Abstract
Recently there has been concern over sustainability of natural indigenous fruit trees due to depletion of natural resources. This has been attributed to growing human demands. In Malawi, deforestation has largely eroded much of the indigenous fruit tree germplasm. One such indigenous fruit trees that have experienced serious genetic erosion are Adansonia digitata L. (baobab), a wild indigenous fruit tree that holds many useful values. Therefore, there is need to comprehend the variation that occurs between and within populations of A. digitata if sustainable use is to be achieved in future. A. digitata is among the top 10 priority indigenous fruit tree species in Malawi. A study was carried out to assess the effect of seed size on seed germination rate of Adansonia. digitata from five natural populations in Malawi, namely Mwanza, Salima, Karonga, Chikwawa and Likoma Island. A total of 2500 seeds were collected from five populations and seed traits (seed weight, seed width and seed length) were measured using Vernier calliper and digital balance TR-2101, while germination parameters were analysed in the green house at Forestry department, Mzuzu University where the seeds were grown. There were significant variations (P<0.001) in mean seed weight, mean seed width, mean seed length between the five populations. Differences were found in mean seed weight 0.37g to 0.58g, mean seed width from 8.87mm to 10.10mm and seed length from 10.87mm to 12.48mm.
Author Information
Nellie Amosi, World Agroforestry Centre, Malawi
Paper Information
Conference: ECSEE2015
Stream: Economic Sustainability: Environmental Challenges and Economic Growth
This paper is part of the ECSEE2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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