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Geographical distribution, tree density and fruit production ofTamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae) across three ecological regions inBenin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2011

Belarmain Fandohan ,
Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo ,
Romain Glèlè Kakaï  and
Brice Sinsin
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Abstract

Introduction. There has been increasing interest in the domesticationpotential of indigenous fruit trees. Nevertheless, our understanding of how these species’abundance and yield of fruit is altered by ecological conditions, which is critical toforesee realistic sustainable management plans, is limited. Materials andmethods. We used local ecological knowledge, presence / absence data andquantitative methods to examine the effect of ecological conditions on the distribution,abundance and yields of tamarind trees (T. indica) across threeecological regions in Benin, West Africa. Results and discussion. Ruralcommunities’ knowledge on the species’ ecological range was congruent with scientificfindings. The natural distribution of tamarind individuals was limited to the Sudanian andthe Sudano-Guinean regions and their density declined with increasing moisture, beinghighest (2 trees·km-2) in the Sudanian region and lowest in theGuineo-Congolian region (scarce). On the other hand, fruit and pulp mass and number ofseeds per fruit varied significantly, being higher in the Guineo-Congolian wetter region.However, no significant variation occurred among ecological regions for estimated overallfruit yields per tree. This might indicate that tamarind trees tend to invest in a smallnumber of very large fruits under wetter conditions and a very large number of smallfruits under dryer conditions. Conclusion. The results showed that semi-aridlands would best suit T. indica domestication. Nevertheless, itsproductivity could be higher under wetter conditions. Because of its affinity for galleryforests, we recommend thorough studies on its capacity to survive the increasing droughtin its current ecological range.

Keywords

BeninTamarindus indicapopulation distributionpopulation densityfruitingindigenous knowledgeBéninTamarindus indicadistribution des populationsdensité de populationfructificationconnaissance indigèneBeninTamarindus indicadistribución de la poblacióndensidad de la poblaciónructificaciónconocimiento indígena

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Type
Original article
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Fruits , Volume 66 , Issue 2 , March 2011 , pp. 65 - 78
Copyright
© 2011 Cirad/EDP Sciences

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