Author(s)

Paul Diouf¹, Sire Diedhiou^1*, Dioumacor Fall², Daouda Ngom³, Mariama Dalanda Diallo⁴, Ibrahima Ndoye³

¹Agroforestry Department, Assane Seck University, Ziguinchor, Senegal.
²Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research, Dakar, Senegal.
³Plant Biology Department, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
⁴Agronomic Sciences of Aquaculture and Food Technology UFR, UGB, Saint-Louis, Sénégal.

Saba senegalensis is a wild edible fruit plant species with a high economic potential which can be used to fight food insecurity in rural areas and to reduce poverty. Domestication programs are being carried out to boost production. However, no studies have been done to determine the optimal soil properties for growing S. senegalensis. This study was carried out to determine the effects of the physical and chemical properties of different substrates on the mycorrhization and growth of S. senegalensis under semi-controlled conditions. S. senegalensis seeds were grown for 4 months in the nursery using five substrates: S1 (1/2 sand + 1/2 potting soil), S2 (1/3 sand + 2/3 potting soil), S3 (2/3 sand + 1/3 potting soil), S4 (potting soil) and S5 (sand). The intensity of mycorrhization was highest for plants grown on substrates with a lowest clay, silt, and nutrient content S3 (29.5%) and S5 (23.5%) respectively. Substrates with much higher clay and silt content stimulated better the growth of S. senegalensis than substrates with lower silt clay and nutrient content. In the context of domestication, the quality of the substrates could be used to stimulate the mycorrhization and the growth of S. senegalensis and thus quickly produce vigorous plants.

Mycorrhizal Intensity, Nursery, Physicochemical Properties, Wild Fruit

Diouf, P. , Diedhiou, S. , Fall, D. , Ngom, D. , Diallo, M. and Ndoye, I. (2019) Effect of Substrates on the Mycorrhization and Growth of Saba senegalensis under Semi-Controlled Conditions. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 1612-1622. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2019.109114.