Occurrence of mistletoes on shea trees in Northern Ghana

Abstract

In an attempt to establish the cause of reported death of shea trees at Maluwe and Gindabo in the Northern Region of Ghana, a survey of mistletoes on shea trees was conducted. In August 2018, 50 shea trees were randomly sampled at each study site and inspected for the presence of mistletoes. Two species of mistletoes, Tapinanthus bangwensis (Engl. & K Krause) Danser and Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC) Danser were identified on shea trees. Agelanthus dodoneifolius was the dominant mistletoe species at both Maluwe (50% infestation) and Gindabo (84% infestation). None of the mistletoe infested trees were found dead at both study sites. An epiphytic plant, Ficus popenoei Standl. was identified on a shea tree at Gindabo. Further studies need to be conducted to determine the distribution, severity and impact of mistletoes on the productivity of the shea trees.

Key words: Agelanthus dodoneifolius, Ficus popenoei, Tapinanthus bangwensis