Irvingia - Management

Management

Till some years ago 90% of the dika products were harvested from scattered, wild trees. They were not especially planted, because it was believed, that it takes up to 15 years till a tree bears fruits. Although they were not planted, their occurrence is high because they were also rarely lumbered. In a plantation using marcots (air-layering plants) florisation was observed two to four years after planting. Dika has no history as managed crop, that is why not a lot experience is gathered upon cultivating it. Germination from seeds is low and when they are not handled carefully, most fail to germinate. In trials was observed that they already three to five years after planting. Harvesting fruits at the mature green stage and let maturate at 26°-29°C were preferred in color and texture to those which naturally ripened on the tree. The seeds are mostly extracted by braking the episperm by hand. Different techniques are common in different countries. Sometimes seeds are harvested from fresh fruits, sometimes they are let fermenting in the sun. All those techniques are very time consuming.