Rootstock Propagation Methods Affect the Growth and Productivity of Three Improved Cultivars of Ber in Mali, West Africa

The adaptation of three improved cultivars of ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) from India to farming conditions in the Sudanian zone of the Sahel region was tested in Mali. The three cultivars used as scions were Seb, Umran, and Sotubata. The use of coppices of local ber resulted in a significantly better growth and higher fruit production on all the grafts of the three cultivars when compared with nursery seedling rootstocks. The cultivars also performed significantly better in the South Sudanian zone than in the more-arid North Sudanian zone. The highest fruit yield of 38 kg per tree was achieved on coppices in the South Sudanian zone. It was concluded that the high success of this experiment offers a great opportunity for adoption of the three improved cultivars of ber using coppice shoots as rootstock to optimize their use in parkland agroforestry systems in the South Sudanian zone of the Sahel region of West Africa.