TI: A (and C) for Africa: the baobab tree as a source of vitamins. More on baobab's homegrown vitamin C: some trees have more than others - consistently.

AU: Sidibe-M; Scheuring-JF; Kone-M; Schierle-J; Frigg-M; Hofman-P
SO: Agroforestry-Today. 1998, 10: 4, 7-9;10; 6 + 2 ref.
PY: 1998
LA: English

AB: The baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) grows extensively in semiarid Africa, from Senegal eastwards to Kenya, and throughout southern Africa and in Madagascar. The tree has many uses, and young trees are maintained and encouraged around village sites. The first of 2 short papers (by Sidibe, Scheuring, Kone, Schierle & Frigg) discusses the vitamin content of baobab leaves as a contribution to a healthy diet. Data are presented on the effect of tree age (young, <20 years; old, mature >80 years), leaf size (small or large) and sun or shade drying of the leaves on the vitamin A content (as retinol equivalent, and alpha- and beta-carotenes), based on sample leaves collected in the Segou area of Mali in October 1997. Vitamin A content was highest in small shade dried leaves, with tree age having little effect. The second paper (Sidibe, Scheuring, Kone, Hofman & Frigg) examined the vitamin C content of fruits from 24 baobab trees at 7 sites in Mali, in 1995 and again in 1998. There was a remarkable consistency in vitamin C content between years and trees, so that trees with a high vitamin content in 1995 also had a high content in 1998. Trees of this species have been routinely grafted for 10 yr in Mali, and in 1997 an orchard of young trees of various provenances was planted at the Cinzana research station. In 1998 scions of the highest vitamin C yielding tree of the 24 were grafted onto >100 young trees in the orchard, and are expected to fruit by 2010. It is hoped that they will act as varietal donor scions for future vitamin C orchards.

DE: retinol-; multipurpose-trees; leaves-; foliage-; size-; plant-composition; edible-species; drying-; age-of-trees; vitamins-; ascorbic-acid; grafting-; vegetative-propagation; plus-trees; fruits-; genetic-variation
OD: Adansonia-digitata
GE: Africa-
RN: 68-26-8; 50-81-7
BT: Adansonia; Bombacaceae; Malvales; dicotyledons; angiosperms; Spermatophyta; plants
CC: KK110; KK540; QQ070; FF040; QQ500; KK600; FF160; FF020
CD: Silviculture; Forest-Products-Miscellaneous,-including-Minor-Forest-Products; Other-Produce; Plant-Composition; Food-Composition-and-Quality; Agroforestry; Plant-Propagation; Plant-Breeding-and-Genetics
PT: Journal-article
IS: 1013-9591
UD: 990716
AN: 990603394