Early growth of Calliandra calothyrsus (Meissner) provenances in the acid soils of southern Cameroon

Provenance evaluation of Calliandra calothyrsus was conducted at Minkoameyos in Yaounde and Nkoemvone, in Ebolowa, southern Cameroon. The aim was to assess early growth performance in provenances of the species in acid soils of the region. The soils of Minkoameyos are regarded as moderately acid (pH 1:1 soil:water 5 to 6 and Al saturation < 20%) while that of Nkoemvone is referred to as very acid (pH 1:1 soil:water < 5 and Al saturation > 40%). Germination potential of the seeds was assessed at two weeks after planting. The growth performance was evaluated at three, six, nine and twelve months for height, diameter, biomass, number of stems and phenological developments. In terms of all the parameters measured, significant (P < 0.05) difference was detected between provenances. Effect of site or the interaction of site by provenance was significant for only some parameters at certain periods. Variation in the over all growth performance between provenance was high and differences between sites was minimal. This indicates that C. calothyrsus grow well both on very acid and moderately acid soils of southern Cameroon. The large genetic variation in growth and biomass production suggest that further screening to isolate desirable traits for genetic improvement effort is essential. In short-term, the current result will allow for immediate selection of superior provenances with desirable traits for use in appropriate agroforestry systems in southern Cameroon. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.