600 bamboo plants of 44 varieties at Bamboo Demonstration Plot

The forest department from the Kundapur division has created a one-of-a-kind idea of 'Bamboo Demonstration Plot' in Moodbidri, which was famed for its bamboo cultivation several years ago.

The name Moodu(East)bidre was given to a bamboo-growing town on the east coast. Previously, the town was known as 'Venupura.' Venu means bamboo in Sanskrit, thus the town's name.

The neighbouring town of Venur also bears the name bamboo, as demonstrated by the quantity of bamboo in the area in the past.

Deputy Conservator of Forest Ashish Reddy told DH that there are 18 cultivars and 128 species of bamboo flourishing in India, 87 of which are native and 41 of which are of foreign origin.

In the Bamboo Demonstration Plot of Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Park in Kadalkere in Moodbidri, 600 bamboo plants of 44 types are being raised.

He said that Moodbidri was previously ruled by the Chowta Dynasty, and Abbakka Rani, the daughter of this kingdom and the queen of Tulunadu had fought against the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century.

To honour the bravery of Abbakka, numerous rare Bamboo species have been planted at the Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Park in the name of Veera Rani Abbakka as a symbol of women empowerment, he added.

The varieties of species grown in the park include Baluka (Assam) bamboo, Bush bamboo, Pencil bamboo, Hedge bamboo, Tulda bamboo, White leaf, Copper bamboo (kimmie), Buddha belly, Indian Thorny bamboo, Taiwan Giant bamboo, Bidhuli bamboo, Bijli bamboo, Edible shoot bamboo (Narangi bhas), Bengal bamboo, Vulgaris-green, Vulgaris-yellow, Giant Thorny bamboo, Burma giant (Thaikawa bamboo), solid bamboo (Bulka bamboo), Tama bamboo, Maroochy, Waya bamboo, Kiri bidiru, Kalisuneti bamboo, Garden bamboo, Kalisuneti bamboo, Black bamboo, Indonesia bamboo, American Narrow, Waya bamboo, Leaved bamboo, Tinwa bamboo, Muli bamboo, Beesa bamboo, Setigera, elephant grass, Burmese tseikdoo mindoo, Chinese bamboo, Choomaree bamboo, Konda bamboo, Dullooa bamboo, Ruscus leaf bamboo, Lathi bamboo, White dragon and Monastery bamboo, among others.

Bamboo performs a protective function in lowering soil degradation, including biodiversity loss, soil nutrient depletion and soil erosion. Bamboo, like other woody plants, has the potential to be used as a biofuel as a forest product. Bamboo, being a green and sustainable material, plays an important role in forest architecture, said Reddy.

A majority of the kinds of bamboo growing in the Bamboo Park are decorative, with only a handful being fence varieties, he added.