Department of Livestock, Wildlife and Fisheries, Garry Magadzire School of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Great Zimbabwe University, P. O. Box 1235 Masvingo

The objective was to assess the various propagation techniques of Sclerocarya birrea in the smallholder area of Chivi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Experiment, interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. Snowball sampling techniques was used to administer questionnaires to farmers who grew S. birrea and produce Marula products leading to 90 participants interviewed. Data from questionnaire was analysed using Minitab statistical package version 14. Participants indicated that most S. birrea trees propagate naturally and some were propagated using seeds. Results show that the use of cuttings produced trees with high survival rate compared to use of seeds. There was significant difference between growth rates of cuttings and seeds (P = 0.006). Seeds showed higher overall growth mean (4.4 cm) than cuttings. Farmers are recommended to use cuttings as planting materials since they have higher survival rates.

Keywords:  Sclerocarya birrea, cultivation, regeneration, smallholder farmers