Differential performance of selected Sudano‐Sahelian plant species for ecological restoration

Abstract

This study compares the performances of six indigenous (Acacia albida, Acacia nilotica, Acacia senegalensis, Balanites aegyptiaca, Tamarindus indica, Ziziphus spina‐christi) and one exotic (Azadirachta indica) tree species for the reforestation of a degraded soil (hardé) in the Far North Region of Cameroon. Seedlings were transplanted from the enviroprotect nursery (Maroua) to Gawel ReviTec (revitalization technology) sites (GW1, GW2) in May 2015. A subset of trees from biosoil plots was monitored at 26, 38 and 50 months after transplantation. Survival rate, height, stem diameter and growth volume were measured and revealed lower values at GW2 than at GW1 in general. A. indica and A. nilotica performed better, with respective survival rates of 78 and 67% at GW1, against lower than 50% at GW2 for all species, the highest (45%) accounting for A. nilotica. Stem diameter (91 and 87 cm), height (318 and 308 cm) and growth volume (33 and 42 m3) were higher for A. nilotica, followed by A. indica (stem diameter: 90 and 83 cm; height: 248 and 278 cm; growth volume: 20 and 20 m3), respectively, at GW1 and GW2. These results suggest A. indica and A. nilotica as the most successful and indicated species for the reforestation of hardé soil.