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Ximenia americana, Vitex doniana and Lophira lanceolata are species prized by the populations of the Guinean savannah highlands of Cameroon. They are unfortunately still in the wild where they are subjected to various pressures. From the perspective of the conservation and enhancement of local biodiversity, their domestication appears necessary. The objective of the work is to study the vegetative propagation by air layering of these fruit trees. The experimental device used is a split-split-plot with three repetitions. Species represents the main treatment; the substrates constitute the secondary treatment while the covering of the layers wit h aluminum foil represents the tertiary treatment. The experimental unit was 30 layers. The rooting rate of layers varies significantly (0.000<0.001) from 48.88±1.89% in Ximenia americana to 81.38±2.08% in Lophira lanceolata. Sphagnum was the best substrate with 69.63±1.38% against 61.66±1.54% for the black soil-sawdust mixture. The analysis of variance reveals a significant difference for the substrates (0.0025<0.01). Covering the layers with aluminum foil presented a rate of 69.44±2.15% while the uncovered layers presented 61.85±1.54%, the analysis of variance shows a significant difference (0,0031<0.01). Lophira lanceolata exhibited the best air layering ability; the rooted layers were weaned and acclimatized for two months before being transferred to the field. During this process 19% and 52% respectively of the layers of Vitex doniana and Ximenia americana flowered. This inexpensive technique is an essential step in the process of their domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balanites aegyptiaca is a valuable resource for local African populations. However, this natural resource is managed in an irrational and abusive way by local communities. In order to contribute to the enhancement and sustainable management of B. aegyptiaca, an approach combining two methods has been adopted. The first is based on an ethnobotanical survey relating to local knowledge of B. aegyptiaca products and the second is focused on the surface survey in 4 Divisions of the Far North Region of Cameroon. In total, 400 people aged at least 15 years were chosen according to their knowledge of B. aegyptiaca, ie 100 people in each Division. The experimental design is a split-plot (4 x 4), then Sub-Divisions (Kalfou, Mindif, Moutourwa and Pette) constitute the main treatment. B. aegyptiaca is an agroforestry species that plays a very important role in the life of local communities. The main products used are leaves (100%), fruits (98.19%) and seeds (90.06%). They are used mainly in consumption (98.19%) and marketing (91.67%). Garawa Park in Moutourwa Sub-Division is the richest in taxonomic diversity, with 20 species, divided into 14 genera and 11 families. On the other hand, B. aegyptiaca park of Ourosambo located in Kalfou Division is the least diversified with 9 species, divided into 7 genera and 6 families. The other parks show intermediate specific diversity, with the number of species varying from 10 species (Doyang) to 18 species (Toutka). The Shannon diversity index varies in the parks from 1.77 bit (Ourosambo) to 2.86 bit (Maoudine). Parkland vegetation has an "L" structure based on crown diameter and diameter at breast height (DBH). Depending on the heights, the vegetation presents an inverted "U" structure. These results could serve as a reference for the elaboration of strategies for the development and sustainable management of B. aegyptiaca parks in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Dacryodes edulis, with its potential dietary and medicinal uses, is an aging member of the agroforestry system and is classified among the priority species for domestication in Central Africa. Reliable techniques for producing quality planting materials other than seeds are urgently needed. The aims of this study were to produce D. edulis layers and integrate them into the cropping system. To promote rooting and the survival rates of layers, 4 treatments were used. The layers produced were inoculated with mycorrhiza and introduced into cropping systems for the evaluation of morphobiochemical parameters. The results show that 67.91% of D. edulis trees are planted in cocoa plantations and 32.09% in other cropping systems in Makenene. In addition, 12% of the plants are produced from technical improvement, and 88% from seeds. The use of honey significantly increased layer survival and rooting rates after 2 months. The mycorrhized layers grow better in fallow fields than among food crops or in cocoa-based agroforests. High levels of chlorophylls a and b, total proteins, total amino acids, and peroxidase activity supported higher growth rates of mycorrhized layers. The results show the potential of producing plant materials through layering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten fruit and kernel traits were assessed in 24 fruits of each of 152 Irvingia gabonensis trees in three distinct populations in west and central Africa [2 populations of non-planted trees in Cameroon: Nko'ovos II (21 trees) and Elig-Nkouma (31 trees) and 1 population of planted trees in Nigeria: Ugwuaji (100 trees)]. Strong relationships were found between fruit weight and other fruit traits (e.g. flesh weight [r 2 = 0.99: P < 0.001], fruit length [r 2 = 0.74–0.83: P < 0.001], fruit width [r 2 = 0.77–0.88: P < 0.001]). In contrast, relationships between kernel weight and other kernel/nut traits (e.g. shell weight and nut weight) were found to be weak [r 2 = 0.009–0.37, P = 0.058–0.001], with the exception of nut weight at Nko'ovos II (r 2 = 0.65, P < 0.001). Relations hips between fruit and kernel traits (fruit mass v. kernel mass, fruit mass v. shell mass, flesh mass v. kernel mass, nut mass v. fruit mass and flesh depth v. kernel mass) were found to be very weak. This indicates that domestication through the selection and vegetative propagation of multiple-trait superior phenotypes is unlikely to be able to combine good fruit characteristics and good kernel characteristics within cultivars. Consequently, domestication activities should independently focus on ideotypes representing: ‘fresh fruit’ traits, and ‘kernel’ traits, that combine high values of the different fruit and kernel characteristics respectively. Evidence from this study indicates that selection of the three trees closest to the fruit ideotype per village as the mother plants for vegetative propagation and cultivar development, should give village level gains of 1.3 – 2-fold in fruit mass, and up to 1.5-fold in taste. Similarly for the kernel ideotype, selection of the three trees with the best fit would give potential gains in kernel mass of 1.4 – 1.6-fold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]