Search

Ziziphustree species commonly known as “jujube” are wide sources of nutritious and socio-economically important fruits in arid and semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa. However, understanding of local communities’ engagement in harvesting and utilization of these fruits remains limited consequently undermining sustainable harvesting and broader utilization. Household interviews (HHIs), focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informants’ interviews (KIIs) were used to investigate the level of harvesting and utilization of fruits from different tree species of jujube in Ethiopia. Multiple linear and binary logistic regressions were utilized to investigate factors influencing the annual fruit yield per tree and to discern factors impacting the local community's capacity to grow and sell jujube, respectively. Fruit yield per tree, market involvement and the principal challenges to growing were found to vary among two study sites. Bosset district's yield exceeded Bati's by 0.87 times. Women and children played significant roles in fruit collection, sale and management. Less rainfall reduced annual yield by 33 kg per tree while planting seedlings instead of relying solely on naturally regenerated trees boosted yield by 42 kg per year. With each advancing year in age, older respondents were 0.04 times less likely to sell harvested jujube fruits. The increasing impact of pests, water shortage and cultural influences decreased community interest in growing jujube by factors of 1.15, 1.41 and 2 times, respectively. Suboptimal involvement in jujube cultivation, fruit harvest and market activities was frequently ascribed to inadequate community support, organizational oversight and depressed market prices. These findings highlight the need to enhance awareness, management and market access for jujube fruits to broaden community benefits in Ethiopia.

Global biological loss is predominantly propelled by human activities resulting in the extinction of some important plant species while pushing others to the brink of critical danger. Better understanding of the ecology of these important species facilitates safeguarding their habitats and the development of sustainable restoration strategies. Data on vegetation, physiographic, edaphic and anthropogenic variables were collected from forty (40) concentric temporary circular plots in two forest reserves (i.e. Mitundumbea and Litipo Forest Reserves) to determine population structure and above-ground carbon storage of Karomia gigas(Faden) Verdic a critically endangered tree species in the coastal forests of Lindi, Tanzania. Within the Litipo Forest Reserve, we recorded a total of 30 K. gigasindividual trees, comprising 13 seedlings, 10 saplings and 7 mature trees. The largest measured diameter at breast height (dbh) in this forest was 29.2 cm while the smallest was 0.9 cm. In contrast, the Mitundumbea Forest Reserve had 15 mature K. gigasindividual trees but lacked seedlings and saplings. The largest dbh recorded in this forest stood at 59.7 cm, with the smallest dbh measurement being 5.1 cm. We overall observed significant negative correlations between the abundance of K. gigasadults and both soil organic carbon (P = 0.005) and burnt areas (P = 0.003). The total abundance of K. gigasshowed a negative association with soil organic carbon (P = 0.011). Furthermore, the carbon storage of K. gigasexhibited a negative relationship with burnt areas (P = 0.005) and a positive relationship with elevation (P = 0.016). None of the assessed physiographic, edaphic, and anthropogenic variables could explain the overall abundance of K. gigasseedlings and saplings. The average above-ground carbon stored by K. gigasin Litipo forest was 3.19 ± 0.72 t ha−1, while in Mitundumbea it was 12.76 ± 1.75 t ha−1. To increase the population size and restore this once-extinct tree species, anthropogenic fires must be controlled for plant diversity conservation and environmental sustainability.

Entandrophragma bussei(wooden banana) is a high value indigenous multipurpose tree species prioritized for domestication in Tanzania. However, we lack adequate information on genetic and phenotypic variation to support domestication processes, while utilization pressure on the remaining stocks and deforestation are intensified. The study evaluated the diversity in fruit and seed morphology of three wild populations of E. busseifound in three agroecological zones of Tanzania. Data on fruit (length, width, weight and number of seeds per fruit) and seed (length, width and weight) traits were evaluated. To detect differences in means among the populations, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed. There were variations in fruit and seed morphological traits among the studied populations. Ruaha population had significantly higher fruit length (19.31 ± 0.1 cm), width (7.71 ± 0.12 cm) and number of seeds per fruit (22 ± 0.48) than Kigwe (15.65 ± 0.14 cm, 4.85 ± 0.17 cm, 20 ± 0.45), and Tarangire (16.84 ± 0.1 cm, 5.40 ± 0.12 cm, 20 ± 0.37) populations. Ruaha (62.46 ± 1.37 g) and Tarangire (60.71 ± 1.12 g) had significantly heavier fruits than Kigwe (56.53 ± 1.28 g). Kigwe population had significantly higher seed width (1.80 ± 0.01 cm) and weight (0.83 ± 0.01 g) than Ruaha (1.75 ± 0.01 cm, 0.75 ± 0.01 g) and Tarangire (1.65 ± 0.01 cm, 0.77 ± 0.01 g) populations. Among the populations Tarangire had higher seed length (9.60 ± 0.06 cm) than the rest. Overall, there is a considerable fruit and seed morphological diversity among the E. busseipopulations offering opportunities for selection of domestication cultivars and gene pool conservation.