Abstract
Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. is an indigenous tree species which is found in West African rainforest zones. It is an underutilized fruit tree species that has been targeted for improvement as part of efforts to domesticate high-value indigenous multi-purpose trees for fruit and seed production in Africa. Allanblackia has several benefits, such as providing shade, timber, and medicine; however, the production of edible oil from its seeds is the economically most important use. There is evidence that the Allanblackia seed oil, which is used for cooking, the production of margarine and the manufacturing of ointments and soap, is being developed as a new agri-business in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tanzania. Despite the nutritional and socio-economic importance of A. parviflora, it is still at the early stages of its domestication process. Even though several researchers have explored the biology of this species, there is very limited scientific information available on its morphological and genetic diversity and silvicultural management in West Africa. Therefore, this systematic review presents an up-to-date overview on the uses, seed chemical composition, and morphological and genetic diversity of this fruit tree species, and proposes a way forward for future research towards improvement and domestication.
Highlights
Forests and especially trees in the humid tropics of Africa provide a high number of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) which are important to the livelihoods of local populations [1,2]
A. parviflora is one of the priority fruit tree species identified for improvement and domestication in Sub-Saharan Africa
This review shows that the most important economic use of A. parviflora is the production of edible oil from the seeds
Summary
Forests and especially trees in the humid tropics of Africa provide a high number of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) which are important to the livelihoods of local populations [1,2]. Chev., called the vegetable tallow tree, is a high-value indigenous fruit tree species native to the humid tropics of West Africa. The extracted seeds from Allanblackia fruits are traded by local communities, since a supply chain has been developed in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tanzania [21] This market value would potentially increase livelihood opportunities for farmers and ensure the retention of trees on farms for environmental conservation. A. parviflora species due to its neglect in research and development, especially in terms of genetics and morphology, silvicultural management, seeds chemical composition, and its high potential for domestication. Despite the socio-economic importance and potential of A. parviflora in West Africa, there is limited information on the species’ genetic diversity, the chemical composition of seeds, and details of domestication efforts. This review can offer a baseline for future efforts on the improvement and domestication of A. parviflora into agroforestry systems and conservation of the genetic resource of the species
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