Abstract
Saba senegalensis is a wild edible fruit plant species with a high economic potential which can be used to fight food insecurity in rural areas and to reduce poverty. Domestication programs are being carried out to boost production. However, no studies have been done to determine the optimal soil properties for growing S. senegalensis. This study was carried out to determine the effects of the physical and chemical properties of different substrates on the mycorrhization and growth of S. senegalensis under semi-controlled conditions. S. senegalensis seeds were grown for 4 months in the nursery using five substrates: S1 (1/2 sand + 1/2 potting soil), S2 (1/3 sand + 2/3 potting soil), S3 (2/3 sand + 1/3 potting soil), S4 (potting soil) and S5 (sand). The intensity of mycorrhization was highest for plants grown on substrates with a lowest clay, silt, and nutrient content S3 (29.5%) and S5 (23.5%) respectively. Substrates with much higher clay and silt content stimulated better the growth of S. senegalensis than substrates with lower silt clay and nutrient content. In the context of domestication, the quality of the substrates could be used to stimulate the mycorrhization and the growth of S. senegalensis and thus quickly produce vigorous plants.
Highlights
The low intensity in our study could be explained by a weak mycorrhizal dependency of S. senegalensis towards Rhizophagus irregularis
The same authors showed that S. senegalensis had no mycorrhizal dependency toward Glomus aggregatum and Rhizophagus irregularis
Our results indicated that mycorrhizal intensity was lower with plants grown on nutrient-rich substrates S2, S4 compared to poorer substrates S3 and S5. [27] reported similar results with higher mycorrhizal colonization at low P level than at high P level for Poncirus trifoliate seedlings
Summary
The genus Saba includes three (3) species S. senegalensis, S. comorensis, and S. thompsonii endemic in Africa [1]. In Senegal, two species have been described so far: S. senegalensis and S. comorensis [2]. The fruit is a large ovoid berry, which can reach 10 cm in length to 8 cm in width. In Senegal, S. senegalensis fruits sales revenues are significant and account for 1/3 to 2/3 of farmers’ households’ income [6]. Programs aimed to increase S. senegalensis fruits production through its domestication are being promoted. Grafting of S. senegalensis for domestication and to shorten the age of fruiting was already successfully conducted [7]. There are no studies to determine the optimal growth conditions of S. senegalensis or to improve the growth of seedlings through mycorrhization in the nursery for its domestication
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