Articles
Community-based participatory research on propagation of beverage wild tea plant species
Article number
1466_10
Pages
81 – 88
Language
English
Abstract
The Agricultural Research Council (ARC), in partnership with the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) of South Africa, provided research and development support to Setong Tea Crafters (a community comprising of 18 African Indigenous Knowledge Holders, originated from the Bapedi tribe), located in Setong, Marblehall, Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province.
The Setong Pedi community harvests Diya red root and Tepane black bush indigenous tea plant species from the wild.
The harvested raw plant material is subsequently processed into various tea products that are sold in more than 20 local stores across South Africa.
The market demand for Diya and Tepane herbal teas is considerably high due to their rich medicinal properties for human health.
This often results in excessive, unregulated harvesting of these herbal tea species from the wild, posing a significant threat to the species biodiversity and survival.
To mitigate this problem, a community-based participatory research study was conducted to develop simple propagation techniques for Diya and Tepane indigenous herbal tea species.
Preliminary results revealed that root-top chipping and sticking of seeds on moringa branches were the most effective methods for propagating Diya and Tepane, respectively.
These simple propagation techniques may be a viable and suitable option for adoption by community members and farmers.
Adoption of these techniques by farmers and community members may avoid the need to utilize specialized equipment and skills for in vitro culture propagation, which are relatively more expensive and difficult to obtain.
The Setong Pedi community harvests Diya red root and Tepane black bush indigenous tea plant species from the wild.
The harvested raw plant material is subsequently processed into various tea products that are sold in more than 20 local stores across South Africa.
The market demand for Diya and Tepane herbal teas is considerably high due to their rich medicinal properties for human health.
This often results in excessive, unregulated harvesting of these herbal tea species from the wild, posing a significant threat to the species biodiversity and survival.
To mitigate this problem, a community-based participatory research study was conducted to develop simple propagation techniques for Diya and Tepane indigenous herbal tea species.
Preliminary results revealed that root-top chipping and sticking of seeds on moringa branches were the most effective methods for propagating Diya and Tepane, respectively.
These simple propagation techniques may be a viable and suitable option for adoption by community members and farmers.
Adoption of these techniques by farmers and community members may avoid the need to utilize specialized equipment and skills for in vitro culture propagation, which are relatively more expensive and difficult to obtain.
Publication
Authors
N. Araya, D. Sehlola, M. Sithole, J. Malaka, R. Phaahla, N. Phaahla, M. Tang, S.O. Amoo
Keywords
Diya red root, Tepane black bush, Setong Tea Crafters
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