Phénologie de Cola millenii K.Schum. au Bénin

Abstract

Phenology of Cola millenii K.Schum. in Benin Description of the subject. Understanding the factors influencing the phenophases of plants with socio-economic importance is essential for their sustainable management. The plant under study here, from this perspective, is Cola millenii, an edible wild fruit tree. Objectives. This study analyzes the different phenophases of the species along a climatic gradient in Benin. Method. Leafing, flowering, and fruiting events were observed in the middle and at the end of each month (around every 15 days) for two years in eight phytodistricts distributed across the Guinean zone and Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin. Results. In both climatic zones, C. millenii bears leaves throughout the year, but the intensity of leafing varies over the year. We observed a strong fall of leaves from January to March. Cola millenii flowers from October to April (dry season). A one-month lag was observed in the South Borgou phytodistrict, where flowering started in November. The peak of flowering was in December. Fruiting extends from November (fruit set) to July (dry season to mid-rainy season). A one-month lag was also observed in the South Borgou phytodistrict, where fruiting started in December. The peak of fruiting was observed from February to July. Fruits gradually ripened during this period. Flowering and fruiting were positively correlated with maximum temperature and negatively with relative humidity. Likewise, flowering was negatively correlated with rainfall. Conclusions. This study provides important information for the sustainable management of the C. millenii species in the climatic regions where it is encountered.

Keywords

• flowering
• fruiting
• gradient
• pluviometry
• temperature
• relative humidity