Rain-Fed Plantations Of The Domesticated Ziziphus Mauritiana In The Sahel: Effects Of Varieties And Rootstocks On Yields And Fruit Quality

A long-term study was conducted to explore the possibility of using traditional rain-fed systems for growing domesticated Ziziphus mauritiana (so-called Pomme du Sahel) in the Sahel. Five varieties, Gola, Ben Gurion, Seb, Umran and Kaithli, were grafted on six rootstocks of Z. mauritiana from various agroecological zones of Niger. Trees were planted inside microcatchments at 8 × 8 m spacing. Over a period of six years, the variety Umran gave the highest fruit yield (3600 kg·ha⁻¹) and the lowest fruit yield was documented for variety Seb (1970 kg·ha⁻¹). Individual fruit weight ranged from 25.8 g for ‘Umran’ to 9.5 g for ‘Seb’. The rootstocks had no effect on average fruits yields and fruit size. There was a significant linear correlation between fruit yield and annual rainfall. In a rainy year (680 mm), the average yield of the five varieties was 7580 kg·ha⁻¹. The results of the current study indicate that dry land plantations of Pomme du Sahel can guarantee food security during dry years in the Sahel. However, further studies are required to evaluate the economic feasibility of this system.