We assessed the validity of a recently described baobab species Adansonia kilima that was suggested to be a diploid occurring in both eastern and southern Africa at high elevations within the range of the well‐known tetraploid species A.... more
We assessed the validity of a recently described baobab species Adansonia kilima that was suggested to be a diploid occurring in both eastern and southern Africa at high elevations within the range of the well‐known tetraploid species A. digitata. We used a combination of phylogenetic analyses and statistical comparisons of various traits (e.g., flowers, stomata, pollen, chromosome counts) to test for the presence of two continental African baobab species. Ordination of the floral features of 133 herbarium specimens from across the natural range of A. digitata, including the putative type of A. kilima and other Tanzanian accessions as previously assigned A. kilima, revealed no distinct clusters of specimens. Likewise, stomatal size and density varied greatly across the specimens examined, with no clear bimodal pattern and no obvious association with altitude. The type specimen of A. kilima was found to have a chromosome number of 2n ≈ 166, showing it to be a tetraploid, like A. digitata. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS region showed little resolution within the African baobab clade and a lack of distinction between the A. kilima type and A. digitata regional accessions. Among the 13 haplotypes detected, no distinct haplotype representing A. kilima was identified. Based on the data at hand we conclude that A. kilima is neither cytologically nor morphologically distinct and is here reduced to synonymy with A. digitata.
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L'étude s'est déroulée dans l'îlot de la forêt marécageuse de Lokoli (5 km 2 ) localisée dans la région guinéenne au Bénin. Les observations sont effectuées pendant 100 jours, avec en moyenne 4 heures d'observation par... more
L'étude s'est déroulée dans l'îlot de la forêt marécageuse de Lokoli (5 km 2 ) localisée dans la région guinéenne au Bénin. Les observations sont effectuées pendant 100 jours, avec en moyenne 4 heures d'observation par jour d'octobre 2001 à février 2002. Elles ont permis de ...
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Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Marechal & Baudet) is an important source of protein and essential nutrients that contribute to food security in West Africa. However, the crop is still underexploited by the... more
Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Marechal & Baudet) is an important source of protein and essential nutrients that contribute to food security in West Africa. However, the crop is still underexploited by the populations and under-researched by the scientific community. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of 217 Kersting’s groundnut accessions from five origins using 886 DArTseq markers. Gene diversity was low and ranged from 0.049 to 0.064. The number of private alleles greatly varied among populations (42–192) and morphotypes (40–339). Moderate to very high levels of selfing and inbreeding were observed among populations (s = 56–85%, FIS = 0.389–0.736) and morphotypes (s = 57–82%, FIS = 0.400–0.691). Moreover, little to very high genetic differentiations were observed among populations (0.006 ≤ FIS ≤ 0.371) and morphotypes (0.029 ≤ FIS ≤ 0.307). Analysis of molecular variance partitioned 38.5% of the genetic variation among and 48.7% within populations (P < 0.001). Significant isolation by distance was detected between populations (R2 = 0.612, P = 0.011) and accessions (R2 = 0.499, P < 0.001). Discriminant analysis of principal components and neighbour joining consistently distinguished eight distinct clusters. These data provide a global picture of the existing genetic diversity for Kersting’s groundnut and will guide the choice of breeding strategies to increase production.
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Ghent University Ghent University Academic Bibliography. ...
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The present study is aimed at assessing the impact of different tillage practices and mulch input rates on soil erosion and soil properties in Central Benin. The experiment was carried out at two sites (Dan and Za-zounmè) using a... more
The present study is aimed at assessing the impact of different tillage practices and mulch input rates on soil erosion and soil properties in Central Benin. The experiment was carried out at two sites (Dan and Za-zounmè) using a randomized complete block design. The effect of three tillage practices: contour ridging (CR), slope ridging (SR), and no-tillage (NT) and four mulch input rates (0, 3, 5, and 7 t·ha−1) was investigated. The runoff, the soil, and nutrients losses were measured during the major rainy seasons of 2018 and 2019. Bulk density, gravimetric moisture, and water infiltration were collected in 2019. The effect of the interaction between tillage practices and mulch input rates was significant on runoff amount, runoff coefficient, soil loss, N, P, and K losses, and soil moisture. Over the investigated seasons, CR + 7M decreased runoff amount, runoff coefficient, soil loss, and N, P, and K losses by 100% compared to the treatments. NT was found to be effective in runoff...
