Morphological variability of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. subsp. Birrea (Anacardiaceae family) in the Ouaddaï Province, Chad

The involvement of local population in forest management is nowadays a major issue. It is with this in mind that this work was carried out and should lead to the subsequent domestication of the species. Its objective has been to develop strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of the Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst genetic resources. The methodological approach focused on the farmer’s survey and the botanical inventory. The socioeconomic survey was carried out in the villages of Arkou, Kokorguin and Mandafana among the Maba, Massalit, Mimi and Tama populations. One hundred and seventy-two (172) people were involved in the investigation. Botanical analyzes focused on 15 quantitative morphological descriptors. The farmers in the region have a good knowledge of this plant and have an empirical classification system that incorporates 11 criteria according to ethnic groups. The criteria common to the 4 targeted ethnic groups are: the habitat and size of the tree, the dimensions of the fruit, the shape of the fruit, the taste of the pulp and the size of the leaves. The botanical inventory made it possible to determine the discriminating morphological descriptors for this species in the region. These are: the height of the first large branch (0.016 <0.05), the height of the tree (0.029 <0.05) and the average diameter of the crown (0.008 <0.01). Analysis of the different descriptors revealed 4 morphotypes in Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. This information opens up better prospects for varietal selection and domestication of this species in the area.