Flowering in laboratory bamboo

1990/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Botanika

Bamboo blooms in the laboratory! The news is as surprising as it is important, considering that it uses a quarter of humanity to eat, build the house, smooth, make paper paste, etc. For example, the Panda bear is based on its food.

About 500 bamboo species are known in the world and most take about thirty years to flower. There are also people who need all the century.

Thanks to an Indian group of researchers from the National Chemical Laboratory, the fertilization and fecundity of the sides will be very reduced. The three species investigated have managed to reproduce within three months and not in the thirty years they need in natural conditions.

Ranjani Nadgauda, Andi Maskarenhas and V. Paraxarami scientists have achieved success with an adequate feed mixture. The feed contains mineral salts, vitamins, sugar and plant hormones. One of these hormones, which has apparently been critical to success, is the so-called pencila-amino-purine. The influence of this hormone has increased with coconut milk, something that, according to the researchers, has been essential.

It seems that bamboo departments will soon be controllable on demand. It can grow like any other crop, being able to bloom when desired. However, bamboo is four times richer in protein than other plants. Panda bears are the ones who know it best, as they feed on bamboo leaves.