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Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper

Received: 25 June 2023    Accepted: 20 July 2023    Published: 15 August 2023
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Abstract

Gum Arabic and resins production is affected by many factors. Some of these factors biotic and others are non-biotic. The most important non-biotic factor is the tapping of the tree. However, tapping should be done properly in a way which does not harm the tree health. The purpose of this paper is to review and document tapping tools for gum Arabic and resins production. The most efficient and recommended tapping tool nowadays is Sonki compared with the traditional axe (Farrar). The Sonki was developed by the Gum Arabic Research Division (GRD) in Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and it was considered as efficient and effective and cheap tapping tool. It could be locally manufactured and easily adopted by the gum tappers in the gum belt of Sudan. It is reported that it is multi-function tool where it could be used for tapping the tree and harvesting the gum. Sonki does not record any negative effect on the tree health. On the other hand, it does not show any danger to the producers or the workers. It is worth to mention that it could be easily used by women and teenage. The Sonki is socially accepted, economically feasible and environmentally safe. Recently, the Sonki was adopted for training by international organizations such as IFAD, FAO, WFP and many other local and national organizations. Accordingly, it is said that it is the best and appropriate tool to be used for tapping Acacia senegal trees across gum belt in Sudan. Other tools such as Mengaf is widely used for resin production and axe for talha gum production. The review revealed that Acacia senegal is tapped by three tools where Sonki is the only recommended one. Acacia seyal is tapped by four tools, where Axe is the most common one, however, no significant difference recorded between the four in term of productivity. Acacia polycantha is tapped by three tools in which Farrar is the most common. For resins production, Boswellia papyrifera tree is tapped by Mengaf while Sterculia setigera tree is tapped by both Mengaf and Sumbok.

Published in American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (Volume 8, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12
Page(s) 33-40
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Gum Production, Resins, Acacia senegal, Tapping, Frankincense, Karaya Gum, Sudan, Ethiopia

References
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[16] Fadl, E. M. And Gebauer, J (2004). Effect of different tapping tools and different tapping positions on (Talh Gum) yield of Acacia seyal var. seyal in South Kordofan, Sudan, Conference paper, 5-7 October 2004, Deutscher Tropentag. Berlin.
[17] FAO (1978). Forestry for Local Community Development. Forestry paper No. 7. Rome.
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[20] GITEC Consult GMBH (1982). Gum Arabic Development: Restocking of the Gum Belt and Production of Spray-Dries Gum in the Sudan, Final Report, the Democratic Republic of the Sudan, Ministry of National Planning.
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[27] Mohammed H. Mohammed (2011). Management of Natural Stands of Acacia seyal Del. variety seyal (Brenan) for Production of Gum Talha, South Kordofan, Sudan. Technical University of Dresden, Institute of Forest Growth and Computer Sciences, Tharandt, Germany.
[28] Musa A. M. A. (2021). Effect of some tapping tools and intensity on gum Arabic yield of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal trees in clay soil of Gedarif State, A Thesis submitted For Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the M.Sc. Degree in Forestry Science, Sudan, Sudan University of Science and Technology.
[29] NAS (1980). National Academy of Science, firewood crops: shrub and tree species for energy production. Washington, DC.
[30] National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University and the Rubber Research Institute of Nigerian Benin. Production of Gum Arabic, Extension Bulletin No. 78 Forestry Series No. 11.
[31] Sayeda, A. A. Khalil, H. A., El Atta and I. M. Aref (2011). Increased gum arabic production after infestation of Acacia senegal with Aspergillus flavus and Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes transmitted by Agrilus nubeculosus. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 10 (37), pp. 7166-7173, 20 July, 2011.
[32] Sharma, S. C., N. Prasad, S. K. Pandey, S. K. Giri (2016). A Review on Status of Gum Tapping and Scope for Improvement, Vol. 47 No. 3 2016 Agricultural Mechanization in Asia, Africa, And Latin America.
[33] Taha, M. E., Elsir Y. M. Ali, Muneer S. Elyas, Hatim M. A. Elamin and Tsegaye Bekele (2015). Productivity of Gum Talha in Response to Growth Parameters and Tapping Techniques in South Kordofan, Sudan, Modern Agricultural Science and Technology, USA.
[34] Vidal Hall, M. P. (1961). Report on Gum Arabic 1985-1961. Gum Research Division, Elobeid, Sudan. In Sief Eldin, Abuelgasim (2014). The Gum Arabic, Mohammed Omer Bashir Center, Khartoum, Sudan.
[35] Wekesa C., Makenzi P., Chikamai B. N., Lelon J. K., Luvanda A. M. and Muga M (2009). Gum arabic yield in different varieties of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd in Kenya. African Journal of Plant Science Vol. 3 (11), pp. 263-276, November, 2009.
[36] Zenebe Adimassu, Aad Kessler, Leo Stroosnijder (2014). Farmers' strategies to perceived trends of rainfall and crop productivity in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Environmental Development www.elsevier.com/locate/envdev http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2014.04.004 2211-4645/& 2014 Elsevier B.V.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Muneer Elyas Siddig Eltahir, Kamal Eldin Mohamed Fadl, Mohammed Adam Abbas Hamad, Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Safi, Hatim Mohamed Ahmed Elamin, et al. (2023). Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper. American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 8(3), 33-40. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12

