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SYNOPSIS
Field performance of Uapaca kirkiana (Muell. Arg.) seedlings dug out with balls of soil from the natural forest was compared with container-raised and direct-seeded seedlings over a period of 14 months after planting on the same experimental site in Zambia. The results are discussed in pursuit of developing an effective method of cultivating Uapaca kirkiana in light of the current problems of poor growth and high mortality after field planting. It was found that plants from the natural forest performed better and grew to an average height of 281 mm whereas container-grown and direct-seeded plants were only 142 and 96 mm tall, respectively, at the end of the experiment. The better performance of seedlings from the natural forest was possibly because mycorrhizal fungus which was found consistently growing beside these plants enhanced growth. Container-grown and direct-seeded plants suffered greater mortality and grew poorly possibly because they had no mycorrhizal associations. More research is therefore needed to isolate the mycorrhizal fungus associated with Uapaca kirkiana plants in natural forests so that in future, the spores of the fungus may be spread onto sterilised soil before sowing to ensure good inoculation and better field performance of the planting stock.