Albino seedlings in bamboo (Ochlandra travancorica (Bedd.) Benth. ex Gamble)

Abstract

Ochlandra travancorica (Bedd.) Benth. ex Gamble is an erect, shrubby, gregarious reed bamboo, growing in Western Ghats of India above 609 m. It is economically very important and the culms are largely used for mats, baskets and for constructing huts by hillmen. The leaves are used for thatching and also as elephant fodder. Besides, it is widely used for paper making [1]. Breeding system of this species was studied by Venkatesh [2] and concluded that like other bamboos and grasses generally, this species is also typically anemophilous. He also pointed out that seed derived from wild populations of this bamboo arising after gregarious flowering shows considerable genetic variability due to out breeding.