Yield and chemical composition of frankincense from Boswellia papyrifera cutting-based planted trees

Abstract

The population of Boswellia papyrifera is rapidly declining despite its ecological, socio-economic, and cultural importance, highlighting the need for urgent conservation action. While vegetative propagation shows promise, the yield and chemical composition of frankincense from such plantations are not well understood. This study evaluated frankincense yield and chemical composition across three treatments: (i) trees propagated from branch cuttings with no prior tapping, (ii) naturally grown trees rested from tapping for three years, and (iii) naturally grown trees continuously tapped for three years. Yield was measured across nine tapping rounds on 15 trees (five per treatment). Results revealed that trees propagated from cuttings produced significantly higher annual frankincense yields than continuously tapped trees in natural stands. The average yield per tapping round followed a unimodal pattern, peaking at the sixth round before declining over the final three rounds for both planted and naturally grown trees rested for three years. Additionally, frankincense from planted trees exhibited significantly higher moisture content and bioactive compounds than from natural stands. These findings underscore the potential of vegetatively propagated B. papyrifera for frankincense production, and we recommend adopting vegetative propagation and planting of B. papyrifera to enhance its yield and chemical compositions in dryland areas.