Collection and Identification of Wild Fruits Tree/Shrub Species in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Indigenous trees with edible fruits/seeds are very important to improve food security and diversify household income sources. However, traditional practice of trading and planting of wild edible fruit or seeds. Such practice calls for identification of indigenous edible fruits and collection of their propagules to adopt and domesticate to enhance their economic. Seed collection surveys, and data such as wilderness, edibility or parts, seeds, collected at the field. People perceptions were captured from 78 informants using an informal interview, discussion and observation in the field.Most species taxonomically known and for those unknown, their specimens were collected and sent to Addis Ababa University Herbarium for identification. Their germination and field survival had been tested at nursery of Adet Research Center and Bezawit site in Bahir Dar surrounding district, respectively.We identified (4); taxonomically known (7) and unknown (1) out of 23 wild fruit species.  A total of 23wild edible woody plants seeds were collected per six districts in Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia with an altitudinal range of 1200 to 2635m above sea level from 2008 to 2009. Of the 23 edible woody plants, only 12 species showed better germination except some species due missed data. The 12 species were planted out in the field and only 11 species were survived well. The 11wild woody plants belong to 9 families. The 11 woody plants represent different life forms: 6 of them trees, followed 4 of them were shrubs and the remaining one was climber. Woody plants took different number of days to germinate.Gardenia ternifolia took the longest duration 77days, while Tamarindus indica took 22 days which is the shorter time to germinate as compared to the other species. Thus, more research is needed to investigate maturity, fruit nutrition, economic value as well as their propagation and germination enhancement.

Keywords: Domestication, collection, identification, wild edible woody species