Biotechnological Advances in Bamboo

Book excerpt: “Green gold” or “Poor Man’s Timber” are commonly used terms for bamboo that is a valuable and renewable resource of the world, and has always been an elemental part of human beings in terms of social and economic value. Bamboo is considered a multipurpose plant and has a prolonged history as an adaptable and extensively used renewable resource in conventional and commercial applications. Therefore, the annual demands for bamboos have already out-crossed the annual yields across the world. And the current scenario has forced scientists to pay more attention to the utilization of biotechnological tools for better understanding and improving bamboos. The book provides an overview of the different biotechnological approaches to advance bamboo research and better utilization of bamboo resources for human beings. Various applications of biological techniques in relation to bamboo have been discussed in details, for example, plant tissue culture techniques, somatic embryogenesis, germplasm conservation techniques, use of the molecular markers, transcriptomics, polymorphism, and phylogenetic relations in bamboo. It also addresses the novel industrial applications of bamboo in structural, food, and pharmaceuticals along with traditional uses. The aggregated information in this book demonstrates the way for the improved and sustainable practice of bamboos to fulfill the future needs of the world. This book is intended for use in both the industry and academia