Blighia sapida en by Bioversity International

02 Conservation and Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources of Priority Food Tree Species in sub-Saharan Africa

Blighia sapida

Ackee

Ackee (Benin) Common name Ackee, akee, akee apple (English)

Scientific name Synonyms Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig Cupania sapida Voigt

Family Sapindaceae

Arbre à fricasser, aki (French) Akí, seso vegetal, fruto de huevo, palo de seso (Spanish) Castanheiro do Africa (Portuguese)

■ Marius RM EKUÉ Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’AbomeyCalavi, 05 BP 993 Cotonou, Bénin

This leaflet highlights the nutritional and socio-economic potential of ackee and provides information to assist those working with the species. The focus is on conserving genetic diversity and promoting sustainable use of ackee. The leaflet presents a synthesis of current knowledge about the species. The recommendations provided should be regarded as a starting point, to be further developed according to local or regional conditions. These guidelines will be updated as new information becomes available.

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Socio-cultural group Yoruba Fon/Mahi Batombu Ditammari Waama Fulbe Natemba Berba/Nyende Bidyogo Bambara Kissi

Country

Vernacular name

Benin

Iguishin, ishin Sissitin, Benin lissètin Benin Diremou Benin Moufodom Benin Pourounbou Benin Pissadje Benin Foulama, foudaama Benin Afoukandone Guinea-Bissau Otau Mali, Guinea, Finzan, finsan (Mali, Senegal, Guinea), finzã (Senegal), Sudan finza (Sudan) Sierra Leone Maiyo-sundo

Geographical distribution Ackee is native to tropical West Africa including Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. It was introduced into the Caribbean by slave traders in the 18th century and has spread across the region. It is the national fruit of Jamaica, where it is commercially cultivated.

Importance and use

Ackee fruit, leaves, bark and wood are used for a variety of purposes including food, fodder for goatsand building materialsand in the production of medicine, soap, insect repellent and poison used for catching fish. Trees are also planted for their ornamental qualities and shade. The ackee fruit consists of a capsule that contains three seeds with a fleshy covering or aril. The aril is edible when fully mature but highly toxic when immature. The seeds are always poisonous. The mature aril is consumed fresh, added to sauce as an alternative to sesame seeds or peanuts, dried and ground into powder and added to sauces for its oil content, fried or parboiled with seasoning. Dried arils are the

Distribution range of ackee

commonest form on local markets, at least in northern Benin, where information is available. Young leaves may be parboiled and used like any other African leafy vegetable. The capsules contain saponins, which lather in water and are used as a soap substitute and in soap-making. The bark, seeds and capsules are dried, finely ground and used to poison and catch fish. The ash of burned capsules repells some insect pests and is used locally on crops such as beans. A feeding trial determined that ackee leaves could be a good feed for West African Dwarf goats, especially during the dry season in the savannah zone of Nigeria. All parts of the tree (bark, capsules, seeds, roots, Uses

Part of plant

Food Fodder Furniture Medicine Soap Insect repellent Poison for catching fish Ornament/shade

Aril, leaves Leaves Wood Bark, capsules, seeds, roots, leaves Capsules Capsules Bark, seed, capsules Whole tree

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee almost 20% of household income in the township. By comparison, revenue from sales of maize accounted for 20% of household income, sorghum accounted for 21% and beansaccounted for 15%. Dried arils are also traded in regional and transboundary markets. Ackee soap is sold on some local markets.

Ecology and biology Ackee fruit, seeds and arils for sauce cooking

leaves) are used as medicines in the treatment of a wide variety of aliments. The wood is termite resistant and is used for making furniture. It is also used for charcoal production. There are no reportsofitbeing exported.

Ackee is an evergreen tree that occurs naturally in mature or climaxforests. Itgenerallyoccursnaturally in areas that are wet enough to support closedcanopy forest, but not in humid forest. In cultivated areas and in fallows it grows well in full sun. It prefers fertile soils from sea level to more than 900 m elevation.

