Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
improved fruit yield (Mwamba, 1995a). In addition to tree management, an
understanding of edaphoclimatic boundary requirements can help to guide
management towards desired fruit orchard production in miombo indigenous
fruit trees.
Vangueria infausta fruited early compared with mangoes in the fruit orchard
at Makoka (Table 8.3). Although very few Uapaca kirkiana flowered in the
second and third years, fruits were not retained. Sclerocarya birrea grew relatively
quickly but had not started to flower or fruit after 36 months. Experience of fruit
retention in another trial (Table 8.4) showed that grafted Uapaca kirkiana
flowered and fruited but fruit started to be retained from year 4 onwards.
On-farm planting and scaling up
Many communities in southern Africa retain or nurture semi-domesticates of
wild fruits in their homesteads and fields. Therefore, introducing superior
cultivars to farmers is an important aspect of accelerated domestication.
Farmers in the Bushbuckridge region of South Africa, for instance, planted
Table 8.3. Percentage of Vangueria infausta and Mangifera indica trees fruiting 24, 31 and
36 months after planting (MAP) at Makoka, Malawi.
Percentage fruiting a
Species
Date
M. indica
December 2005 (24 MAP)
33.3 (9.83)
July 2006 (31 MAP)
99.0 (1.04)
December 2006 (36 MAP)
70.8 (5.36)
V. infausta
December 2005 (24 MAP)
94.8 (3.00)
July 2006 (31 MAP)
66.7 (5.14)
December 2006 (36 MAP)
93.8 (3.10)
Source: Akinnifesi et al. (2006).
a Figures in parentheses are standard error of the mean.
Table 8.4. Relative tree growth and indicative fruiting of Uapaca kirkiana trees at Makoka
orchard from grafted, marcotted and seedling stocks, at 4 years after establishment.
Parameter
Marcotts
Grafts
Seedling stock
Tree height (m)
2.4 ± 0.11
2.0 ± 0.13
2.7 ± 0.14
Bole height (m)
0.39 ± 0.04
0.35 ± 0.04
0.46 ± 0.64
Root collar diameter (cm)
8.50 ± 0.32
9.14 ± 0.35
10.3 ± 0.36
Crown depth (m)
2.0 ± 0.13
0.35 ± 0.04
2.4 ± 0.76
Crown spread (m)
2.7 ± 0.14
2.3 ± 0.13
2.4 ± 0.160
Number of primary branches
17.2 ± 1.33
15.8 ± 0.95
15.3 ± 2.00
Number of secondary branches
25.0 ± 2.60
19.9 ± 2.60
15.3 ± 2.00
Number of tertiary branches
15.0 ± 2.97
10.3 ± 2.91
5.6 ± 1.32
Minimum number of fruits
2
3
0
Maximum number of fruits
414
127
0
Mean number of fruits
78
52
0
Source: F.K. Akinnifesi (unpublished results).
 
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