Detarium Senegalense - Practical Information

Practical Information

Fruits such as sweet detar can contribute to successful interventions to improve local livelihoods as they are rich in nutrients, require minimal preparation, and have flavours that appeal to many tastes. Storing sweet detar at temperatures around 4 degrees Celsius will preserve its quality by limiting the loss of vitamin C. As the fruit goes bad, the coating will change to a brown-yellow colour. A sieve is useful for separating debris and the seed from the pulp of the fruit and a mortar and pestle work well for pureeing the pulp. Though some D. senegalense trees produce toxic fruits, these are often identifiable by the presence of fruits remaining under the trees. If left behind, the trees are likely toxic as animals are normally very quick to take the fruits. Propagation time can be decreased by grafting. For the D. senegalense tree, the apical graft is the most effective when employed at the end of the dry season. It is also important to work toward increasing the local dependency and appreciation of wild fruits when creating interventions as there are some traditional negative stigmas and beliefs concerning the consumption of wild fruits. Conflicts around ownership may arise if trees remain undomesticated. A potential solution is the adoption of salvation forestry, where local people produce local products in a manner that guarantees them a share in the yields.