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

  • Notes on Neglected and Underutilized Crops
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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.

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Notes

  1. The acronym DADOBAT stands for Domestication And Development of Baobab and Tamarind. The DADOBAT project was funded during the 2006–2010 period by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme and aimed to develop sustainable production systems for baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) and tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) in West Africa (Benin, Mali and Senegal) based on characterization, conservation and use of local genetic resources.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Prof. Dr. Eng. John Van Camp, Prof. Dr. Eng. Bruno De Meulenaer, Eng. Sofie Coelus and Nathalie De Muer from the department of Food Safety and Food Quality (Ghent University, Belgium) for the training in the nutritional analysis of the tamarind fruits. The first author is granted by a PhD. funding of the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (Belgium) (I.W.T. Vlaanderen). The second author was also granted by a I.W.T. funding.

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  1. Department of Bioscience Engineering, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium

    N. Van den Bilcke, K. Alaerts, S. Ghaffaripour, D. J. Simbo & R. Samson

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  1. N. Van den Bilcke
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  2. K. Alaerts
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  3. S. Ghaffaripour
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  4. D. J. Simbo
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  5. R. Samson
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Correspondence to N. Van den Bilcke or R. Samson.

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Van den Bilcke, N., Alaerts, K., Ghaffaripour, S. et al. Physico-chemical properties of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) fruits from Mali: selection of elite trees for domestication. Genet Resour Crop Evol 61, 537–553 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-014-0080-y

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