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Cola millenii K. Schum. is a wild edible fruit tree of high socio-economic importance in Sub-Sahara Africa. Its fruit pulp is used for food and nutritional purposes. Other parts of the tree are locally used against several diseases. Given... more
Cola millenii K. Schum. is a wild edible fruit tree of high socio-economic importance in Sub-Sahara Africa. Its fruit pulp is used for food and nutritional purposes. Other parts of the tree are locally used against several diseases. Given the current threats to natural stands of this species, its domestication has been suggested as one of the methods for its sustainable management. The present study analyzed the domestication potential of this species through evaluation of morphological variability of its fruits across seven phytogeographical districts in Benin. Morphological data on fruits were collected on 1750 fruits from 175 trees distributed among the phytogeographical districts. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used for data analyses. The morphological traits of the fruits varied significantly among the phytogeographical districts. Among others, the weight of the pulp fluctuated between 4.18 and 15.55 g and the Bassila phytogeographical district presented the highest value. Variation in quantitative traits was greater between phytogeographical districts (55.44–89.13%) than among individuals within phytogeographical districts (9.52–34.32%). Qualitative descriptors such as shape and the color of the fruits and seeds also unfolded noticeable variation among phytodistricts (Shannon diversity: 0.14–1.46). However, there was no evidence of significant link between the morphological characteristics and the climatic variables considered (rainfall, relative humidity, minimum temperature and maximum temperature). Clustering suggested three fruit morphotypes. Fruits of morphotype 3, in majority from the Bassila and Zou phytogeographical districts had interesting characteristics (e.g. high fruit and pulp weight, and large fruit and seed size) for selection programs.
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&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The conservation of tree communities in forest ecosystems across the world is challenged by various anthropogenic pressures such as deforestation and fragmentation. In many areas in West Africa, fragmentation has... more
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The conservation of tree communities in forest ecosystems across the world is challenged by various anthropogenic pressures such as deforestation and fragmentation. In many areas in West Africa, fragmentation has reduced the original continuous forest ecosystems to small and isolated forest patches, mostly managed by local communities. While the importance of such small patches in biodiversity conservation is recognized in literature, evidence from tropical forest ecosystems and plant-based studies are still limited. In our study, we (i) assessed the contribution of small, unprotected forest patches to tree species conservation; (ii) determined the variation of seed dispersal syndromes in tree stands between a continuous forest and small forest patches; and (iii) identified the drivers of tree species colonization among forest patches. We sampled 69 plots in the Lama forest reserve (continuous forest) and the surrounding small isolated forest patches within 20-km radius. Trees and natural regenerations were recorded in two vegetation types including the degraded dense forest and old fallow. For each species, the IUCN conservation status and functional traits including dispersal syndrome, seed weight and maximum height were recorded. We used Generalized Linear Models to identify the determinants of immigrant regeneration densities in isolated forest patches. In total, 103 woody species were recorded and the species richness was higher in the forest patches than in the continuous forest for all vegetation types. In the dense vegetation, a similar trend was found and the number of threatened species was higher in the forest patches. Tree assemblages differed between the continuous forest and the forest patches. Tree density was higher in the continuous forest than in small forest patches. Defaunation somewhat affected the regeneration of disturbed forest patches as germination and seedling were dominated by abiotic-dispersed species and local species. Taller or heavier seed species were more likely to colonize forest patches and the density of tree species in a forest patch increased with abundance of immigrant regeneration in the nearest neighbor. We recommend the implementation of sustainable management in form of participative restoration of low-regenerated species in forest remnants&amp;amp;#160; for enhanced biodiversity conservation.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Keywords&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;: Species richness, dispersal syndrome, functional traits, fragmentation, forest patches, continuous forest&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;
