Seedling ecology of Aucoumea klaineana Pierre, the most important timber species in Central Africa | Ecologie des plantules d'Aucoumea klaineana Pierre, l'essence la plus importante d'Afrique Centrale

Inglés. peer reviewed

Inglés. Aucoumea klaineana Pierre isthemost exploited timber species inCentral Africa. Innatural forests, itsregeneration ishindered byvarious factors, including limited light availability andpest attacks. Toaddress these challenges anddevelop effective forest management practices, acomprehensive understanding of A. klaineana seedling ecology isnecessary. This study investigated thelight requirements andpestresistance of A. klaineana seedlings under different light conditions through an18-month experiment conducted inGabon. Sixshade houses with varying light intensities were constructed, ranging from 1%to62%offullirradiance, along with an unshaded platform representing 100%light. Six-month-old seedlings were planted among shade houses and platform and monitored monthly forgrowth parameters (relative growth rate inheight and diameter), morphological parameters (number ofleaves, both total and compound) and mortality. Productivity (total seedling biomass), biomass allocation traits (leaves, roots, andstem mass ratios), number ofbranches, and symptoms ofpests attacks were assessed after 18months. Results: reveal thatlight conditions influence seedling performance, with optimal levels forbiomass andrelative growth rate indiameter andheight identified between 9%and62%ofrelative irradiance. However, pest infestation, particularly bypsyllids andblack canker, poses substantial threats toseedling growth, health, and form, regardless oflight conditions. Pest attacks hadasignificant impact ongrowth butnotonsurvival, which remained high (97.1 %)even under extreme lights conditions (1%and100 %ofrelative irradiance). The findings underscore theimportance ofintegrating pest management strategies andadapting silvicultural practices tomeet thespecies ’ ecological requirements. Wesuggest planting A. klaineana insmall groups (toallow root anastomoses), separated byother species (tolimit pestcontamination), under light canopy cover (around 9–62% ofrelative irradiance, topromote sustained growth rates attheseedling stage). This approach should ensure the conservation of A. klaineana populations andthelong-term viability ofCentral Africa’stimber industry.