Beneficial effect of irrigation on Argania spinosa

The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a multi-purpose forest fruit tree of remarkable socio-economic and ecological interest. The tree thrives in a wide range of arid to semi-arid environments characterized by highly fluctuating rainfall. As with other species the flowering and fruiting phases are more vulnerable to these variations. Moreover fruiting is closely linked to flower production and seasonal pollinator activity. The aim of the present work is to fill the gaps in our knowledge of the technical itinerary for orchard management of the argan tree as a fruit tree by determining the effect of drip watering on flowering and fruit production. This aspect remains little studied in trees in situ. The experiment was carried out on two groups of trees (10 irrigated and 10 non-irrigated) at the Ait Meloul FSA reserve in the Admine forest.