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Understanding the impacts of wood harvesting intensity on the diversity and structure of ecosystems such as mangroves is essential for defining actions for their sustainable management. We compared tree taxonomic diversity, structural... more
Understanding the impacts of wood harvesting intensity on the diversity and structure of ecosystems such as mangroves is essential for defining actions for their sustainable management. We compared tree taxonomic diversity, structural diversity and dominance patterns, density, growth characteristics, size class distribution-SCD and stand stability in West African mangroves subject to low vs. high wood harvesting intensity. Data on tree species identity, total height, diameter (dbh), and conditions (logged, topped or pruned) were collected from ten mangrove sites per harvesting intensity. We found seven species of which two true mangroves species (Rhizophora racemosa and Avicennia germinans) that were dominant across all sites. As expected, there were significantly 3–4, 3–7, and 2–4 times more logged, topped and pruned trees respectively in high-harvesting sites than in low-harvesting sites. Taxonomic diversity was less affected than structural diversity (dbh and height-based diversity metrics). Tree density was significantly 1.3–5 times higher in low-harvesting sites than in high-harvesting sites for the whole stand and each of the dominant species. Total regeneration density was also low in high-harvesting sites. However, regeneration density was relatively higher in high-harvesting sites for R. racemosa contrary to A. germinans. Trees were also significantly smaller and shorter in high-harvesting sites. The SCD indicated inverse J-shaped distributions, irrespective of the harvesting intensity and showed that tree harvesting targeted mostly dbh classes 10–30 cm. The density of this class was 2.6–6.2 times lower in high-harvesting sites. This study provides important information on impacts of wood harvesting in a marginally studied mangroves’ area.
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Understanding abiotic and biotic factors affecting the survival of seedlings of threatened species such as Afzelia africana is fundamental for restoration and sustainable management purposes. This study used seedling individual-level... more
Understanding abiotic and biotic factors affecting the survival of seedlings of threatened species such as Afzelia africana is fundamental for restoration and sustainable management purposes. This study used seedling individual-level morphological data and plot-level data to assess the effect of abiotic (season, elevation, soil type and terrain slope) and biotic (seedling initial density, basal diameter, height and number of leaves, insect and fungal infection, insect herbivory, mammal herbivory, vegetation type, adult conspecific density and diameter, and heterospecific density and diameter) factors on the survival probability (at individual level) and survival rate (at plot level) of seedlings of A. africana in the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve. Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were used for data analyses. At individual level, we found that the survival probability of A. africana seedlings increased with initial height, but decreased from wet to dry season. At plot level, the survival rate of A. africana seedlings also decreased from the wet season (0.72 ± 0.05) to the dry season (0.18 ± 0.04) and was inversely proportional to seedling basal diameter (P = 0.024) and density of conspecific adults (P = 0.016). There were also positive effects of seedling initial height (P = 0.026) and mean diameter of conspecific adults (P = 0.037) on survival rate. Among abiotic factors, only terrain slope showed significant and negative effect (P = 0.028) on the survival rate, suggesting higher survival rate on flat terrain. Our findings suggest that sustainably managing seedlings of A. africana would require accounting for conspecific neighboring effect, terrain slope and season-specific actions. Practical aspects of these factors were further discussed.
