Biomass Equations and Accumulation of Phyllostachys pubescens, P. bambusoides, and P. nigra var. henonis Stands

Abstract

Three bamboo stands(Phyllostachys pubescens(Mazel) Ohwi, P. bambusoides Sieb. et Zucc, P. nigra var. henonis Stapf ex. Rendle) were selected to determine suitable biomass equations andproductivity of Gajwa and Wola National Experimental Forests, Jinju, Southern Korea. Differentindependent variables such as diameter at breast height(DBH) or the combination of DBH andheight(H) were used to develop biomass equations(Allometric model : logY = a + blog DBH;Linear-quadratic model : Y=aDBH + bDBH2; Linear model with DBH and height : Y=a +bDBH2·H) for each bamboo component from two age-sequence(current-year, > 1-year-old) ofthree bamboo stands. Based on statistical indicators, the most suitable equation model toestimate biomass from bamboo stands was a linear-quadratic model. Aboveground biomass ofthree bamboo stands estimated by the model was 48.864 Mg ha-1 for the P. pubescens, followedby 36.632 Mg ha-1 for the P. bambusoides, and 36.504 Mg ha-1 for the P. nigra var. henonisstands, respectively. The highest biomass in the P. pubescens stand was attributed to themorphological growth characteristics such as DBH and height. Belowground biomass was alsohighest for P. pubescens(53.35 Mg ha-1), followed by the P. bambusoides(36.73 Mg ha-1) andthe P. nigra var. henonis(29.75 Mg ha-1) stands. The results indicate that the morphologicalgrowth characteristics such as DBH and height among bamboo species were the most importantfactor to determine bamboo biomass productivity at a local level.