COCONUT NURSERY MANAGEMENT

R. V. Nair
B. A. Jerard
K. Samsudeen
V. Niral

CENTRAL PLANTATION CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Kasaragod -671 124, Kerala, INDIA

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CENTRAL PLANTATION CROPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
(Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Kasaragod -671 124, Kerala, INDIA
Phone: 04994-232893, 232894, 232895, 233090
Fax: 91-4994-232322
E-mail: cpcri@nic.in, cpcri@yahoo.com
Web: www.cpcri.gov.in

Published by

Dr. George V. Thomas

Director
Central Plantation Crops Research Institute
Kasaragod -671 124, Kerala, INDIA

Text prepared and edited by

Dr. R.V. Nair

Dr. B. A. Jerard
Dr. K. Samsudeen
Dr. V. Niral

Photo Credits and Cover page

Mr. K. Shyama Prasad

November 2008.

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Introduction:

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the most important and useful

palms in the world. Though coconut provides livelihood for more than ten

million farm families in the country, productivity of coconut plantations are

found to be low. Prevalence of old and senile unproductive palms, poor

genetic base of the existing palms under cultivation are some of the

important reasons for low productivity. It is estimated that about 6.5 million

coconut seedlings are produced in the country against the requirement of

more than 10 million seedlings. The performance of the coconut palm can be

judged only after 10-15 years of planting. The long life span and large capital

outlay involved in establishing a coconut plantation, necessitates the selection

of good quality seed nuts and seedlings, as a first step for the successful

cultivation of the crop. If poor quality planting materials are used for

planting, the new plantation can prove to be uneconomic, causing

considerable loss of time and money to the grower. Therefore, selection of

good quality seed nuts and seedlings is of great importance in the

establishment of coconut plantations. Further, as coconut is cross

pollinated, the palms do not breed true making the selection of seed nuts

and seedlings more difficult and at the same time, important. It is possible

to improve the quality of the planting materials through a series of

selections at the various stages of seed and seedling production.

The various aspects of nursery techniques and selection procedures

are discussed in the following pages.

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Coconut Varieties

Coconut palms are broadly classified into two groups viz., Talls and

Dwarfs. West Coast Tall (WCT) and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) are the

most commonly grown tall and dwarf varieties in India.

Traditionally tall varieties are commercially cultivated and they are

usually known by the place where they are cultivated. They grow to a height

of 15-18 metres and their economic life span extends up to 60 to 75 years.

They can be usually detected by the presence of bole at the base of the palm.

They come to flowering at six to seven years after planting and produce

medium to large sized nuts with good quality of copra and oil content (about

67%). Some of the well known tall varieties are West Coast Tall, Chandra

Kalpa, Kera Chandra, Kalpa Pratibha, Kalpa Dhenu, Kalpa Mitra, Pratap etc.

Dwarf varieties grow up to a height of five to seven metres and their

economic life span extends up to 40 to 50 years. They are traditionally

grown for ornamental and tender nut purpose. They are also extensively

used in hybrid seed production. Three colour forms of dwarf are known to

exist viz. Green, Orange and Yellow. As a result, the dwarfs are usually

known by the colour of the nut and the place where they are originally

cultivated. Some of the well-known dwarf varieties are Chowghat Orange

Dwarf, Chowghat Green Dwarf, Gangabondam Green Dwarf, Kalparaksha,

Malayan Yellow Dwarf and Malayan Orange Dwarf.

Dwarf varieties are usually identified by the absence of bole at the

base of the palm, even when surface planted. They have narrow stem,

marked by short internodes and prominent leaf scars. They come to

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flowering three to four years after planting. They produce small sized nuts

and copra with about 64% oil content.

Hybrids are produced by crosses between talls and dwarfs. When the

dwarf is used as the female and the tall as male, they are called D x T hybrid

and the reciprocal is known as T X D hybrid. They show hybrid vigour for

growth and yield. The released and recommended coconut varieties and

hybrids released by various agencies, for different coconut growing states

are given below. Chandra Sankara, Kera Sankara, Laksha Ganga, Kera

Ganga, Kera Sree, Godavari Ganga, VHC-1, VHC-2, VHC-3 are some of the

popular hybrids.

