Diversity, Chemical Composition, and Domestication Potential of <i>Allanblackia parviflora</i> A. Chev. in West Africa
Dennis Kyereh,
Anna Maňourová,
Prasad S. Hendre,
Alice Muchugi,
Marie Kalousová,
Patrick Bustrel Choungo Nguekeng,
Tariku Olana Jawo,
Daniel Aninagyei Ofori,
Bohdan Lojka
Affiliations
Dennis Kyereh
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Anna Maňourová
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Prasad S. Hendre
World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), United Nations Avenue, Gigiri, P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Alice Muchugi
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Marie Kalousová
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Patrick Bustrel Choungo Nguekeng
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Tariku Olana Jawo
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Daniel Aninagyei Ofori
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, KNUST, Kumasi P.O. Box 63, Ghana
Bohdan Lojka
Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. is an indigenous tree species which is found in West African rainforest zones. It is an underutilized fruit tree species that has been targeted for improvement as part of efforts to domesticate high-value indigenous multi-purpose trees for fruit and seed production in Africa. Allanblackia has several benefits, such as providing shade, timber, and medicine; however, the production of edible oil from its seeds is the economically most important use. There is evidence that the Allanblackia seed oil, which is used for cooking, the production of margarine and the manufacturing of ointments and soap, is being developed as a new agri-business in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tanzania. Despite the nutritional and socio-economic importance of A. parviflora, it is still at the early stages of its domestication process. Even though several researchers have explored the biology of this species, there is very limited scientific information available on its morphological and genetic diversity and silvicultural management in West Africa. Therefore, this systematic review presents an up-to-date overview on the uses, seed chemical composition, and morphological and genetic diversity of this fruit tree species, and proposes a way forward for future research towards improvement and domestication.