Ackee inflorescence

The economic potential of ackee is largely untapped in West Africa. The ackee industry in Jamaica, which is well developed, generated approximately US$400 million in revenues in 2005. This indicates the potential for developing an ackee industry in West Africa. The only economic data available from West Africa come from a survey of one rural township in Benin. This showed that 80% of arils harvested were dried and sold on local markets, generating

Socio-economic value

Ackee leaves

Fruit development

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Reproductive biology Flowers are greenish, small, male or hermaphroditic (i.e. both male and female), in axillary racemes, and are pollinated by insects. Trees begin producing fruit at three to six years old when grown from seed. Fruit is a red, yellow or orange capsule, 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 cm long, opening at maturity, with three cream-coloured arils, each tipped with a black seed. Seeds germinate readily when fresh, but are recalcitrant, meaning that they do not maintain their viability when dried. Seedsare dispersed byhumansand bylarge animals, including chimpanzees and large birds.

Phenology The phenology of ackee has been documented only in the Sudanian zone of Benin. Month and season N D J F M A M J J A S O Dry season Rainy season Flowering X X X X Fruit development X X X X Fruit maturation X X X X

Related species There are two other Blighia species: Blighia welwitschii (Hiem.) Radlk (with seven synonyms) found in the forest zone in Sierra Leone to West Cameroon, and across the Congo basin to Uganda and Angola and Blighia unijugata Baker (with five synonyms) found in evergreen forest, riverine forest, grassland with trees and termite mounds in Sierra Leone to West Cameroon, and across NE, E and S central tropical Africa. The ranges of the three speciesoverlap butthere islittle information about their distinguishing characteristics.

Morphological traits and their variation 04

Ackee is a large tree, reaching up to 35 m in forest conditions. It has a densely branched and

symmetrical canopy and smooth grey bark. Leaves are alternate, compound, with 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 pairs of glossy leaflets. Clusters of small, five-petalled greenish-white flowers are fragrant and showy. When ripe the fruit capsule is brightly coloured, ranging from yellow to red, and splits open. Morphological differences have been reported only in Benin, where there is great variation in growth form and fruit traits across climatic zones and between open-grown and forest trees. Trees growing in open fields are shorter than those growing in a forest, but these open-grown trees have larger diameter and greater fruit production. However there are no reports of field experiments to test for inheritance of these traits.

Genetic knowledge There are no published reports documenting genetic variation in traits having adaptive or productive significance. The only reported studies on the genetic diversity of neutral molecular markers were based in Benin, where DNA markers have been investigated recently in six forest and eight field/fallow populations. These indicate moderate levels of molecular diversity and little differentiation among populations or climatic zones. Farmer-led domestication had an impact on the spatial distribution of genetic variation but did not result in significant losses of diversity within populations.

Local practices An ethnobotanical survey conducted in Benin found that farmers characterize ackee types using criteria that are mostly related to the fruit and its different parts. Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; preferences were most commonly related to fruit size, colour and taste. Farmers mentioned that trees under their management exhibited

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee their preferred traits more frequently than trees in the wild or that were unmanaged.

Threats

ÂŠ M. EKUĂ&#x2030;

Ackee is threatened by the same factors as other savannah tree species: deforestation, bush fires, intensification of agriculture, livestock grazing and shifting rainfall patterns. Trees are also harvested for their wood for lumber and charcoal production but the degree to which cutting threatens the species is not known. The bark of some trees in Benin is systematically removed and used in traditional

Ackee bark used for medicinal purposes

medicines but it is not clear to what extent this practice affects the growth, fruit production, health or even life of the trees. Future studies should investigate the impact of bark harvesting on the species.

Conservation status Ackee is present in home gardens and parklands in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa where it has a degree of protection because of its economic value. It also occurs in national parks, sacred forests and protected

forest reserves in the Guinean zone across the region, but the number and distribution of stands in protected areas is not known, so it is not possible to estimate the adequacy of in situ protection. There are no known ex situ conservation efforts. The recalcitrant seed would not maintain viability in a seed bank and there are no reports in the literature of field clone banks or provenance trials.

