This study examined tree growth and fruit production of son tra (Docynia indica), an indigenous fruit tree. Eight phenotypically superior trees with high fruit yields and good fruit appearance were selected in 2005 at Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La District, Son la Province, Northwest Vietnam. Three types of planting material were raised from these trees: grafts from the selected trees onto unselected seedling rootstocks, seedlings raised from seeds collected from the superior trees and cuttings raised from seedlings. The grafts, seedlings and cuttings were planted out in 2006 in adjacent blocks in a field trial established at Chieng Bom experimental station in Son La Province. Thirty trees of each type were monitored for a 3-year period commencing in January 2012, when the trees were 6 years old. Survival of all three types from planting was excellent, remaining above 90% at the end of 2014. Grafted trees grew fastest, attaining a mean height of 7.0m and crown width of 4.4m, while trees raised from cuttings grew significantly slower (height 5.0m and crown width 3.4m, with seedlingderived trees intermediate. Mean fruit yield at 8 years was significantly higher for grafts (38.7kg per tree) compared to trees raised from seedlings (30.7kg per tree) and those from cuttings (28.9kg per tree). Fruits from the grafted trees were judged to be of superior quality, being predominantly yellow in colour and of uniform large (> 3cm) size, while fruit from most of the seedling and cutting-derived trees were judged to be of moderate quality with inferior size and colour. Considering the excellent survival of grafts and their superior fruit yield and fruit quality, grafting can be recommended as a better way to propagate selected son tra trees, compared with using seedlings raised from seed collected from the selected trees or cuttings raised from these seedlings.
Tag: indigenous fruit
The African baobab (Adansonia digitata, Malvaceae): Genetic resources in neglected populations of the Nuba Mountains, Sudan
Premise of the study: Adansonia digitata L. is one of the most important indigenous fruit trees of mainland Africa. Despite its signifi cance for subsistence and income generation of local communities, little is known about the genetic and morphological variability of East African populations of A. digitata , including those of Sudan. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to analyze genetic and morphological variability of different baobab populations in Kordofan, Sudan and to estimate the effect of human intervention on genetic differentiation and diversity.
Nutritional composition of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) fruit pulp sampled at different geographical locations in Kenya
Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a multipurpose tree indigenous to the semi-arid and sub-humid zones of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite it’s multiple uses and valuable properties, information on its nutritional and phenotypic characteristics is rare, particularly in Eastern Africa. For the present study 64 baobab trees were sampled at six different locations of inland and coastal Kenya and the nutritional composition of 59 samples of fruit pulp was determined, including water, minerals, vitamin C and total acidity. The pulp of the studied baobab fruits is a valuable source of minerals and vitamins, particularly of vitamin C (mean 175 ± 62 mg/100 g edible portion on fresh weight basis (EP)), potassium (mean 1006 ± 280 mg/100 g (EP)) and calcium (mean 375 ± 93 mg/100 g EP). However, we found high tree-to-tree differences for all analyzed parameters with highest coefficients of variation detected for iron (47%), zinc (41%) and vitamin C (36%). Additionally we observed nutritional variations regarding iron, potassium, total acidity and pH value among the six locations. The results of this study will contribute to select superior baobab mother trees for future domestication programs and nutrition interventions and to promote the cultivation and use of baobab in Kenya.