Fruits and Seeds Production of Irvingia Gabonensis (O’ Rorke) and Its Economic Importance in Edo Central, Nigeria

Abstract

Irvingia gabonensis is one of the most important indigenous fruit trees cultivated and commercialized in Edo Central, Nigeria. In this study, the yields of fruits and seeds of I. gabonensis were evaluated in traditional agro forestry and compound farming systems. The results showed that the mean fruit yield of the species are 620 and 850 fruits/tree while the projected mean fruit productions/hectare are 76,880 and 105,400 fruits in the two systems respectively. Mean seed yield of 18.24kg and 25kg of dry cotyledon per tree was recorded with a projected cotyledon yields/hectare of 2,262 kg/ha and 3,100 kg/ha respectively. In the open market, 50g of dry cotyledons of the species sells for ₦170.00, while average farmers income from fruits production of the species per household is about ₦3,675.00 annually. The study has helped to raise awareness of the contributions of I. gabonensis to household economies, food security and wealth creation.