Increasing the vigour and sustainability of Lei bamboo (

The sustainable production of bamboo shoots is jeopardized by current management practices, including the use of winter mulches and the application of large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer. Many bamboo plantations exhibit premature aging and reduced shoot yields, primarily linked to oxygen deprivation in the rooting zone from mulching practices but also associated with soil acidification. The mulching is undertaken to raise soil temperatures, encouraging earlier shoot growth, but it leads to a decline in shoot production and the practice is clearly unsustainable. We examined whether the use of aeration in Lei bamboo plantations could improve the soil environment, and whether any observed soil improvements were associated with improved plant vigour. We used four field treatments (mulching without aeration, M; mulching with aeration, MA; no mulching with aeration, A; and no mulching without aeration, CK). The effects of aeration were assessed in terms of soil enzyme activity, root growth, and leaf photosynthesis. Aeration (MA and A) consistently improved key metrics compared to non-aerated treatments (M and CK). Soil enzyme activities were markedly affected: In June, catalase activities in the soils of the aerated groups (A and MA) were 22.35% and 37.25% higher, respectively, than those in non-aerated groups. Urease activities were 28.64% (A vs. CK) and 124.08% (MA vs. M) higher, respectively, and phosphatase activities were 208.80% and 131.71% higher, respectively. By October, root vitality in aerated groups was 61.90% (A vs. CK) and 142.67% (MA vs. M) higher, respectively, compared to non-aerated groups. The leaf photosynthetic rate in the A treatment was 114.48% higher than in the CK treatment and 88.31% higher in the MA treatment than in the M treatment. The results demonstrate that soil aeration leads to the more sustainable production of bamboo shoots.