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Scientists in India have discovered a way to make bamboo plants produce flowers in laboratory. The British (36) Nature recently reported the (37) event. In the wild it can take as long as one hundred and twenty years for some kinds of bamboo to flower, and after the plant (38) its seeds it dies. The bamboo plant is used in many different ways. But because it takes so long to produce seeds, scientists never (39) it a traditional farm crop. The recent (40) in India may change that. The (41) was done at the National Chemical Laboratory in India. Three scientists cut two hundred pieces from two different kinds of bamboo plants; each was a few (42) long. The tiny cuttings were placed in the (43) of coconuts milk, plant-growth hormone and other nutrients. Just a few weeks later, flowers began to appear. (44) . Two weeks after that the plants began to produce seeds. (45) . One of them had not put the bamboo seeds in soil, but he believes they will produce plants. The Indian scientists now are planning experiments to see (46) . Bamboo reproduces in two ways. It flowers and produces seeds. It also produces new growth from its roots. Bamboo plants growing from its roots are called ZhuSun in China. Bamboo shoots are dug up and replanted in the field. Farmers harvest the leaves. They feed them to their animals.