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    ACS Style

    Muneer Elyas Siddig Eltahir; Kamal Eldin Mohamed Fadl; Mohammed Adam Abbas Hamad; Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Safi; Hatim Mohamed Ahmed Elamin, et al. Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper. Am. J. Eng. Technol. Manag. 2023, 8(3), 33-40. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12

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    AMA Style

    Muneer Elyas Siddig Eltahir, Kamal Eldin Mohamed Fadl, Mohammed Adam Abbas Hamad, Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Safi, Hatim Mohamed Ahmed Elamin, et al. Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper. Am J Eng Technol Manag. 2023;8(3):33-40. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12,
      author = {Muneer Elyas Siddig Eltahir and Kamal Eldin Mohamed Fadl and Mohammed Adam Abbas Hamad and Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Safi and Hatim Mohamed Ahmed Elamin and Yahia Ibrahim Mohammed Abutaba and Faisal Ismail Musa and Tarig Elsheikh Mahmoud and Asmamaw Alemeu and Hamdon Ali Abdelrhman and Osman Elsaid Adlan and Salih Omer Tutu and Mohammed Hamed Mohammed and Yahia Omer Adam Gumaa and Awadelkareem Suliman Osman Khalifa and Abdalaziz Elsaid Hamad and Seif Aldin Dawina Abdallah Faragallah and Mohammed Osman Hassan and Medani Ismaeil and Heba Abdalla Noureldeen and Alsammani Ali Mohammed and Elsayed Mohamed Elmustafa Osman and Mohamed Elnour Taha and Manal Awad Kheiry},
      title = {Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper},
      journal = {American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management},
      volume = {8},
      number = {3},
      pages = {33-40},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajetm.20230803.12},
      abstract = {Gum Arabic and resins production is affected by many factors. Some of these factors biotic and others are non-biotic. The most important non-biotic factor is the tapping of the tree. However, tapping should be done properly in a way which does not harm the tree health. The purpose of this paper is to review and document tapping tools for gum Arabic and resins production. The most efficient and recommended tapping tool nowadays is Sonki compared with the traditional axe (Farrar). The Sonki was developed by the Gum Arabic Research Division (GRD) in Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and it was considered as efficient and effective and cheap tapping tool. It could be locally manufactured and easily adopted by the gum tappers in the gum belt of Sudan. It is reported that it is multi-function tool where it could be used for tapping the tree and harvesting the gum. Sonki does not record any negative effect on the tree health. On the other hand, it does not show any danger to the producers or the workers. It is worth to mention that it could be easily used by women and teenage. The Sonki is socially accepted, economically feasible and environmentally safe. Recently, the Sonki was adopted for training by international organizations such as IFAD, FAO, WFP and many other local and national organizations. Accordingly, it is said that it is the best and appropriate tool to be used for tapping Acacia senegal trees across gum belt in Sudan. Other tools such as Mengaf is widely used for resin production and axe for talha gum production. The review revealed that Acacia senegal is tapped by three tools where Sonki is the only recommended one. Acacia seyal is tapped by four tools, where Axe is the most common one, however, no significant difference recorded between the four in term of productivity. Acacia polycantha is tapped by three tools in which Farrar is the most common. For resins production, Boswellia papyrifera tree is tapped by Mengaf while Sterculia setigera tree is tapped by both Mengaf and Sumbok.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Tapping Tools for Gum Arabic and Resins Production: A Review Paper
    AU  - Muneer Elyas Siddig Eltahir
