Abstract
Indigenous fruit tree species (IFTs) can play a crucial role in poverty alleviation and as a source of food in South Africa. Although these species contain nutrient-rich edible fruits that are also locally processed to food products such as jams and jellies, they are still underutilized and also harvested from the wild. This study aimed to prioritize in northern KwaZulu-Natal, IFTs with domestication and commercialization potential. A literature survey and focus groups were used to list tree species that produce edible fruits with this potential. Plant experts, through focus groups and reference group meetings, further ranked fruit trees using a scorecard method based on various attributes. A total of 29 prioritized IFTs was obtained, of which the Sapotaceae was the most represented family with a maximum of four species. Based on scorecard assessment, the most preferred species in descending order were Strychnos spinosa Lam., Garcinia livingstonei T.Anderson, Englerophytum magalismontanum (Sond.) T.D.Penn, Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich) Hochst., Dovyalis caffra (Hook.f. & Harv) Hook.f., Vangueria infaustia Burch. and Berchemia zeyheri (Sond.) Grubov. Strychnos spinosa was ranked as the first most important IFTs with a final score of 151, whereas Berchemia zeyheri was ranked the least with the final score of 146.1. However, the final scores of all most preferred species were relatively similar to one another. The top seven species identified in this study should be considered as a baseline for future IFTs development programmes such as domestication, whereby these species are introduced to small-holder farmers and food processing industries.
Highlights
Indigenous fruit tree species (IFTs) are trees with edible fruits, which naturally grow within a specific geographic location and are often characterized by limited development relative to their potential (Mabhaudhi et al 2017)
A list was compiled from the literature based on tree species that produce edible fruits, which are of African origin and are commonly found in South Africa including KwaZulu-Natal province (Table 1)
Discussions with focus groups were held with representatives from organizations including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), University of
Summary
Indigenous fruit tree species (IFTs) are trees with edible fruits, which naturally grow within a specific geographic location and are often characterized by limited development relative to their potential (Mabhaudhi et al 2017). South Africa has rich plant species diversity with numerous hotspots such as Maputaland and Pondoland Albany (Boon 2010). Some of these centers of plant endemism have a rich diversity of IFTs with economic potential as food crops. The exploitation of these species as a food source in certain rural areas of South Africa such as in Mpumalanga is well documented (Mashile et al 2019). There is a need to prioritize and introduce them as resources for small-scale farmers to ensure their continued contribution to food and income security (Jusu and Cuni-Sanchez 2017)
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