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Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is a globally important food security crop. However, it is susceptible to pest and disease; hence, constant breeding efforts based on its diversity are required for its improvement. The present study... more
Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is a globally important food security crop. However, it is susceptible to pest and disease; hence, constant breeding efforts based on its diversity are required for its improvement. The present study aims to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) among 274 cowpea accessions from different origins. A total of 3,127 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers generated using diversity array technology (DArT) was used. Population structure, neighbor‐joining clustering, and principal component analyses indicated three subpopulations within the germplasm. Results of STRUCTURE analysis and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) were complementary in assessing the structuration of the diversity among the germplasm, with the grouping of the accessions improved in DAPC. Genetic distances of 0.005–0.44 were observed among accessions. Accessions from western and central Africa, eastern and central Africa, and Asia were predominant and distributed across all subpopulations. The subpopulations had fixation indexes of 0.48–0.56. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that within subpopulation variation accounted for 81% of observed genetic variation in the germplasm. The subpopulations mainly consisted of inbred lines (inbreeding coefficient = 1) with common alleles, although they were from different geographical regions. This reflects considerable seed movement and germplasm exchange between regions. The LD was characterized by low decay for great physical distances between markers. The LD decay distance varied among chromosomes with the average distance of 80–100 kb across the genome. Thus, crop improvement is possible, and the LD will facilitate genome‐wide association studies on quality attributes and critical agronomic traits in cowpea.
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Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre are socioeconomically important species in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was conducted to assess the seed germinability and seedling growth of those species... more
Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre are socioeconomically important species in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was conducted to assess the seed germinability and seedling growth of those species based on several treatments and to define proper conservation and domestication strategies in Benin. The seeds were randomly collected in their natural habitats. The experiment was conducted using a split-split plot design and the data was analyzed using the generalized linear mixed and survival models. The heaviest seeds (B. aegyptiaca seed mass ≥3 g and R. heudelotii ≥ 1.50 g) provided the highest germination rates (73.60 ± 5.19% and 62.50 ± 5.71%, respectively) when seeds were scarified with a hammer. For B. aegyptiaca seedlings, the seeds from the phytodistrict of North Borgou scarified with a hammer and the heaviest seeds showed the highest total height (36.43 ± 1.03 cm), basal diameter (2.84 ± 0.03 mm), the greatest number of leaves (32), and ramifications. The heaviest seeds of R. heudelotii had also the highest value for total height at the day-28 after sowing (26.73 ± 13.56 cm) until the day-105 (151.97 ± 6.37 cm). The heaviest seeds of R. heudelotii from the phytodistrict of Pobe showed the highest basal diameter (12.53 ± 1.47 mm) and the greatest number of leaves (14), with almost no ramification during the trial period. These findings constitute a step forward in upscaling the reproduction of these species for better contribution to economies while serving in restoration plans.
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Garcinia kola is a multipurpose tree and an important medicinal plant in most Western and Central African communities. The species is highly valued for its edible nuts and its different parts are used for the treatment of diverse... more
Garcinia kola is a multipurpose tree and an important medicinal plant in most Western and Central African communities. The species is highly valued for its edible nuts and its different parts are used for the treatment of diverse ailments. Because of its overexploitation, G. kola is now extinct in the wild in Benin. Conservation and cultivation are crucial for its maintenance. Eliciting determinants that influence farmers’ decisions in maintaining or cultivating the species in their homestead or land would contribute to design effective management policies. A semi–structured survey was carried out with 155 respondents involved in G. kola exploitation to elucidate those determinants. Data collected were related to the socio–economic characteristics of respondents, G. kola ownership and number of individuals owned, current propagation methods and management of the species, willingness to cultivate or in situ conservation of the species. Binomial logistic and Poisson generalized linear models were used to test the effects of land area size, gender, age, and main occupation on respondents’ decision to cultivate and/or to conserve the species in situ and its management. It was found that men were more likely to own G. kola trees than women. Similarly, the likelihood of owning a G. kola tree was higher for farmers than non–farmers, and was positively correlated with respondents’ age. Furthermore, men were more willing to conserve and cultivate G. kola. Our findings suggest that the studied factors are instrumental when designing conservation policies and programs for the species.