    AU  - Kamal Eldin Mohamed Fadl
    AU  - Mohammed Adam Abbas Hamad
    AU  - Ahmed Ismail Ahmed Safi
    AU  - Hatim Mohamed Ahmed Elamin
    AU  - Yahia Ibrahim Mohammed Abutaba
    AU  - Faisal Ismail Musa
    AU  - Tarig Elsheikh Mahmoud
    AU  - Asmamaw Alemeu
    AU  - Hamdon Ali Abdelrhman
    AU  - Osman Elsaid Adlan
    AU  - Salih Omer Tutu
    AU  - Mohammed Hamed Mohammed
    AU  - Yahia Omer Adam Gumaa
    AU  - Awadelkareem Suliman Osman Khalifa
    AU  - Abdalaziz Elsaid Hamad
    AU  - Seif Aldin Dawina Abdallah Faragallah
    AU  - Mohammed Osman Hassan
    AU  - Medani Ismaeil
    AU  - Heba Abdalla Noureldeen
    AU  - Alsammani Ali Mohammed
    AU  - Elsayed Mohamed Elmustafa Osman
    AU  - Mohamed Elnour Taha
    AU  - Manal Awad Kheiry
    Y1  - 2023/08/15
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12
    T2  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
    JF  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
    JO  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
    SP  - 33
    EP  - 40
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1441
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20230803.12
    AB  - Gum Arabic and resins production is affected by many factors. Some of these factors biotic and others are non-biotic. The most important non-biotic factor is the tapping of the tree. However, tapping should be done properly in a way which does not harm the tree health. The purpose of this paper is to review and document tapping tools for gum Arabic and resins production. The most efficient and recommended tapping tool nowadays is Sonki compared with the traditional axe (Farrar). The Sonki was developed by the Gum Arabic Research Division (GRD) in Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) and it was considered as efficient and effective and cheap tapping tool. It could be locally manufactured and easily adopted by the gum tappers in the gum belt of Sudan. It is reported that it is multi-function tool where it could be used for tapping the tree and harvesting the gum. Sonki does not record any negative effect on the tree health. On the other hand, it does not show any danger to the producers or the workers. It is worth to mention that it could be easily used by women and teenage. The Sonki is socially accepted, economically feasible and environmentally safe. Recently, the Sonki was adopted for training by international organizations such as IFAD, FAO, WFP and many other local and national organizations. Accordingly, it is said that it is the best and appropriate tool to be used for tapping Acacia senegal trees across gum belt in Sudan. Other tools such as Mengaf is widely used for resin production and axe for talha gum production. The review revealed that Acacia senegal is tapped by three tools where Sonki is the only recommended one. Acacia seyal is tapped by four tools, where Axe is the most common one, however, no significant difference recorded between the four in term of productivity. Acacia polycantha is tapped by three tools in which Farrar is the most common. For resins production, Boswellia papyrifera tree is tapped by Mengaf while Sterculia setigera tree is tapped by both Mengaf and Sumbok.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Forestry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Blue Nile, Ad-Damazin, Sudan

  • Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Blue Nile, Ad-Damazin, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Department of Natural Resources Management, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Forestry, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Gum Arabic Program, Elobeid Research Station, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Institute of Gum Arabic Research and Desertification Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, Elobeid, Sudan

  • Faculty of Geography, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

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