Beema Bamboo

Beema or Bheema Bamboo is a superior clone, selected from Bambusa Balcooa, a higher biomass yielding bamboo species. This species is considered to be one of the fastest-growing plants. 

In the most recent of events, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has designed an ‘oxygen park’ within its premises at Coimbatore with Beema Bamboo. 

Aspirants preparing for the upcoming IAS Exam can refer to the significant features of Beema Bamboo, its importance and other essential aspects discussed further below in this article. 

Beema Bamboo [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

Beema Bamboo – Key Features

(Image Source: http://www.growmorebiotech.com/)

• It is a superior clone, selected from Bambusa Balcooa, a higher Biomass yielding Bamboo species
• This clone is thornless, sterile, superior bamboo
• It grows fast and grows one-and-a-half feet per day under tropical conditions
• It is said to be the best ‘carbon sink’ to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions
• Unlike most bamboos, tissue-cultured Beema Bamboo culms grow nearly solid and adapt to various soil and climate conditions. After every harvest cycle, it regrows and does not require replanting for decades
• Beema Bamboo can be used for multiple applications:
  • Biomass for power generation projects
  • Paper Industries
  • Construction and Furniture
  • Handicrafts & cottage industries

Get UPSC notes on Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a scheme for the growth and development of the horticulture sector in India

About Bambusa Balcooa

• Bambusa Balcooa is a very large, thick-walled, clumping or sympodial bamboo
• It can grow up to a height of 25 metres (80 feet), and a thickness of 150 millimetres (6 inches)
• The length and strength of Bambusa Balcooa make it a useful material for the construction industry
• Young Bambusa Balcooa shoots are blackish-green with yellow colour
• Stems of this bamboo species are used as a building material for houses, bridges, fishing floats, frames of rickshaw hoods, baskets, woven mats and agricultural and fishing implements
• It also serves as a raw material for the wood chip industry, paper pulp, shoots are consumed as a vegetable and leaves are used as fodder

Importance of Beema Bamboo

• Beema Bamboo does not produce seeds and can continue to survive without dying for hundreds of years. Thus, planting this bamboo species can create a larger green cover in the world
• As its rhizome and root formation provide a strong foundation, the plant becomes robust against natural forces and plays a major role in mitigating global warming and climate change
• Beema Bamboo species is recommended for:
  • Large scale plantation
  • Energy plantation for power generation
  • Homestead garden planting
  • Large reforestation programs 
  • Land reclamation in mines, sodic soils, waterlogged areas etc.

IAS aspirants can get UPSC notes on Biodiversity – Species, Genetics & Ecosystem at the linked article. 

Bamboo Cultivation in India

Bamboo is one of the commercially cultivated crops in India and the country is the second-largest producer of Bamboo in the world. 

A National Bamboo Mission (NBM) was implemented in the country envisaging the holistic growth of the bamboo sector by adopting an area-based, regionally differentiated strategy and increasing the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing. UPSC aspirants can read in detail about the mission at the linked article.

Apart from this, in 2020, the Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters in 9 states. In 2017,  Indian Forest Act 1927 was also amended, wherein bamboo was removed from the category of Trees. 

Get a list of Major Crops Grown in India at the linked article as questions based on the same may be asked in the upcoming IAS Prelims. 

Beema Bamboo [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

To know the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the upcoming prelims and mains examination, candidates can visit the linked article. 

For the latest exam updates, study material and assistance with competitive exam preparation, candidates can turn to BYJU’S.