BAMBOO SHOOT PRODUCTION

Pages from a pamphlet promoting the WEN TONG, Hangzhou
Kangxing Foods Co., located in Zhejiang, China.

Bamboo shoot production is one of the most profitable uses of bamboo.  Bamboo groves used for the
production of bamboo shoots can make more than five times the amount of money than comparable areas
of production used for the purpose of paper or timber. Shoot production, however, does require more
maintenance and more agricultural knowledge and skill than timber or paper.  The harvest of bamboo
shoots also must occur in the season of a particular species.  This limits the time for profit and harvest to
only a few months out of every year. Chinese producers have been able to induce another shooting
season by adding fertilizer, water and a large amount of mulch and organic material to the base of the
plants in December.  Because the price of fresh shoots is very high in the wintertime, this method of
production has proved very profitable.

It is important to remember that there are over 1200 species of bamboo in the world.  Most of the species
have shoots which are not edible. The varieties which are edible can fall into several categories.  The first
category is to divide the plants into tropical and temperate species of bamboo.  In general, tropical species
of bamboo are clumping bamboos.  The temperate species, on the whole, tend to be mostly running
bamboos.  These two divisions must be treated quite separately as growth and harvest are very different.

The tropical species tend to shoot during the rainy season.  Temperatures do not fluctuate as greatly in
the tropics as they do in temperate regions.  Tropical bamboo uses an increased amount of rainfall as a
signal for new growth.  This is very important to remember when managing a bamboo shoot plantation.  
Efficient managers can induce shooting out of season by careful regulation of water and nutrients supplied
to the plants.  Managers should also remember to keep a sufficient amount of mature culms in order for
the plant to be healthy and provide enough energy and nutrients for the new shoots.  In order to get
bigger and longer useful shoots, a heavy layer of mulch should be added around the base of the plant
before the shooting season begins.  Some managers will put a black bag over each emerging shoot in
order to increase the size and length of the edible portion.  

These techniques do have some disadvantages.  Tropical Bamboo tends to "climb up" out of the ground
as shoots from consecutive seasons start higher up than their parents.  The addition of dirt and mulch
materials only exacerbates the problem.  If the plant is expected to live 40 to 100 years, even a slight
annual increase in height can cause real problems over the long-term.  Another problem that may occur is
the gregarious flowering that plagues many bamboo species.  Having a monoculture in the plantation may
be very beneficial for management and production but can have devastating effects if the species chosen
begins to flower.  After flowering, the plants produce seed and die.  It may take five to seven years of
non-production before the plantation can recover.  In the late 1980s, bamboo plantations in Thailand
experienced such an event.  The effects had devastating consequences for the economy of the country as
well as for local workers and farmers who depended on the industry.

Fresh shoots recently harvested and
on there way to market.

A clumping bamboo plantation showing
mulching techniques, "rising effect"
and irrigation system for production.

Running bamboo do not have the propensity to raise out of the ground over several seasons.  However,
they are renowned for for spreading through the extensive growth of their underground rhizomes.  These
rhizomes can produce many shoots in a season which are actually larger than the rhizomes itself.  Some
species must be contained with either solid barriers or trenches filled with water.  Older sections of a
running bamboo plantation also may become so crowded with old organic materials that shoots longer be
produced.  Plantation managers must thin the bamboo annually in order to prevent this problem from
occurring.  Like tropical bamboo, shoot production may be induced by the addition of water and mulch and
organic materials during a non-shooting season.  In China, this has resulted in farmers being able to
receive 10 times the normal price for shoots when grown out of season.  The shooting season with
temperate bamboos tends to occur with the changing weather and temperature during the spring or fall of
the year.  Like many other crops, bamboo shoots can be adversely affected by cold or heat occurring too
late or too early in the season.  Mulch materials may also be used to insulate the tender shoots and
rhizomes.

'Moso Bamboo shoots emerging.  Running bamboo
in a temperate area.

Phyllostachys praecox field which is closely
managed to obtain maximum shoot production.

Another way bamboo shoots can be divided, is by the amount of processing needed before they can be
used by the consumer.  Shoots that can be harvested and sold directly for use are known as "sweet
shoots."  These shoots have little or no bitterness and may be sold fresh.  Other species might be quite
prolific but contain toxins or bitter chemicals (cyanide) which require boiling before they can be consumed.  
Still other types have a large silica or tough lignin content which make them unsuitable for human
consumption.  The following is a very basic list of some of the most popular species of bamboo which
produce edible shoots.

Moso bamboo
OldHami bamboo
Thai Green
Thai Black
Swollen node
Old World Bamboo
Latiflorus
Sweet shoot
Nom mai

Phyllostachys bambusoides (all var.)
Bambusa oldhamii
Dendrocalamus asper 'Thai green'
Dendrocalamus asper 'Thai black (Dam)'
Qioungzheau tumidissinoda
Bambusa Bambos
Dendrocalamus latiflorus
Phyllostachys dulcis
Thyrsostachys siamensis