Leaf and fruit characteristics of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth according to agro climatic zones and land use in Southern Mali

A study was conducted in southern Mali to characterized Parkia biglobosa populations in the aim to contribute to the domestication of the species. Fields and fallows in the north sudanian, south sudanian and north guinean zones were concerned. Adult trees were marked in plots of 0.25 ha each and leaves and fruits were harvested from each tree for characterization. Petiole and laminar length, number of pairs of pinnae and leaflets, pedicel and pod length, pod wide, pod and seed weight, number of seed per pod were measured. The north guinean zone showed the highest number of pairs of pinnae and leaflets, the longest pods (23.06±9.91 cm in the fields), the highest mean seed weight (3.74±0.96 g in the fields) and the highest mean number of seeds per pod (17 ± 3 seeds in the fields). The South Sudanian zone showed the longest pedicels (3.85±1.08 cm in the fallows), the highest mean laminar length (18.02 cm) and mean petiole length (6.45 cm) in the fields but the same mean number of seeds per pod as for the north Guinean. The north Sudanian zone showed the widest (17.88±7.98 cm in the fields and 18.24±2.11 cm in the fallows) and heaviest (14.87±3.95 g in the fallows) pods. Leaf variables like the number of pairs of pinnae and leaflets seem to be influenced by the climatic gradient. The others leaf, pod and seed variables seem not to be influenced by the climatic gradient. These findings suggest that many leaf and fruit variables are controlled by endogenous factor that could be genetic. However, the manifestation of the endogenous factor seems to be influenced by factors such as environment and management practices.