Assessment of the gestation period and economic yield of African breadfruit, Reculia Africana, var. Africana Decne, moraceae

Abstract

Seedlings of African breadfruit, Treculia africana var. africana Decne, were established in a two hectare plot, adopting 10 x 10m spacing. The seedlings were later budded in January 1995 using budwoods obtained when the parent stocks (already fruiting trees) were in flowers. Observations were made on the gestation period of the budded seedlings and the pattern of flowering and fruiting. The study lasted for 12 year (1994 -2005). Fruits produced by each tree were recorded and then processed for the seeds, which were sun-dried for 2hours before disposal. The price at disposal was based on the standard for disposing agricultural produce and prevailing market price in the South Eastern States. The results showed that the trees took 3-4 years to begin flower and fruit production. Majority of the flowers produced in the first phase of reproduction aborted but persisted till fruit production in the subsequent years. Seed yield increased from 11.54kg in 1998 to 12.46kg in 2005. Revenue accruing from the sale of the seeds also increased from N304.70 in N1998 to N 2,470 in 2005. With a standard tree density of 100trees/ha., adopting 10 x 10m spacing, mean revenue as high as N118, 340.00 would be realized from 20 trees. Such revenue can be relied upon as a sustainable source of alleviating poverty particularly among the rural farmers.

Key words: Treculia africana, gestation period, seed yield, revenue generating capacity.