Coconut

Cultivation practices of coconut

1. Production technology for fruit and plantation crops-HT-244 (2+1) PRESENTED BY: RAKESH KUMAR PATTNAIK Asst. Prof. Horticulture MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Dt- 16-06-20 LECTURE 12. COCONUT

2. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Cocos nucifera L. Family: Arecaceae . Origin of coconut : Malaysia or Indonesia Introduction: It is considered as Kalpavriksha as it provides the basic necessities of life. Coco = Spanish word meaning monkey face (probably refers to the three scars on the base of the shell resembling two eyes and a nose of monkey face. Average national coconut productivity = 40 to 50 nuts per palm per year. Research and Development on coconut in India CPCRI: The important organizations conducting research on coconut in India include Central Plantation Crops Research Institute under ICAR and state Agril . Universities.

3. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Area and Production of coconut in the world Kerala stands first in India in area and production of coconut while productivity is highest in Andhra Pradesh. Major problems of Coconut production in India  1. Root wilt disease in coconut and = Mainly in South Kerala  2. Fluctuation in prices of coconut. Composition and uses of coconut 1) Nut : 1) Coconut water – increases blood circulation in kidneys , i.e., diuretic and eliminates mineral poisoning. 2) Kernel 3) Shell 4) Husk

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5. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Coconut water Nata De cocoa: 3) Kernel/ meat Fresh form is used in  Culinary preparations.  Composition of fresh coconut  Water = 45 per cent  Protein = 04 per cent  Fat = 37 per cent  Minerals = 4 per cent  Carbohydrate = 10 per cent 4) Copra: Dried kernel. Richest source of vegetable fat containing 60 to 67 per cent oil There are two types of copra i.e., 1) Ball copra =Whole = It is prepared by storing fully mature nuts ( unhusked) for 8 to 12 months. 2) Cup copra= split into two halves = Cup copra is used for house hold purpose in North India, since fresh nuts are not available for edible purpose. Oil = 60 to 67 per cent Lauric oil : Virgin coconut oil Oil cake Coir Pith Coconut Shell based Products Husk Stage of nut maturity for best quality coir = 10th month stage Husk in coconut is about 30 to 45 per cent of nut weight on ripening. In the husk about 30 per is fibre and 70 per cent is coir dust. 6) Toddy:

6. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Climate and Soil for coconut Climate Tropical palm : Coconut is a tropical palm preferring humid tropical climate. Best yields from coconut plantations are realized under the following conditions; 1) Latitude: Ninety per cent of coconut in the world is grown between 20º N and 20 º S from equator. 2) Altitude: Generally upto 600m. Can be grown at higher elevation (1000 m.) at higher elevations if near equator. 3) Temperature: = 27 to 32 º C , Mean annual temperature of 27 º C with a diurnal ( hagalina or pratidinada ) variations of 6 to 7 ºC is ideal.( Hence, in North India we cant grow coconut profitably) 4) Rainfall: 1,800 to 2,500 mm per year, well distributed 5) A sun loving palm : Insolation/sunlight: Coconut being a sun loving palm requires plenty of sunlight and does not come up well under shade. Requirement of sun light hours : It requires 7.1hrs. of sunshine per day;; 2000 hrs or more per year. Palms under shade will be lean, lanky and unproductive. 6) Humidity: Coconut likes tropical humid climate and 80 to90 per cent relative humidity (RH) is ideal.

7. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Soils for coconut cultivation Ideal soils for better growth should be 1) Well drained 2) Deep: At least 1 to 1.5 m deep, 3) PH = 5.20 to 8 4) Rich in organic matter with good water holding capacity Cultivars and hybrids in coconut 1 ) Tall palms and 2) Dwarf palms:

8. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES I Tall Varieties: West Coast Tall (WCT), East Coast Tall (ECT), Lakshadweep Ordinary (Chandra Kalpa ), Lakshadweep Micro (LM), Andaman Ordinary, Phillippines Ordinary ( Kerachandra ) II Dwarf Varieties: These are shorter in stature and life span as compared to talls . They start flowering in 3-4 years, grow rapidly and bear heavily but have a tendency of irregular bearing. Size of copra and quality is inferior to talls . Eg : Choughat Dwarf Orange (it is superior to dwarf green in yield and quality) , chowghat Dwarf green, Malayan Dwarf yellow, Malayan Dwarf Green, Malayan Dwarf Orange and Gangabondam (grown popularly in AP), Coconino ( grown in phillippines for good quality toddy production) Dwarfs are usually grown for tender nut production Hybrid production and for ornamental value

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10. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES ESTABLISHMENT OF COCONUT PLANTATION 1) SELECTION OF SITE: Avoid Low lying areas subject to water stagnation, Shallow soils with underlying hard rock i.e., At least 1 to 1.50 m deep Clayey soils: Can be reclaimed by heaping alternate layers of sand and clay. Shady situations is avoided 2) PLANTING MATERIALS: Coconut is a cross pollinated palm and selection at various stages is very important to eliminate poor quality seed nuts and seedlings. Coconut being perennial, the performance of palm can be judged only after 15 years of planting. Selection of Mother palm, Seed nuts and seedlings in coconut A. Selection of Seed Plantation In every coconut growing country certain areas of reputation in coconut production like Arasikere and Tiptur in Karnataka are identified as Centres of Coconut mother palm selection. The selected plantation should be Having high proportion of heavy bearing palms. Free from major pest and diseases. Avoid small plantation maintained under very favorable conditions as we can not assess the inherent yield potential. Avoid palms located near the cattle shed and compost pits.

11. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES B) SELECTION OF MOTHER PALMS Adequate care should be taken while selecting mother palms in coconut as to avoid palms of low genetic potential. Take care to select mother palms based on the following features in a reputed coconut seed plantation. 1. Age of the palms: It should attain a age of at least 20 years and not above 60 years of age . Select palms which have attained full bearing stage and have been giving regularly high yields for atleast four years (if it is from unknown parentage). However, seed nuts can be collected from newly established seed gardens irrespective of its age as it comes form the progeny of known parentage. 2. Yield: Selected palms should be a regular high yielder yielding  not less than 100 nuts per palm per year  Not less than 150 g copra content per nut ( Nut weight = 1.20 kg unhusked and 0.60 kg husked) 3. Shape of the crown (Nature and disposition of leaves on the crown): In coconut total number of fronds on the crown should be more than 30 and generally crown shape is

12. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES 4. Nature, 5. Size and shape of nuts: Fully dried unhusked nuts should weigh more than 1.20 kg a C) SELECTION OF SEED NUTS Season of nut collection: Maturity of nuts: Resonant or ringing sound on tapping: Browning of inner fibers : Storage of seed nuts : D) SELECTION OF SEEDLINGS Early germination: Vigourous seedlings:

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14. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES METHODS OF SOWING SEED NUTS IN COCONUT Vertical method of sowing seed nuts: Horizontal method: Raising of nursery Poly bag nursery for coconut sowing Planting in coconut TIME OF PLANTING PREPARATION OF PITS FOR PLANTING

15. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES MANURING IN COCONUT Organic manure: 50 kg per palm per year. Addition of neem cake @ 1 to 5 kg per palm is also beneficial / recommended. RDF for coconut (4th year onwards) : 500 : 330 : 1200 g NPK per palm per year West coast =Basin method= 200 liters per palm per irrigation at four days intervals.  West coast= Drip irrigation = 32 litres per palm per day (at 66 % of open pan evaporation) = 30 to 40 liters per palm per day  Ring method = 60 liters per palm per day

16. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Cover cropping in coconut Multiple cropping in coconut : INTERCROPPING: Tropical Tuber crops like tapioca, elephant foot yam, sweet potato, colocasia , greater yam, lesser yam, 2) Rhizome spice crops: Ginger and turmeric 3) Cereals: Upland rice varieties, Maize, pearl millet, finger millet ( Eleusine corecana ), 4) Vegetable: in maidan areas of Karnataka= Chillies, potato, French beans, Kasaragod (Coastal tract) conditions = Coccinia , snake gourd, bottle gourd, amaranthus , brinjal, bitter gourd, 5) Pulses =Cowpea, black gram, green gram, red gram, Bengal gram, soya bean, in maidan tracts of Karnataka. Under Kerala conditions it is horse gram, cow pea, green gram, and black gram, 6) Oil seeds : ground nut, 7) Fruit crops: Banana and pine apple. Papaya can also can be intercropped with coconut. 8) Floriculture: Orchids, anthuriums, and other cut flowers and ornamentals can be successfully grown in coconut plantation. 9) Medicinal and aromatic plants: Lemon grass, Kacholam , dioscorea , arrow root, sida , hippali (Long pepper), neela amari , Patcholi ( Pogostemon , ) adapathiyan

17. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES MIXED CROPPING : Growing of perennial crops in association with coconut palm is referred to as coconut based mixed cropping. Eg. Cocoa, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, betel vine, jack, bread fruit, cardamom, coffee, vanilla and mango Plant Protection in coconut Pests: 1) Rhinocerus beetle 2) Leaf eating caterpiller Red palm weevil 3) Root grubs 4) Mites , Eriophid mite Mealy bugs 5) Scales 6) Coreid bugs 7) Rats etc Diseases: 1. Bud rot Stem bleeding 2. Anabe roga 3. Pestalotia leaf spot /Grey leaf spot : 4. Thanjavar wilt / Ganoderma wilt: 5. Root (wilt) disease: 6. Mahali or fruit rot and nut fall: Other diseases: 1) Button shedding, 2) Production of barren nuts, 3) Root wilt, 4) Tatipaka in AP 5) Leaf yellowing and 6) Tapering or pencil point disease.

18. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Harvest and yield in coconut: Pre bearing age in coconut : Tall : 6 to 7 years Dwarfs : 3 to 4 years Hybrids : 4 to 5 years. Longivity of the palm : Talls = 70-80 years, and Dwarfs = 40 - 50 years. Stage of harvesting : For getting copra fully matured nuts (Ripen nuts ) are harvested. For tender nut purpose : 6 to 7th months stage Yield: 80 to 100 nuts per palm per year . (National average yield is 44 nuts per palm per year) Hybrids: 100 to 130 nuts per palm per year, Storage and seasoning of harvested nuts: Harvested nuts are stored or seasoned before further processing. This practice has the following advantages: Decrease in moisture content, Increase in thickness of copra Increase in oil content, Greater meat resistance to bacterial sliming while sun drying, Easier husking, Cleaner and easier shelling, Uniform quality of copra,

19. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES Post harvest processing Copra processing Moisture : 6 per cent Oil content : 71 per cent Acid value : 2.5 per cent Foreign matter : 0.5 per cent Mouldy cups : 5 per cent Wrinkled cup : 5 per cent (free) Black copra : 1 per cent (free) Coconut Value Addition Tender coconut water : Coconut chips : Virgin Coconut Oil Husk: About 30 per cent of husk is fibre and 70 per cent is coir dust Coconut shell charcoal Handicrafts from coconut Coconut wood

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