Germination and growth performances of three tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) provenances in the Guineo-Congolian region

This experiment was carried out in the Guineo-Congolean region of Benin in order to assess variation in the ability of seeds and juveniles of tamarind to germinate and grow as a function of their ecological provenance. Seeds were collected from ten healthy mature trees from three bioclimatic regions and soaked in cold water for 48 hours before sowing. The results revealed that ecological provenance did not have a significant effect on seed germination (p ? 0.05). For all the provenances, germination began 5-7 days after sowing and reached 87.5-99.17% within 10-12 days after sowing. The growth rate in height, diameter and number of leaves and branches of the plants varied significantly according to provenance in the nursery and in plantation. However, the growth traits of plants from different provenances were quite similar at the end of the nursery experience. After transplantation, the best growth performances were observed for the Sudano-Sahelian provenance. Yet, it was observed that the effect of season on growth parameters depends on the provenance. Medium-term and in-depth investigations in ecophysiology would make it possible to obtain robust and worth-extension results for the development of silvicultural itineraries for tamarind in the study area.

Keywords: Germination rate, mean germination time, height, collar diameter, number of branches, Benin