Journal of Applied Biosciences (J. Appl. Biosci.) [ISSN 1997 - 5902]
Volume 52: 3676 - 3684. Published April 30, 2012.
Precocity and lateness of Shea tree fruit production
*SORO Dodiomon, 1 TRAORE Karidia, 1 OUATTARA Djakalia
1 Lecturer, Laboratory of Botany, UFR Biosciences, University of Cocody, 22 BP 582 Abidjan 22 (Côte d’Ivoire)
RESUME
Objective: Valorization of Shea tree meets many constraints: the growth of the tree is slow and its fruit production is irregular from one year to another. Importance of the products of Shea tree contrasts with negligence towards the plant. The control of the aspects of Shea fruit production is essential for a better valorization of this multi-purpose species.
Methodology and results: Attempts were made at Tengrela, Côte d’Ivoire to determine the causes of the variability of the precocity and lateness of fruit production of Shea tree. Fruits of each of 128 trees sampled were collected during 5 year-period. It made it possible to highlight early trees, late trees and some trees with intermediate period of production. Precocity and lateness of Shea tree fruit production was influenced by external factors like as the availability of nutrients to the plant and by endogenous phenomena probably related to genetic variability.
Conclusion and application: Precocity and lateness of fruit production at Shea tree are in the most of the cases of a physiological nature related to the availability of nutrients. But some endogenous factors of origins genetics also intervene in the earliness and the lateness of fruit production at Shea tree.
Key words: Shea tree, variability, fruit production, early trees, late trees, availability of nutrients
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