Released varieties of Coconut

Name Agency Area for which Nut Copra Oil

recommended yield (g/nut) content
(%)
Varieties
Chandrakalpa CPCRI, Kerala, 97 195 70
Kasaragod Karnataka, TN
Kerachandra CPCRI, AP, Maharashtra, 110 198 66
Kasaragod
Chowghat CPCRI, All coconut Tender nut variety
Orange Dwarf Kasaragod growing regions
Kalpa Pratibha CPCRI, West Coast region 91 256 67
Kasaragod and peninsular
India
Kalpa Dhenu CPCRI, West Coast region 86 242 65.5
Kasaragod and Andaman
and Nicobar
Islands
Kalpa Mitra CPCRI, West Coast region 80 241 66.5
Kasaragod and West Bengal
Kalparaksha CPCRI, West Coast region 65 215 65.5
Kasaragod and root (wilt)
disease tracts of
Kerala

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Pratap KKV, Konkan region 150 152 59
Dapoli
VPM-3 TNAU Tamil Nadu 77 191 66
ALR 1 TNAU Tamil Nadu 126 131 64
Kamrupa AAU Assam 101 162 64
Kera Sagara KAU Kerala 99 203 67.8
Hybrids
Chandra CPCRI, Kerala, 110 208 68
Sankara Kasaragod Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu
Kera Sankara CPCRI, Kerala, 106 198 68
Kasaragod Karnataka,
Maharashtra, AP
Chandra Laksha CPCRI, Kerala, 109 195 69
Kasaragod Karnataka
Laksha Ganga KAU Kerala, Tamil 108 195 70
Nadu
Kera Ganga KAU Kerala 100 201 69
Kera Sree KAU Kerala 112 216 66
Kera Sowbhagya KAU Kerala 130 195 65
Ananada Ganga KAU Kerala 95 216 68
Godavari Ganga APAU AP 140 150 68
VHC-1 Hybrid TNAU Tamil Nadu 98 135 70
VHC-2 Hybrid TNAU Tamil Nadu 107 152 69
VHC-3 Hybrid TNAU Tamil Nadu 156 161 64.5

Selection of Seed Centres and Seed Gardens

In every country with a fairly long history of coconut cultivation,

certain centres are well known for good quality seed nuts and seedlings.

Seedlings, produced from such centres, are always in great demand by

discerning farmers. Within the selected seed centres themselves, gardens

consisting of a high proportion of high yielding palms are occasionally

found. When seed nuts are selected from such high yielding seed gardens,

there is a greater chance of female flowers being pollinated by pollen from

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nearby high yielding palms. Seedlings produced from such high yielding

parental palms, will usually be superior for high yield as compared to

others. In Kerala, coconut growing tracts such as Kuttiadi in Kozhikode

district and Chavakkad in Thrissur district are utilized for collection of seed

nuts for the past several decades.

Selection of mother palms

For production of quality planting material, it is essential to have good

quality mother palms of the desired varieties. In the absence of commercially

viable vegetative propagation techniques, only seed propagation is possible.

Therefore, mother palm selection is a key factor in planting material

production of coconut. Trees growing near cattle sheds, wells and other

favoured conditions should be avoided, as their true genetic potential may

be masked because of favourable environment.

The important features of superior mother palms are:

a) Regular bearer,

b) straight stout trunk with even growth and closely spaced leaf scars,

c) spherical or semi-spherical crown with short fronds,

d) short and stout inflorescence stalk with bunches, preferably resting on

the leaf petioles of the lower whorl,

e) more than 30 leaves and 12 inflorescences carried evenly on the crown,

f) inflorescence with 25 or more female flowers,

g) consistent high nut yield (about 70 to 80 nuts/annum under rainfed

conditions or 100-120 nuts under irrigated conditions),

g) more than 150g copra per nut and

h) absence of disease and pest incidence.

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 Mother palms should be aged 22 years or more since it will be

necessary to observe their yield for at least 10 years after stabilization of

yield. From young seed gardens, seed nuts can be collected irrespective of

the age of the mother palms, since only high yielding palms with known

genetic potential are maintained in the seed gardens.

Strategy for root (wilt) diseased tracts

In the root (wilt) disease prevalent tracts, in the midst of heavily

diseased palms, high yielding, disease free West Coast Tall (WCT), Chowghat

Green Dwarf (CGD) and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) palms are found.

