The concurrent impacts of drought and leaf harvesting on two traditional African vegetable non-timber forest product species

Investigating the concurrent impacts with harvesting on wild vegetables can guide their sustainable management while contributing to the understanding of such impacts on NTFP species. This study investigated leaf production, morphological and growth responses to the concurrent impacts of drought and leaf harvesting between two wild vegetables. A randomized greenhouse experiment was implemented with 1,334 plants of Amaranthus sp. and 391 of B. pilosa. A drought treatment was first implemented through six levels of drought stress and a control treatment. The harvesting treatment consisted of four harvesting levels and was implemented twice. Measurements were recorded before first and second harvests and at end of experiment. Data were separated into two periods (after first and second harvests) and analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance and log-linear analysis. The results showed significant effects of drought on both species. However, Amaranthus sp. appeared more resilient to reduction in the daily amount of water than reduction in the frequency, while B. pilosa was resilient under both facets of drought stress. For Amaranthus sp., basal diameter, its growth, leaf production and survival increased with increase in the harvesting level (with some exceptions) after first harvest. After second harvest, there was decrease in plant height and leaf production. In B. pilosa, the impact was only significant on survival and leaf production (after first harvest). The effect of the interaction of the two drivers was significant for Amaranthus sp., but not for B. pilosa. The results also highlighted the possible negative impact of a prolonged high rate harvesting on the species performance, especially under severe drought. Basal diameter, its growth, survival and leaf production appeared more resilient to reduced amounts of watering in Amaranthus sp., and under both types of drought stress for B. pilosa. This suggests that both species could be sustained under medium drought stress.