ABSTRACT
This chapter explains description, analysis, and evaluation of the ethnopedological knowledge of bamboo soil and its scientific validation, and also explains soil properties in relation to soil depth and clump age of the bamboo plantation. Bamboos are often managed in a separate zone within the home gardens or in the extended land where it is grown mostly in a pure patch. Folk soil taxonomy of bamboo-based agroforestry systems is consistent with laboratory findings of modern soil science. The validation of ethnopedological knowledge of bamboo farmers with a scientific assessment of soil quality provides another strategy of building upon traditional knowledge. The data showing an increasing trend in the nutrient pool with an increase in clump age under the bamboo canopy suggest the potential of bamboo in soil restoration and onsite nutrient conservation. Bamboo growth and biomass are positively correlated with soil organic carbon content because it is a primary source of nutrients in bamboo cultivation.
