Melliferous Plants Threatened to Disappearance in Togo
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Journal of Agriculture and Ecology Research International 3(2): 49-58, 2015; Article no.JAERI.2015.031 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org Melliferous Plants Threatened to Disappearance in Togo M. Koudégnan Comlan1*, Akpavi Sêmihinva2 and Edorh Thérèse3 1Palynology, Algology and Paleoecology Laboratory, Botanic and Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lome, Togo. 2Botanic and Ecology Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lome, Togo. 3Palynology, Palynology, Algology and Paleoecology Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lome, Togo. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/JAERI/2015/11818 Editor(s): (1) Claudius Marondedze , Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Reviewers: (1) Anonymous, Cameroon. (2) Anonymous, USA. (3) Tzasna Hernandez, Laboratorio de Farmacognosia. UBIPRO, FES Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico. (4) Anonymous, South Africa. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history.php?iid=922&id=37&aid=7915 Received 5th June 2014 st Original Research Article Accepted 31 December 2014 th Published 28 January 2015 ABSTRACT Pollinic analysis and apicol surveys conducted between 2009 and 2014 on honey sampled directly in beekeeping areas or outlets have permitted discovery of 330 melliferous species Including 45 species (13.64%) which are threatened to extinction in Togo. Compared with Togolese flora, these plants threatened represent 1.29%. Belong to 43 genres, these species threatened which are food plants can be grouped into 24 families and most at risk are the Malvaceae, Anacardiaceae, Fabaceae and Annonaceae. These plants can be divided into two classes: wild and crops plants. The routinely used parts of these plants are the fruits and leaves. In general, nectar plants are the most represented. Keywords: Melliferous plants; threat; Togo. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: Email: [email protected], [email protected]; Koudégnan et al.; JAERI, 3(2): 49-58, 2015; Article no.JAERI.2015.031 ABBREVIATIONS Fig.: figure; - &: and; Trs: tours; -Min: minute; PMAD: Food melliferous plants endangered [In French]; PMSM: Spontaneous minor melliferous plants [In French]; PMCM: Crops minor melliferous plants [In French]; PMSNM: Spontaneous non-minor melliferous plants [In French]. 1. INTRODUCTION This degradation results in major depletion of certain plant species, or even disappearance of Melliferous plants are plants whose flowers the flora of Togo. Actually the flora of Togo is provide nectar or pollen for honey production to evaluated to 3501 species [3]. bee colonies. Besides their role in honey production or provision of pollen, some have 2.2 Pollinic Analysis other uses. They serve as food plants. Apart from their contribution to biodiversity of the Twenty millimeters of honey were collected and regions or areas where they occur, these plants acetolysed [4] to remove molecules like sugars, are very important in nutrition, health and proteins and waxes of pectocellulosic household food security [1]. membranes. For each sample of honey, about 20 They have many virtues in various fields that microliters of the pellet obtained after contribute to the proper development and centrifugation at 3000 rpm ± 100 for 10 minutes sustainable environmental management. with a centrifuge "juan c 3 12" was mounted Unfortunately, facing environmental, economic, between microscopic slide and cover glasses for socioal and cultural perpetual change, many of microscopic observation. The observations were them which were appreciated in the consumption performed using a light microscope biloculaire are neglected, underutilized and endangered [2]. "Nikon Eclipse ci" to 400x and 1000x magnifications. Each preparation was then fully The objective of this work is to identify the explored and the readings were progressively melliferous species that are endangered or done on the horizontal lines of a periphery to threatened by different uses in Togo and another for inventory all their palynological evaluate them compared with all melliferous population. Determinations were made at the species which currently constitute melliferous species level or genus or family in this study. flora of Togo. 2.3 Ethnobotanical Surveys 2. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES In all, 280 communities of Togo were surveyed. 