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The soil seed bank (SSB) in forests is a key indicator of their resilience after disturbances. Despite the growing interest in describing patterns of SSB and understanding potential processes underpinning those patterns, we still know... more
The soil seed bank (SSB) in forests is a key indicator of their resilience after disturbances. Despite the growing interest in describing patterns of SSB and understanding potential processes underpinning those patterns, we still know little about SSB patterns and drivers in semi-deciduous tropical forests. Using the regeneration emergence method, we assessed the patterns of SSB (i) across four vegetation types with variable intensity of past human disturbances: typical dense forest - degraded dense forest - young preforest fallow - old preforest fallow, and (ii) in relationships to soil depth (0–5 cm, 5–10 cm, 10–15 cm, 15–20 cm) in a protected tropical semi-deciduous dense forest in Benin, West-Africa. The standing vegetation (adults and regeneration) data and soil samples were collected using a systematic sampling of 60 plots of 10 m × 10 m in the four vegetation types. Herbaceous plants dominated (67% − 78%) the SSB. From the SSB, five tree species emerged: Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn., Dialium guineense Willd., Ficus sur Forssk., Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit, and Lonchocarpus sericeus (Poir.) Kunth. Regarding tree species, the total densities of germinated seeds (seeds.m−2) were higher in typical dense forest (28.00 ± 7.22) and young preforest fallow (16.67 ± 7.07) than in old preforest fallow (10.00 ± 6.75) and degraded dense forest (8.89 ± 3.81). When only tree species were considered, the SSB was more diverse and dense in typical dense forest than in other vegetation types suggesting negative effect of past human disturbances on SSB. The similarity of the species composition between the SSB and the surrounding vegetation was low (Jaccard's similarity index ranged from 0 to 17.64%, indicating that the majority of tree species in the surrounding vegetation were absent in the SSB. This study highlighted a need of planting effort of native tree species to restore degraded areas.Peer reviewe
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Abstract Cowpea bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus Fab.) is the most important storage pest causing significant economic losses. Development of bruchid resistant cowpea varieties is the most sustainable strategy for controlling bruchid.... more
Abstract Cowpea bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus Fab.) is the most important storage pest causing significant economic losses. Development of bruchid resistant cowpea varieties is the most sustainable strategy for controlling bruchid. However, information regarding the nature of gene action governing the resistance to bruchid is limited for cowpea genotypes in Benin. This study aimed to understand the genetic basis of cowpea resistance to C. maculatus. Eight parents were crossed in a full diallel mating design. 56 F2 progenies were tested with the eight parental genotypes in alpha lattice design with three replications in laboratory. Data were recorded on bruchid emergence (BE); weight loss (WL); median development period (MDP); Dobie susceptibility index (DSI); number of eggs laid (NEL); average number of holes (ANH); seed damage (SD). Combining ability analysis was performed using Griffin's method 1, model 1 in AGD-R software. The results showed that general combining ability (GCA) effects were highly significant (p
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Abstract Moringa oleifera Lam. is an agroforestry species grown for its various uses. Despite its great socio-economic importance, the species is still not well exploited and considered as a neglected and underutilised species. This study... more
Abstract Moringa oleifera Lam. is an agroforestry species grown for its various uses. Despite its great socio-economic importance, the species is still not well exploited and considered as a neglected and underutilised species. This study aimed at identifying the morphotypes of M. oleifera and assessing how they were related to climatic conditions and farmers’ management practices. The study was conducted in 30 districts spanning the three biogeographical zones and 11 major sociocultural groups of Benin. Twenty-four morphological traits describing the trunk, crown, leaf, leaflet, pod, and seed were collected on 810 adult individuals randomly selected within districts. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate variation in morphological traits of M. oleifera according to biogeographical zones and management practices. Then, hierarchical clustering and canonical discriminant analyses were performed on morphological traits to identify and characterise the morphotypes of M. oleifera. Results revealed great variability in morphological traits of M. oleifera according to climate gradient and farmers’ management practices. Four morphotypes were identified with five morphological traits (number of tertiary branches, leaf maximum width, leaf length, pod length and dry pod weight) as the most discriminant. According to the most harvested organs (leaves and seeds), the best morphotype was from the sudano-guinean zone. These findings are crucial for selection and breeding programs and for the improvement of domestication strategies of the species. This will support efficiently the implementation of more environmental and socioeconomic-friendly promotion of the species through its cultivation and use in Benin, as well as in West Africa.