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<p>Land degradation and the expansion of lateritic crust outcrops called <i>bowé</i> in West Africa hinder natural regeneration as local woody species face poor seedling emergence, slow growth, and weak drought tolerance, limiting ecological restoration. This study evaluated the seedling emergence potential, early growth performance, and water stress tolerance of seedlings from five woody species associated with <i>bowé</i> ecosystems. Seeds from each species were subjected to four treatments: a control and three soaking durations (24, 48, and 72&#xa0;h). A total of 800 seeds were sown in a randomised complete block design with four replications. Seedling emergence parameters, including latency period, duration, and emergence rate, were recorded, followed by monitoring of seedling growth and biomass allocation under three watering regimes (100%, 50%, and 25% field capacity) to assess drought tolerance. Soaking seeds for 72&#xa0;h significantly improved emergence rate in <i>Acacia senegal</i> (L.) Willd. (from 62.5% to 80%), <i>Detarium microcarpum</i> Guill. &amp; Perr. (from 65% to 77.5%), and <i>Ziziphus mucronata</i> Willd. (from 25% to 45%), but had no effect on <i>Combretum glutinosum</i> Perr. ex DC. or <i>C. nigricans</i> Lepr. ex Guill. &amp; Perr., which achieved 100% emergence regardless of treatment. <i>Z. mucronata</i> and <i>A. senegal</i> exhibited the highest seedling growth across all measured traits. Stress tolerance indices revealed marked interspecific differences: <i>Z. mucronata</i> achieved STI values up to 10× higher than Combretaceae species (stem STI = 10.4 vs. 0.01), while <i>A. senegal</i> and <i>D. microcarpum</i> showed moderate tolerance (total STI = 1.2–1.4). Among the five species, <i>A. senegal</i>, <i>D. microcarpum</i>, and <i>Z. mucronata</i> are the most drought-tolerant, whereas <i>C. nigricans</i> and particularly <i>C.glutinosum</i> are highly stress-sensitive. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for species selection in <i>bowé</i> restoration, suggesting that pre-soaking treatments combined with drought-tolerant species can enhance establishment success in degraded lateritic landscapes.</p>

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Seedling emergence and water stress responses of five woody species from bowé in Benin (West Africa) during the seedling stage

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月20日

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  • Babatokpè Calèb Babatunde,
  • Elie Antoine Padonou,
  • Franck Sinsin,
  • Alexis Bokon Akakpo,
  • Olivier Sohoun,
  • Daniel Turk,
  • Tiago de Zoeten

摘要

Land degradation and the expansion of lateritic crust outcrops called bowé in West Africa hinder natural regeneration as local woody species face poor seedling emergence, slow growth, and weak drought tolerance, limiting ecological restoration. This study evaluated the seedling emergence potential, early growth performance, and water stress tolerance of seedlings from five woody species associated with bowé ecosystems. Seeds from each species were subjected to four treatments: a control and three soaking durations (24, 48, and 72 h). A total of 800 seeds were sown in a randomised complete block design with four replications. Seedling emergence parameters, including latency period, duration, and emergence rate, were recorded, followed by monitoring of seedling growth and biomass allocation under three watering regimes (100%, 50%, and 25% field capacity) to assess drought tolerance. Soaking seeds for 72 h significantly improved emergence rate in Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. (from 62.5% to 80%), Detarium microcarpum Guill. & Perr. (from 65% to 77.5%), and Ziziphus mucronata Willd. (from 25% to 45%), but had no effect on Combretum glutinosum Perr. ex DC. or C. nigricans Lepr. ex Guill. & Perr., which achieved 100% emergence regardless of treatment. Z. mucronata and A. senegal exhibited the highest seedling growth across all measured traits. Stress tolerance indices revealed marked interspecific differences: Z. mucronata achieved STI values up to 10× higher than Combretaceae species (stem STI = 10.4 vs. 0.01), while A. senegal and D. microcarpum showed moderate tolerance (total STI = 1.2–1.4). Among the five species, A. senegal, D. microcarpum, and Z. mucronata are the most drought-tolerant, whereas C. nigricans and particularly C.glutinosum are highly stress-sensitive. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for species selection in bowé restoration, suggesting that pre-soaking treatments combined with drought-tolerant species can enhance establishment success in degraded lateritic landscapes.