Management and improvement Selection and domestication Tree improvement and domestication activities have not yet been initiated by any research or management institution in West Africa, but trees are commonly planted near homes to provide a variety of products and services so farmers are practicing artificial selection and the early stages of domestication. Three regeneration techniques for ackee are recorded in Benin: sowing, transplanting and assisted tree regeneration. The reason behind each regeneration method and the practical implementations are summarized in Table 1. Farmers interviewed in Benin were interested in cultivation and improvement of ackee and 55% of respondents would like access to vegetative propagation techniques. Traits considered important for improvement included arils with higher oil content (35% of respondents), capsules and seeds with higher saponin content (30%), early fruiting varieties (26%), trees bearing fruits in different seasons (25%), smaller trees (20%) and trees with a prolonged period of fruit maturation (15%). Farmers practice pruning, ringing, grazing protection, tree/crop association, fire protection and mulching to improve production (Table 2).

Propagation from seed Ackee may be grown from seed, but the seed

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Propagation and regeneration of ackee in Benin Table 1 Propagation and Reason/function Implementation regeneration practices Sowing

Multiply the best trees after selection

Seeds from the mostvigorous trees or those with the highest fruityield are selected and put together. After germination during the rainy season, they are transplanted to an appropriate location to receive care.

Transplanting

Use naturally regenerated seedlings and saplings

Seedlings and saplings are removed and replanted in an appropriate area and given essential care.

Assisted tree regeneration

Favours natural regeneration

Young plants are staked to be easily visible and protected from tillage, grazing and fire.

Table 2 Practices

Management practices for ackee in Benin Reasons/function

Pruning

Improved fruit production, reduction of shade on understorey crops, firewood

Cutting back certain branches

Ringing

Stimulate fruit production

A shallow 10 cm-wide ring of bark is cut from the trunk at breast height just before flowering

Grazing protection

Avoid destruction of seedlings and saplings by domestic animals

Establish fence of cactus or rocks around the seedlings and saplings

Diversification, soil protection, shade for crops, creation of microclimate favourable for crops

Leave naturally established or planted ackee trees in farmland and plant crops such as millet, sorghum. maize or yam in the same field

Fire protection

Fire damage reduces fruit yield and kills seedlings and saplings

Tillage, weeding and clearing around the seedlings, saplings and trees

Mulching/ organic fertilization

Rapid growth of seedlings and saplings and increasing fruit production

Leaf mulch, animal manure, compost and crop residues near the root and sprinkling with water

Tree/crop association

should be planted within a few days of extraction from the fruit because it loses viability rapidly. Once planted, seed may take 2-3 months to germinate. Seedlings should be protected from domestic livestock until they are at least 2 m tall.

Vegetative propagation

Implementation

Vegetative propagation methods have not been developed in Africa but grafting, budding and rooted cuttings are recommended for plant production in Florida, USA. Specific methods are not documented in the published literature so they need to be developed as part of a domestication programme.

Farmer participation is recommended in the establishment and management of nurseries for production of grafts or rooted cuttings. Including more than one village in the development of each nursery will increase effectiveness by capturing differences in indigenous knowledge and preference for fruit traits among ethnic groups and between men and women. Guidelines on the number of trees selected for vegetative propagation must be established and followed to ensure that the gene pool will not be reduced to an unsustainable level if vegetative propagation replaces regeneration from seed.

Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Blighia sapida Ackee Guidelines for conservation and use Circa situ conservation, in which trees are managed in various agroforestry systems (trees on farmland, home gardens, agroforests, parkland systems), isa viable approach for ackee conservation. Guidelines will have to be followed to ensure that genetic variation is maintained in the production systems and wild populations must receive in situ protection in parks and forest reserves to ensure that the genetic base is maintained. The bestwayto guarantee circa situconservation of ackee in agroforestry systems is to ensure the availability of a diversity of types for farmers who are interested in planting the species. Seeds or vegetative material for nursery propagation should be collected from trees meeting various market-oriented ideotypes, ensuring that nursery stock will be highly variable in many desirable traits. Any conservation management programme should combine localknowledge ofthe speciesand localpreferenceswith scientificgeneticknowledge. Fruits should be collected from 15 to 20 trees near each village where farmers are interested in participating in an improvement effort. Farmers should be involved in selecting treesbased on traits importantto them. Use and exchange ofgermplasm should be confined within ecological zones to avoid negative effects of maladaptation. Involving both men and women and people of different ages in selecting trees, collecting fruit and nursery production will increase the range of traits that are considered important, thus increasing genetic variation included in the collection. If the existing protected areas networks in the region are properly managed, in situ conservation of ackee can be accomplished by documenting the presence of stands and ensuring that populations remain large and healthy. If ackee is notpresentin existing protected areasin a particular region, carefully managed areas providing both in situ protection and livelihoods for rural people can be established with the involvement of the local population and forest authority.

