Physico-chemical properties of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) fruits from Mali: selection of elite trees for domestication

Abstract

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) is a tropical fruit tree highly valued for its fruit pulp. It has been identified as one of the priority species with great potential for domestication in the Sahelian countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. An important step in the domestication process is the characterization of the local natural variation of the species in order to select the most interesting phenotypes/genotypes which possess several desired traits for breeding purposes. Four provenances covering contrasting agro-ecological zones in Mali were selected for fruit morphological and nutritional traits (tartaric acid and sugars). Tamarind trees from the driest provenance contained smaller fruits with a smaller amount of pulp compared to provenances from wetter zones. Tamarind trees in Mali have a low real pulp value (maximum 9.5) and bear sour fruits (high tartaric acid content of 9–12 %). Some sweet-fruited trees could be identified, but the sweetness was low (maximum 8). Fruit traits seem to be influenced by climate and soil characteristics, which should be taken into account in the domestication process, when planting trees in a different region of origin. We selected a few elite trees within each provenance, containing the best combination for the most desirable fruit traits, using web diagrams. Frequency distributions of the different fruit traits showed some traits are probably the target of selection by farmers. All provenances, except the driest one, indicated a possible very first stage of domestication.