https://scialert.net Ecologia en-us Science Alert Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:11:57 +0200 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:14:14 +0200 RssPublisher 0.2.0 beta https://scialert.net/images/logo.gif https://scialert.net 41 233 Ecologia Flowering and Fruiting Phenology of Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) for Optimized Controlled Pollination Background and Objective: Developing a reproducible manual pollination technique is essential for any breeding program. The study aimed to determine floral and fruit phenology and assess the effects of floral developmental stage and inflorescence isolation bag type on fruit set rates in a preliminary study of controlled pollination in shea trees. Materials and Methods: Data on flower buds, flowers and fruits were collected from 13 flowering shea trees in the Gogbala village parkland. The effects of three flower development stages and three inflorescence isolation bag types on fruit sets were tested. Per tree, 45 inflorescences were bagged at different development stages and manually pollinated with fresh pollen. Statistical analysis, including ANOVA (5% threshold), Student’s t-test (5% threshold), PCA and HAC, identified the optimal flowering stage and pollination bag type for hand pollination. Results: The results showed that the average time between the appearance of the flower bud and the ripening of the fruit in the shea tree was 155 days and three stages of flower development were also identified. Stages 1, 2 and 3 were observed at 24, 25 and 26 days after the appearance of the flower bud, respectively. Finally, this study showed that manual pollination of stage 2 flowers using a poplin-type bag for inflorescence isolation gave the best fruit set rate (90.00%). Conclusion: In the shea breeding program, it could be recommended to carry out manual pollination 25 days after the appearance of the flower bud using poplin isolation bags.]]> https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=ecologia.2025.1.14 11 June, 2026