Abstract
This study was aimed at investigating the field capacity of three sacred forest soils of the West Region of Cameroon and their effect on the germination potential and early plant growth characteristics of fresh and dried seeds of Aframomum melegueta. Sample soils were collected from Bamendjo (BO), Bamendjinda (BA), and Mbing Mekoup (MB) sacred forest areas. Each area was divided into three location sites 1, 2 and 3 and each of the sites was made up of 3 collection points (P1, P2, and P3). The field capacity (FC) of each site was determined before the planting of the seeds. For each collection site, the soil of a collection point was randomly chosen to form two groups with five replicates each. In each pot, 10 fresh seeds and 10 dried seeds were planted respectively and monitored for germination. Measurements for seedling growth were spread over 14 weeks. Results showed that the field capacity (FC) of BO (71.18%) and of BA (68.64%) were significantly different from those of MB (51.66%). The germinating percentages of the seeds were very high in the soils of BO (76. 67%) and BA (61. 33%) as compared to those of MB (48%). The latent period of the seeds was longer in the soils of MB (12 days) and shorter in the soil of BO (7 days). The average height of the plants in the soils of BO (6. 75 cm) and BA (6. 05 cm) were greater than those of the plants in the soils of MB (4.61 cm). The number of leaves of the plants of BO (4), BA (4) and MB (4) were not significantly different. The leaf surface area was higher in BO (10.43 cm²) and BA (8, 30 cm²) as compared to that of MB (5. 37 cm²). This study has shown that the FC of the soils of the sacred forests of BO and BA positively affected the germination percentage and the latent period of the fresh seeds; the leaf surface area and the heights of young plants. Meanwhile, the germination rates of the fresh seeds and A. melegueta dried seeds were not affected by the FC of the soils. Key words: Field capacity, Bamendjo, Bamendjinda, Mbing Mekoup, sacred forests, germination, growth, Aframomum melegueta.
Highlights
The forest is a living environment comprising biodiversity which allows communities to meet their socio-cultural or socio- economic needs
There is no existing works on the soil retentive capacity of the sacred forests of Bamendjo (BO), Bamendjinda (BA), and Mbing Mekoup (MB), and faced with the problem of regenerating A. melegueta, this study was aimed at contributing to the regeneration of this plant taking into account edaphic factors including the water retention capacity of the soil of the three sacred forests and their effects on the germination and early growth parameters
High field capacities positively influence the germination latency of the fresh seeds of A. melegueta, which is significantly shorter in BO and BA compared to MB
Summary
The forest is a living environment comprising biodiversity which allows communities to meet their socio-cultural or socio- economic needs. For. opportunity to always collect non-timber forest products (Honoré, 1999), among these being Aframomum melegueta (Jujube), a herbaceous perennial in the Zingeberaceae family. The leaves are simple and asymmetrical with a membranous ligule. The inflorescences are born at the base of the stem with reddish bracts. The fruit is a bright red berry at maturity. It is indehiscent with seeds enclosed in a white pulp
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