Fruit and pulp production of the African grape <i>Lannea microcarpa</i> Engl. & K. Krause from dry and humid Sudanian zone in Northern Bénin, West Africa

Abstract

Lannea microcarpa, an Anacardiaceae species associated to croplands in West Africa is a multipurpose tree used in traditional medicine, human and animal feeding in Sudanian zone of Bénin. This study aimed at evaluating its fruits and pulp yield. Fruit and pulp production and dendrometric variables were collected on 21 and 27 trees respectively in dry and humid Sudanian zone. Data were analysed using two independents samples t-test and Pearson correlation to find out variation in production and relation between variables. Trees in dry Sudanian zone showed the largest crown. The number of fruit, fruit mass and pulp mass were highest in dry Sudanian zone. Also, trees with high diameter at 1.30 m above the ground had produced low number of grapes and fruit per grape. Pruning and debarking did not affect the fruit and pulp mass. In humid Sudanian zone, tree crown could be used as indicator of number of fruit per grape in the one hand and in other hand the number of tertiary branches could be used for fruit and pulp yield. This study highlighted that in northern Bénin, dry Sudanian zone could be preferable for L. microcarpa fruit and pulp production. The variations observed between zones deserve to be investigated.

Ethnic and generational differences in traditional knowledge and cultural importance of <i>Lannea microcarpa<i/> Engl. & K. Krause in Benin’s Sudanian savannah

“…North Borgou has 1,000 to 1,150 mm of rain with the driest conditions at Kandi. These three zones are recognised as the most important occurrence zones of L. microcarpa (Goudégnon et al, 2016; figure 1). The population in the study area is mostly composed of dominant ethnic groups such as Bariba, Gourmantché, Fulani, Dendi, Mokolé, Berba, Ditamari, Waama and Nagot (Judex et al, 2009).…”

“…This constitutes an asset to valorise the fruits and other parts of the species. Several benefits can then be expected from the single fruits because the species is kept in agroforestry systems for its fruits (Sinsin and Kampmann, 2010;Segnon and Achigan-Dako, 2014;Goudégnon et al, 2016).…”

“…Moreover, fruits ranking first among the preferred plant parts confirm L. microcarpa as an IFT and the choice of its fruits as an important source of vitamins for the diet of local people (Sereme et al, 2008;Haarmeyer et al, 2013). The fruits are also sold in local markets contributing to household income, and previous research has reported the high interest of the local people for the fruit's consumption in Benin and Burkina Faso (Vodouhê et al, 2009;Sinsin and Kampmann, 2010;Goudégnon et al, 2016).…”

“…In Benin, little research has focused on this species. They have assessed the influence of climate change on the geographic distribution of L. microcarpa populations (Dossou et al, 2016) and its fruit and pulp production under the dry and humid Sudanian zone environment (Goudégnon et al, 2016).…”

Latitudinal variation in the woody species diversity and population structure of Lannea microcarpa Engl. and K. Krause in Burkina Faso

“…Because of its crucial importance for local populations and to ensure its sustainable management in order to promote its domestication, several ecological and ethnobotanical studies have been conducted on the species in West Africa. Indeed, these studies have focused on different uses of the species [ 9 , 10 ], its fruit production according to land use types and climatic gradient, the nutritional composition of its fruits [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], its natural seed regeneration and vegetative propagation abilities [ 14 , 15 ] and its population structure according to land use types and habitat characterization [ 11 , 16 ]. However, there is no up-to-date scientific information on the demographic variability of the species along the latitudinal gradient of its distribution range in Burkina Faso taking into account the three phytogeographical zones.…”