Vegetative Propagation of Local Fruit Trees by Air Layering in the Guinean Savannah Highlands (GSH)

Abstract

Over recent decades there has been a growing interest in the attributes of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to food security, income generation, and poverty alleviation. In the Guinean Savannah Highlands (GSH) of West Africa, species producing these products are still in wild stands where they are subjected to various pressures. To conserve these species, their domestication is required. Air layering is a low-cost propagation technique easy to use by farmers. The present study aims at evaluating the effects of the wood type (hardwood, semi-hardwood, and softwood) as well as branch diameter (Φ ≤ 6.67 cm; Φ > 6.67 cm) in the rooting ability of the marcots (air-layered propagules) of Lophira lanceolata Van Tiegh. Ex Key., Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth, Syzygium guineense var. macrocarpum Engl., Vitex doniana Sweet., Vitex madiensis Oliv., and Ximenia americana L. The experimental design was a split-plot with three replications. The rooting percentage of the marcots varied significantly from 13.5 (X. americana) to 55.85% (Lophira lanceolata; p < .001). The diameter * wood type interaction was significant (p < .05) due to the high rooting percentage obtained in large semi-hardwood cuttings (40%). Lophira lanceolata, Syzygium guineense var. macrocarpum, and Vitex madiensis were the easiest marcotting rooting species. Large branch diameters as well as semi-hardwood are suitable for layering. This information will help in developing appropriate domestication strategies.

Keywords:

• NTFP
• indigenous fruit trees
• wild stands
• domestication
• air layering
• agroforests

Acknowledgments

The authors owe a debt of gratitude to the Centre of Interface, Research and Applications for the Sustainable Development in Africa (CIRADA) which funded the present work. They are equally grateful to anonymous reviewers who helped to improve the quality of the manuscript with their comments.