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Résumé :
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Forest trees are an important element of the landscape and many have great economic and cultural value, providing and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people, especially in the tropics. Tropical forests are rich in species diversity, but little is known about the biology of many of the tropical forest tree species, and, in particular, information on the seed biology is very scanty. A shortage of good quality indigenous forest tree seeds has contributed to this situation. However, studies on tropical forest tree seeds in general also remain more complex compared to those on annual crops, as a result of dormancy problems and large variations in seed longevity, compounding the handling problems. Acknowledging the important role that tree seeds play in the developing world, the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) together with Danida Forest Seed Centre (DFSC) (now Forest & Landscape Denmark) initiated a project in 1995 to generate knowledge on the physiology of tropical tree seeds with particular emphasis on priority forest species. This book is the culmination of a six-year project, which aims to improve handling and storage of forest tree seeds. Participants from Africa, Asia and South/Central America were trained, and gained sufficient experience during the execution of the project to ensure the creation of novel, detailed data sets to share with a global audience. The end product is this book on the storability and management of seeds of 52 tropical forest tree species.
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