Thaumatococcus daniellii

Abstract

Master thesis of Samuel Yeboah There is an alarming rate of forest degradation in Southern Ghana due to the predominant slash-and-burn agriculture and population growth which has increased the pressure on the remaining forests. T daniellii fruits has a new potential in income generation and poverty alleviation. It contains a low calorie sweet protein, thaumatin, that can be used as a sweetener and flavour enhancer in the manufacture of foods drinks and beverages. Its cultivation in a sustainable farming system, for instance, agroforestry can provide alternatives or reduce the rate of slash-and-burn practice and conserve biodiversity. However, this plant is not cultivated. Agronomic data for its cultivation is not known. . . . . The goal of this study was to gather basic information on T. daniellii and its potential for cultivation. Therefore interviews with key informants were carried out in a potential production area, the Western Region of Ghana, to collect information on local knowledge and the acceptance as a new crop among the local population. Field observation was made of T. daniellii in its natural habitat. A green house trial was carried out to test the effect of various seed treatments on the germination of 198 T. daniellii seeds. Furthermore interviews were conducted with 60 key informants in villages near Asankragua (n = 15), Samreboi (n = 25) and Enchi (n = 20). Each questionnaire consisted of 46 questions that were subdivided into 4 parts, namely crop production, forest as a resource, sustainable crop production and T daniellii. Finally, a field trial was established to monitor the effects of light intensities and fertilizer application on the field emergence and growth performance of T. daniellii, propagated by both rhizomes and seedlings. The seed treatments were: • hot water treatment at 100°C for 30, 100, 200, 400 and 600 seconds, • mechanical scarification with a metal file to rapture part of the stony seed coat, • acid scarification with 1 molar concentrated H 2 SO 4 for 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes, • overnight soaking, and • a control where no seed treatment was used. Trial plots were established using 840 T. daniellii rhizomes and seedlings in separate experiments