Pak. J. Bot., 47(6): 2181-2188, 2015.

REPRODUCTIVITY AND PHENOLOGY OF ARGAN (ARGANIA SPINOSA (L.) SKEELS) A RARE TREE ENDEMIC TO THE WEST OF ALGERIA

ZOHRA BENAOUF1*, ALI MILOUDI2, ZAHIRA SOUIDI2, ZOHRA ARABI1

1Laboratory of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Houari Boumediene University of Sciences and Technology (U.S.T.H.B)El Alia, BP 32, Bab Ezzouar, 16111 Algiers, Algeria, 10, si Moussa Fateh, Zone 08, Mascara, Algeria 

2Laboratory of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mascara Algeria 29000, Mamounia, Mascara, Algeria

*Correspondence author e-mail: zbenaouf@yahoo.fr; tel: +213776985892

Abstract: Argania spinosa in its ecological interest is threefold: forest, forage and fruit (oil production). The regeneration of the argan tree, it is important to know the phenology of this species. The study of phenology helps to know precisely the periods of activity of vegetation for productivity measures (Embryogenesis of the pollen grain, pollen deposition, pollen adhesion, fluorescence microscopy of pollen tube growth and Pollen grain size). Our results on the study of the phenology of two taxa of Argania spinosa (Mascara taxa and Mostaganem taxa), Regarding the phenological behavior of the argan under the effect of environmental conditions, we can mention that some argan trees (of Oggaz and one of Stidia) are early trees bloom twice a year in October and in spring, the author trees are late trees manifest activity during periods of the year. Begin to bloom from February until spring, this period is characterized by the breakdown of flower buds and the appearance of flowers on the twigs of the previous year and those of the current year; the fall of their ripe fruit takes place in June of the following year. Argan trees wore two generations of fruit, fruit knotted this season and last season tied fruit maturing. The length of the cycle is detected 9 and 16 months, we believe that a time synchronization in the evolution of physiological behavior argan trees of the two stations with 90%.

Key words: Argan tree, Productivity, Pollen, Phenology, Early, Late trees.