Abstract:
Currently there are few perennials that can maintain all-season water-lise and provide ongoing economic benefit
in dry land cropping systems. The effectiveness of lucerne on clayey soils and in high rainfall environments has
been inconsistent, while the economic potential of native woody species is still uncertain. We suggest in this
short discussion the need to explore the use of suitable bamboo species for their rapid growth rates and, hence,
water requirement, as well as for their economic benefits. Furthermore, from their morphology we expect
bamboos to have a greater capability to open-up dense subsoils to benefit other crops in rotations than the
herbaceous species. Our limited understanding of the physiology of bamboos is recognised as a major
knowledge-gap.
