Colchicine-induced Variants in Bamboo Improvement

A preliminary observation in 1953 with 3 colchicine-treated seedlings (Dendrocalamus strictus) suggested an extended trial the following year when 37 treated plants and 7 controls were prepared for field trial. In 1956 two-year-old plants revealed interesting characters associated with polyploidizing, namely, increased vigour, production of thicker or wider leaves, and larger but fewer tuberculate hairs on the dorsal leaf-surface. The frequency tables compiled from data on vigour, leaf-thickness and number of hairs show that in about a dozen out of the 37 polyploidized plants there is a definite increase in vigour, leaf-thickness and leaf-width associated with increased size of hairs, the last effect resulting in fewer number of hairs per unit area. These easily observed criteria for early evaluation of artificial polyploids or mutants are of great interest and value to breeders of forest species.