Effect of pruning intensity and picking on Acacia senegal for gum arabic yield in Northern Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Climate significantly impacts dryland trees, influencing their adaptation, survival, production, and role in the ecosystem. Acacia senegal is a valuable dryland tree planted for gum arabic production and ecological benefits. However, gum arabic production has declined due to the adverse effects of climate and improper management. Thus, silvicultural intervention such as pruning is essential for the health, growth, and gum yield of A. senegal. This study investigates the effects of different pruning intensities and pickings on gum arabic yield at Madana and Garin-ladan in the Gumel district of northern Jigawa State, Nigeria. The experiment involved five levels of pruning intensity and eight pickings, conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The gum yield was collected, dried, and weighed, and ANOVA was performed using Statistix 10.0 software, with Shapiro-Wilk and Turkey tests for data normality and mean comparison. The result showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in gum yield among the pruning intensities for most of the pickings at the two sites. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 3rd, 5th, 8th pickings are significantly different except 4th, 7th, 8th; and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th at Madana and Garin-ladan respectively. The highest gum yield is 52.5a, 46.7a, 50.1a, and 43.5a g/picking, respectively. The lowest is 0.8a and 0.9a g/picking, respectively. Pruning intensity significantly differs (p< 0.05) in total gum yield per tree. Pruning intensities B3 and B4 demonstrated the highest total gum yield (251.8a and 147.6a g/tree) at both sites, respectively. At the same time, B0 exhibited the lowest gum arabic yield (97.2c and 38.5b g/tree) at both locations. These findings prove that pruning intensities B3 and B4 are the most effective in promoting gum yield and may enhance the gum productivity of A. senegal trees in northern Jigawa State.