Agartala: Scientists at the Van Gaveshana Sadan in Agartala, Tripura, are helping bamboo cultivators to meet the shortage of planting material available for bamboo cultivation through tissue culture propagation.
Traditionally, Tripura has been dependant on other states for planting material. The tissue culture procedure is not only solving the problem of planting material, but also helping to increase production of bamboo saplings within a short span of time.
“This year we have collected over 50 kilograms of bamboo seeds from different locations of Tripura. We have developed a good stock in forest research division in Agartala,” said Atanu Saha, a forest range officer.
“You can see here, more than 2 lakh of bamboo seedlings are grown here. Out that 1.5 lakh bamboo seedlings are from seed only. Rest we are doing bamboo seeding by tissue culture technique,” Saha added.
Scientists at the centre have not received complete training on the tissue culture procedure, but are making efforts to come up with a micro propagation technique that facilitates supply of bamboo saplings in large numbers.
Today, the Van Gaveshana Sadan has given a new lease of life to Tripura’s bamboo crop, it is significant step for the state’s economy as over 1.5 lakh rural households are engaged in different works related to bamboo production and depend on it for their livelihood. (ANI)