All major crop plants have been subjected to genetic improvement, either by selection and propagation or by breeding. Bamboos have received scant attention from plant breeders despite their importance as crop plants due to their unpredictable and uncontrollable flowering habits and to a limited understanding of genetic variation amongst the existing species. The potential for new, improved bamboo hybrids is enormous. The demand for bamboo is increasing worldwide and the diversity of uses to which it is put is growing steadily. Increases in demand can be met by increasing the areas of bamboo...