2.1 Study Zone They include 38 cultural groups, some of which majority and everywhere in the country and other The study was performed in the five ecological minority located in an area or even a single zones of Togo (Fig. 1). Togo is bordered to the village [5]. The number of ethnocultural groups north by Burkina Faso, to the south by the varies from one locality to another. Also, the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by Benin and to the samples within an ethnocultural group were west by Ghana. This country is located between based on the importance of the geographical 6° and 11° North latitude and between 0° and 2° distribution of that group in the country. East. It covers an area of approximately 56,600 km² with a population of 6,191,155 inhabitants. In these localities, the chosen people, often with The Togo extends over a length of 600 km and a the assistance of local authorities (Leaders of width varying from 45 km at the coast and 140 Village Development Committees and km at Bassar. It has a tropical climate which agricultural groups, the farmers of the Third Age , varies from south to north. It is determined by etc), are of all social strata: men, women, heads two main currents of air: the monsoon and the of households, young and old, rich and poor, harmattan. farmers, agro-pastoralists and people engaged in an activity other than agriculture, etc. These Mainly composed of over 80% rural, the respondents were in groups of 2-70 individuals Togolese population lives essentially of with an average size of 11 people. agriculture. Thus, to meet the food needs of a growing population, the different vegetation Data collection was carried out with the support formations are continuously degraded and of a multidisciplinary team at the Laboratory of replaced with food or cash crops and plantations. 50 Koudégnan et al.; JAERI, 3(2): 49-58, 2015; Article no.JAERI.2015.031 Botany and Plant Ecology by ethnobotanical species inventoried and appointed enabled the surveys. Semi-structured interviews coupled with development of two major categories of species: direct observations at home, in the fields and market places were organized [6,7]. The survey Alimentary cultivated and minor was conducted using an interview guide spontaneous plants (wild) melliferous ; this previously established and tested on a small category regroup alimentary plants that are sample. rarely used or underutilized [2,15] and food plants whose original geographical Most species encountered were determined distribution is reduced; directly in the field. Those who are difficult to Alimentary plants spontaneous melliferous identify were sampled and placed in a herbarium or cultivated endangered to for laboratory identification according to certain disappearance. nomenclatures [8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Photos of In general, endangered melliferous food plants the plants have been taken in the field for the include minor and non-miners plants that are identification and illustration. Pretreatment of all overexploited (Fig. 2). LEGENDE Zone I :Northern Plains Zone II :Mountains North Zone III : Central Plains Zone IV : Mountains Southwest Zone V : Coastal Plain Zones map 0 --------- 50 km ecological of Togo Fig. 1. Map of ecological zones of Togo (source: koudégnan et al. (2014)) 51 Koudégnan et al.; JAERI, 3(2): 49-58, 2015; Article no.JAERI.2015.031 Food melliferous plants Limited geographical distribution Wide geographical distribution Sociocultural, economic and natural factors Underutilization Overexploitation Rational exploitation Alimentary minor Alimentary melliferous plants melliferous plants (PMMA) endangered (PMAD) Plants of the past and present! What actions? Plants for the future Fig. 2. Conceptual model definitions minor plants or disappearance (Source: extract of Akpavi S. et al. [18] (2008)) 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (A. Rich.) Engl. & Diels, Ipomoea mauritiana Jacq., Irvingia gabonensis 3.1 Results (Aubry- Lecomte ex O'Rorke) Baill., Lannea acida A. Rich., Nauclea latifolia A total of 45 species were identified which are Sm., Parkia clappertoniana Keay, Paullinia grouped in 43 genus and 24 families. pinnata L., Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst, Spondias mombin L., Strychnos 3.1.1 Distribution of alimentary melliferous spinosa Lam., Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) species threatened according to Willd., Tamarindus indica L., Uvaria categories of plants chamae P. Beauv., Vitellaria paradoxa CF Gaertner Ximenia americana L. and Alimentary melliferous plants endangered consist Zanthoxylum zanthoxylloides (Lam.) of (Fig. 3): Zepernick & Timler. Minor cultivated plants melliferous “PMCM” Minor spontaneous melliferous plants (16 %) formed to Anacardium occidentalis “PMSM” (62 %) constituted by Amaranthus L., Carica papaya L., Corchorus olitorius spinosus L., Annona senegalensis Pers., L., Cyperus esculentus L., Elaeis Balanites aegyptica (L.) Del., Blighia guineensis Jacq , Psidium guajava L. and sapida C. König, Bombax