Tripura achieves breakthrough in bamboo tissue culture

Agartala, Sep 28 (ANI): The forest research and development department of Tripura has come up with micro propagation technique that facilitates the supply of a large number of bamboo saplings in a short time.

Scientists of Van Gaveshana Sadan located at Gandhigram near Agartala, in collaboration with The Energy and Resource Institute of New Delhi, have achieved a significant breakthrough in bamboo tissue culture process.

Their latest 'Micro Propagation' technique of using emerging branchlets from mature culms is one of the most successful and cheapest methods to establish a bamboo plantation.

This new technique facilitates the supply of large quantities of good quality bamboo saplings to growers at reasonable prices.

The process will also be helpful in increasing the production of bamboo where its seeds are not available.

Bamboo is grown in chambers under controlled environmental conditions from where it is cloned and then sent for hardening. These plants are healthy, disease free and have a longer life.

"We have achieved a major success. Right now, we are basically doing micro propagation of bamboo, which is commonly known as Mal/Makhla bamboo up to this we got 90 percent success. Now, we have already produced 3,000 plants," said Scientific Officer Rajib Sutradhar.

Both Centre and the Tripura Government are promoting the bamboo industry in the state.

Tripura adopted its own state Bamboo Mission in 2007. The estimated value of the bamboo industry in Tripura is Rs. 70.00 crores per annum and it has the potential to grow up to Rs. 400 crores per annum in the next five years.

Nearly two lakh rural households are engaged in different works related to the bamboo and depend on it for their livelihood.

"We are using this new technique successfully. More than two lakhs of bamboo seedlings has grown here in Tripura and out of these 1.5 lakhs are from its origin seed and for the rest we are using bamboo saplings using the tissue culture technique," said Forest Range Officer Atanu Saha.

The Van Gaveshana Sadan, where the research was done, was established in the year 2000 with the aim to increase the bamboo production that had dwindled as a result of flowering of the bamboo in 2007-08 that destroyed a large part of the crop. (ANI)