Ex situ conservation should be undertaken if there is evidence of species decline or of populations disappearing. Field clone banks will likely be the most effective means of ex situ conservation. Sampling for ex situ conservation should be based on molecular genetic structure until provenance or progeny trials are established to evaluate patterns of useful genetic variability. If the genetic structure in Benin is characteristic of the structure throughout the species’ range, the sampling strategy should ensure that all climatic zones are included, and additional emphasis should be placed on populations near the most arid extremes of the range.

Research needs — Develop in a participative way, an appropriate low cost vegetative propagation techniques suitable for farmers in sub-Saharan Africa — Improve the processing, storage and packaging of arils — Determine the number of viable populations in protected natural areas such as national parks and the degree to which the populations are protected within the areas — Investigate the impact of bark harvest on viability of populations — Develop ex situ conservation methods — Determine genetic variation in drought tolerance and location of important sources of variation — Determine genetic variation in tree growth and fruit production — Identify pollinator species, investigate effective pollen flow and determine threats to pollinator species — Investigate effectiveness of seed dispersal and and degree of dependence on fauna that are rare or threatened — Determine effective population sizes in seminatural farmland populations and minimum viable populations for conservation and longterm sustainable use. ■

Blighia sapida Ackee Bibliography This leaflet was produced by members of the SAFORGEN Food Tree Species Working Group. The objective of the working group is to encourage collaboration among experts and researchers in order to promote sustainable use and conservation of the valuable food tree species of sub-Saharan Africa. Coordination committee: Dolores Agúndez (INIA, Spain) Oscar Eyog-Matig (Bioversity International) Niéyidouba Lamien (INERA, Burkina Faso) Lolona Ramamonjisoa (SNGF, Madagascar) Citation: Ekué MRM. 2011. Blighia sapida, ackee. Conservation and Sustainable Use of Genetic Resources of Priority Food Tree Species in sub-Saharan Africa. Bioversity International (Rome, Italy).

Crane JH and Balerdi CF. 2008. Ackee growing in the Florida home landscape. HS1128. University of Florida, USA. Available at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/HS378. Accessed 16 February 2010. Dossou MKR, Codjia JTC and Biaou G. 2004. Rôle de la ressource forestière Blighia sapida (ackee ou faux acajou) dans l’économie des ménages du Nord-Ouest du Bénin. Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin 46:33–41. Ekué MRM, Assogbadjo AE, Mensah GA and Codjia JTC. 2004. Aperçu sur la distribution écologique et le système agroforestier traditionnel autour de l’ackée (Blighia sapida) en milieu soudanien au Nord Bénin. Bulletin de la Recherche Agronomique du Bénin 44:34–44. Ekué MRM, Gailing O, FinkeldeyR and Eyog-Matig O. 2009a. Indigenousknowledge, traditionalmanagementand geneticdiversityofthe endogenousagroforestryspecies ackee (Blighia sapida) in Benin. Acta Horticulturae 806:655–661. Ekué M, Gailing O and Finkeldey R. 2009b. Transferability of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers developed in Litchi chinensis to Blighia sapida (Sapindaceae). Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 27:570–574. Ekué MRM, Sinsin B, Eyog-Matig O and Finkeldey R. 2010. Uses, traditional management, perception ofvariation and preferencesin ackee (Blighia sapida K.D. Koenig) fruit traits in Benin: implications for domestication and conservation. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 6, 12. ICRAF. n.d. Agroforestree database [online]. Available at: http://www.worldagro forestrycentre.org/sites/treedbs/aft.asp. Accessed 16 February 2010. Pen M. 2006. Viable ackee industry must be protected – BSJ Inspector [online]. Available at: http://www.jis.gov.jm/agriculture/html/20060506T100000-0500_8777_ JIS_VIABLE_ACKEE_INDUSTRY_MUST_BE_PROTECTED__BSJ_INSPECTOR.asp. Accessed 16 February 2010.

ISBN: 978-84-694-3166-5