Authors:Z.N. Amirah, H. Mohd Zaki, I. Mohd Hasmadi and N.A. Ainuddin
Abstract:Gigantochloa albociliata which is also known as 'Buluh Madu' in Malaysia is harvested for the shoots and widely consumed in the northern states of Perlis and Kedah. Most G. albociliata grown in Malaysia are originated from Thailand and some from China. It was introduced and planted in Malaysia because of high demand for bamboo shoots. Population in Malaysia and Asia generally utilizes bamboo shoots for food. Bamboos are easy to grow and can be harvested in a very short time which is normally 6-8 months. Although it is easy to grow, bamboos still need sufficient amount of fertilizer and suitable planting medium for its optimum growth. Hence, the study was conducted to examine the growth performance of G. albociliata shoots in nursery using four planting media, two fertilizer types (organic and inorganic) and four fertilizer rates. A split-split plot factorial design was used consisting of these three factors and the number of shoots, height of shoots and diameter of shoots were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. The results indicated that G. albociliata planted in soil and sand (3:1) planting medium and fertilized with NPK (25g) gave highest growth on shoots in nursery stage.
Keywords:Planting media, fertilizer, Gigantochloa albociliata, bamboo shoots at nursery stage, shoot growth