ABSTRACT
Fruits are nutrient suppliers, which are capable of activating several functional metabolisms that are beneficial for the sustenance of human and animal health and wellbeing. Moreover, the nutrient composition (both essential minerals and vitamins) of fruits influences the performance of these functions. Therefore, fruits are indispensable components of human diet since time immemorial. The current study aim to document seasonal variation of fruits in Benin City, Edo State. Data on the seasonal variation of fruits in Benin City, Edo State will be obtained through oral interview. Four markets were visited frequently in the course of this study. The data obtained were documentedand analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft Excel Statistical Package.A total of twenty-six fruits were encountered and documented, they were spread across the following families Cucurbitaceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae, Bromeliaceae, Annonaceae, Caricaceae, Rutaceae, Arecaceae, Sterculiaceae, Cyperaceae, Burseraceae, Apiaceae, Irvingiaceae, Anacadiaceae, Musaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Convolvulaceae. The fruits collected comprises of tree, herb, shrub and grass with 15, 6, 4, and 1 representative respectively. Moreover, more fruits are available during the rainy season (65.38 %) followed by fruits that are available all year round while only few fruits are available in the dry season (7.69 %). This result reveals significant number of fruits in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The study also reveal that Benin City have high diversity of fruits across seasons and this may be due their location within the rain forest belt which is known for its high species diversity. Further studies may focus on assessing the nutrient composition of these fruits through phytochemical screening with a view to improving and diversifying their utilization.
