcessed bamboo culms capable of maintaining the greenish color in their skin have increased economic value. The use of protectors to preserve the green color and to improve the color fastness of bamboo culms has, therefore, attracted great interest in the industry. In this paper three exposure tests, including accelerated UV lightfastness, outdoor weathering, and indoor exposure, were used to evaluate the color fastness of ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorusMunro) treated with chromium based reagents. Experimental results revealed that bamboo culms treated with CCP (chromated copper phosphate) or CP (chromated phosphate), both homemade by the authors, exhibited excellent color fastness. Among all inorganic salt-treated bamboo culms the CP-treated samples had the brighter greenish skin and also provided the best green color fastness. It was further noticed that ultraviolet light plays an important role on the color conversion of CrO3-treated bamboo. The green color becomes significantly enhanced with increased exposure time.

Background According to the growth pattern of bamboo, sympodial bamboo and monopodial bamboo are considered as two mainly kinds of bamboo. They have different phenotypes and different characteristics in developmental stage. Much attention had been paid on the study of bamboo cultivation, processing, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology, which had made great progresses in the last decade, especially for the highlighted achievement of the bamboo genomics. However, there is no information available on concerning comparative profiling of miRNAs between sympodial bamboo and monopodial bamboo, which might play important roles in the regulation of bamboo development. Methodology/Principal Findings We identified the profiles of small RNAs using leaf tissues from one sympodial bamboo i.e. moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) and another monopodial bamboo i.e. ma bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus). The result showed that there were 19,295,759 and 11,513,888 raw sequence reads, in which 92 and 69 conserved miRNAs, as well as 95 and 62 novel miRNAs were identified in moso bamboo and ma bamboo, respectively. The ratio of high conserved miRNA families in ma bamboo is more than that in moso bamboo. In addition, a total of 49 and 106 potential targets were predicted in moso bamboo and ma bamboo, respectively, in which several targets for novel miRNAs are transcription factors that play important roles in plant development. More importantly, annotation of differentially expressed target genes was performed based on the analysis of pathway and gene ontology terms enrichment. Conclusions/Significance This study provides the first large-scale sight of discovery and comparative characterization of miRNAomes between two representative bamboos belonged to sympodial bamboo and monopodial bamboo, respectively. Although it will be necessary to validate the function of miRNAs through more experimental research in further, these results lay a foundation for unraveling the miRNA-mediated molecular processes in different kinds of bamboo.

Bamboo mosaic potexvirus was detected in Australia for the first time. Field infections in Dendrocalamus latiflorus from Queensland and Western Australia were confirmed by electron microscopy and ELISA.

In Laborversuchen nach DIN 52 172 Teil 2 wurde die Fixierung eines Chrom-Kupfer-Arsen-haltigen Schutzsalzes in Ginkgo, Kiefer, Buche und Bambus 1,2 und 4 Wochen nach der Impragnierung vergleichend bestimmt. Hiebei zeigte die Kupferkomponente in allen Holzarten bereits 1 Woche nach der Impragnierung eine hohe Fixierung, wahrend die Chromkomponente in den einzelnen Holzarten unterschiedlich und insgesamt langsamer fixierte. Chrom war nach 4 Wochen nur in Kiefer vollstandig, in Buche und Ginkgo weitgehend fixiert, wahrend aus Bambus noch rd. 4% der eingebrachten Menge ausgewaschen wurden.