J. Bamboo and Rattan, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 27 – 34 (2004) Ó VSP 2004. Also available online - www.vsppub.com Phenology and culm growth of Melocanna baccifera (Roxb.) Kurtz in Barak Valley, North-East India S. NANDY 1 , A. K. DAS 1;¤ and G. DAS 2 1 Department of Ecology, Assam University, Silchar 788 011, Assam, India 2 Centre for Applied Statistics, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalaya, India Abstract —The phenology and growth of culms of Muli bamboo (Melocanna baccifera ) were studied in the Hailakandi district of Barak Valley in North-East India. The culms emerge during the months of August and September, and the growth curve is S-shaped. The growth continues for a period of 245 days with rapid growth attained after 45 days. The leang pattern is characterized by periodic growth leaf-exchange type. The adaptive strategy of this growth pattern is discussed in the context of restoration of degraded lands. Key words: Melocanna baccifera ; phenology; culm growth; growth rate; North-East India. INTRODUCTION Bamboo is an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) of subsistence and meets several commercial, social, environmental and economical perspectives [1]. Of the 78 species of bamboos distributed in the North Eastern region of India [2], Melocanna baccifera or Muli bamboo is an important forest resource of Barak Valley [3], as also in other parts of North-East India [4]. The species is also abundant in hilly tracts of Bangladesh [5] and is included as one of the 38 priority bamboo species identied by INBAR and IPGRI [6, 7]. The species is characterized by a woody pachymorph diffuse type of rhizome system [8] with long rhizome necks able to spread and quickly cover vacant spaces of hill areas [9]. The species is an efcient early colonizer in secondary successional vegetation resulting from shifting cultivation or other anthropogenic disturbances. The studies on phenology and growth pattern of bamboos are limited: see, for example, Banik [5], Shanmughavel et al. [10], Ueda [11], Rao et al. [12] and Schlegel [13]. Such studies are important in developing scientic management systems for optimum yield. The present work ¤ To whom correspondenceshould be addressed. E-mail: asheshkd@sancharnet.in