Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fruit production ofAcacia tortilis andA. nilotica in semi-arid Ethiopia

Agroforestry Systems volume 27, pages 23–30 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

Dry, dehiscent fruits ofAcacia tortilis provide important fodder for pastoral livestock in dry seasons on the central Borana Plateau, fruits ofA. nilotica may also be useful during drought. Information was needed on fruit yield to assess what these species could contribute to improved calf feeding systems based on local resources. Fruit production of 10 mature trees per species was measured at five sites for seven months during 1988–9 (n=50 per species). Fruit yields varied according to site, season and species x site (each atP<0.001), but there was no main effect of species (P=0.13). Yields were not correlated with trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) or canopy area within or across species (P>0.05 in all cases). Yields ranged from 0 to 40 kg DM per tree overall, with an average of 5.3 kg DM per tree (or 65 g DM/m2 of canopy area). This average tree had a DBH of 26 cm and a canopy area of 81 m2. Low and highly variable fruit yields appear to constrain enhanced use of these species here. These species warrant further attention in research and development, however, given their strategic value as forage resources in pastoral systems and their ability to persist in variable environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

39,95 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)

References

  • Assefa Eshete, Bille JC and Corra M (1986) Ecological map of southwestern Sidamo. Joint Ethiopia Pastoral Systems Study Research Report No 19. ILCA, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Bille JC (1980) Measuring the primary palatable production of browse plants. In: Le Houerou HN (ed) Browse in Africa: The Current State of Knowledge, pp 185–195. ILCA, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Coppock DL (1993) Grass hay and Acacia fruits: a local feeding system for improved calf performance in semi-arid Ethiopia. Tropical Animal Health and Production 25: 41–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Coppock DL and Reed JD (1992) Cultivated and native browse legumes as calf supplements in Ethiopia. Journal of Range Management 45(3): 231–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Cossins NJ and Upton M (1987) The Borana pastoral system of southern Ethiopia. Agricultural Systems 25: 199–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottam G and Curtis JT (1956) The use of distance measures in phytosociological sampling. Ecology 37: 451–460

    Google Scholar 

  • Coughenour MB, Ellis JE, Swift DM, Coppock DL, Galvin K, McCabe JT and Hart TC (1985) Energy extraction and use in a nomadic pastoral ecosystem. Science 230(4726): 619–625

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernst WHO, Tolsma DJ and Decelle JE (1989) Predation of seeds ofAcacia tortilis by insects. Oikos 54: 294–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Gates PJ and Brown K (1988)Acacia tortilis andProsopis cineraria: leguminous trees for arid areas. Outlook on Agriculture 17: 61–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper JL (1977) Population Biology of Plants. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgson RJ (1990) The Southern Sidamo Rangelands Project 1985–88: Perspectives on Development Interventions and Extension. CARE-Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamara CS and Haque I (1988) Characteristics of upland soils at ILCA research sites in Ethiopia. Plant Science Division Working Paper No B6. ILCA, Addis Ababa

    Google Scholar 

  • Menwyelet Atsedu (1990) Ecology of calf pastures and supplementary feeding by Borana pastoralists of southern Ethiopia. Master's thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulugeta Atsedu (1990) Borana cattle herds: productivity, constraints and possible interventions. Master's thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt DJ and Gwynne MD (1977) Rangeland Management and Ecology in East Africa. Hodder and Stoughton, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid R (1992) Livestock-mediated tree regeneration: impacts of pastoralists on woodlands in dry tropical Africa. PhD dissertation, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistical Analysis System Institute, Inc (1987) SAS/STAT™ Guide for Personal Computers, 6th ed. Cary, North Carolina

  • Sperling L (1989) Food acquisition by the Samburu during the drought of 1983/84. In: Downing TE, Gitu KW and Kamau CM (eds) Coping with drought in Kenya: National and Local Strategies, pp 264–280. Lynne Reiner Press, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker BH and Noy-Meir I (1982) Aspects of the stability and resilience of savanna ecosystems. In: Huntley BJ and Walker BH (eds) Ecology of Tropical Savannas, pp 556–590. Ecological Studies 42. Springer Verlag, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodward A and Reed JD (1989) The influence of polyphenolics on the nutritive value of browse: a summary of research conducted at ILCA. ILCA Bulletin 35: 2–11

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Menwyelet Atsedu

    Present address: Department of Rangeland Ecosystem Science, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

  2. D. L. Coppock

    Present address: Department of Range Science, Utah State University, 84322-5230, Logan, UT, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Third Livestock Development Project, P. O. Box 1052, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Menwyelet Atsedu

  2. International Livestock Centre for Africa, P. O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    D. L. Coppock

  3. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    J. K. Detling

  4. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    J. K. Detling

Authors
  1. Menwyelet Atsedu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. L. Coppock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. K. Detling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Atsedu, M., Coppock, D.L. & Detling, J.K. Fruit production ofAcacia tortilis andA. nilotica in semi-arid Ethiopia. Agroforest Syst 27, 23–30 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704832

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00704832

Key words

  • browse
  • forage resource use
  • pastoralism
  • Borana region
  • Acacia tortilis
  • Acacia nilotica

Search

Navigation