Such palms can be selected as mother palms and open pollinated nuts of

those palms can be used for large scale planting material production. The

seedlings produced from such palms are expected to be high yielding and

disease-free, as they are produced from high yielding and disease-free

mother palms. The selection criteria to be adopted for the mother palms are

as follows.

West Coast Tall (WCT) palms

i) Mother palms should yield more than 60 nuts or more per palm

per year.

ii) They should be regular bearers, absolutely free from pest and

diseases

iii) They should be more than 35 years of age and surrounded by

palms of which at least 80% are affected by root (wilt) disease.

Chowghat Green Dwarf (CGD) and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) palms

CGD is becoming increasingly popular in the root (wilt) prevalent

tracts because of its higher level of resistance to root (wilt) disease. COD is

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also found to be high yielding in the root (wilt) prevalent tracts. This variety

is known to give satisfactory yield even when the palms are diseased

indicating some degree of tolerance to root (wilt) disease. This has been

released by CPCRI as a variety for tender nut purpose. The mother palms of

CGD and COD should meet the following criteria.

i) Mother palms should be at least 15 years of age.

ii) Mother palms should have typical characteristics of CGD/COD

with regard to palm traits, crown, leaf and nuts.

iii) Palms should yield 80 nuts or more per year and be free from pest

and diseases.

iv) Such palms should be surrounded by palms of which at least 80%

are affected by root (wilt) disease.

Selection of seed nuts

Seed nuts can be collected from selected mother palms commencing

preferably from September to May.

Maturity of seed nut: The mature nuts should be harvested when at least

one nut in the oldest bunch starts becoming dry. In Talls, it takes 11-12

months to become a mature seed nut whereas in dwarfs, nuts will mature in

10-11 months after emergence of the inflorescence. In general, dwarf palms

are to be harvested once in four weeks and tall palms are to be harvested

once in six to eight weeks. They produce a resonant and ringing sound when

hit with the harvesting knife indicating that the husk is dry. Immature nuts

will produce a dull sound. Rope harvest of seed nuts is recommended from

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the trees that are very tall and located in places where the underneath

surface is hard.

Storage of seed nuts: Harvested seed nuts are stored in shade, to prevent

drying of nut water, till their husks become completely dry. Seed nuts of the

tall variety can be stored up to two months after harvest. The seed nuts of

dwarfs should be sown within 15 days of harvest. Nuts without the

splashing sound indicate that the nut water has become dry and hence they

should not be used for sowing.

Selection of site

Soil: Coconut is adapted to a wide range of soil types from coarse sand to

deep soils. However, well-drained friable sandy, sandy loam/loam soils are

best suited for coconut nursery due to the relative ease in removing the

seedlings from the nursery. In laterite soils, sand has to be applied to the

nursery beds. Heavy/clayey soils and waterlogged soils are to be avoided.

The ideal soil pH ranges from 5.5 to 7.0 and the seedlings are tolerant to a

pH range from 4.5 to 8.5. Under irrigation, coconut seedlings tolerate saline

and alkaline soils.

Climate: Coconut palms are cultivated in humid regions lying between

latitude 27oN and 27oS. They are well adapted to full sunlight. However, the

nursery area is to be preferably shaded to get good quality seedlings without

sun scorch. The optimum temperature range for better growth of seedlings

is from 21oC to 35oC. Though coconut can withstand temperatures beyond

this range, the growth, development and yield will be affected. Coconut

palms are well adapted to areas receiving an annual rainfall ranging from

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600mm to 4000mm. Seedlings can be produced at an altitude ranging from

sea level to an elevation 800m above mean sea level.

Water Source: A perennial source of water is required for maintenance of

coconut palms and irrigation is essential for obtaining good coconut yield.

Further, the nursery has to be irrigated regularly for production of planting

material. Sprinkler/micro jet sprinkler/hose irrigation systems are well

suited for irrigating coconut nurseries.

Nursery Structures: Nursery can be raised in the interspaces of the

coconut plantation. The nursery area is to be provided with shade using 50-

75% shade net if the nursery area is in an open space. About 120m2 area

would be required to sow 1000 nuts in flat or raised beds whereas larger

area of 200m2 would be required to maintain 1000 poly bag coconut

seedlings.

Skilled manpower: Skilled climbers are required for harvesting mature

seed nuts from the mother palms. Further, a trained nursery assistant is

required for maintenance of the nursery and for identifying and lifting good

quality seedlings from the nursery.

Seedling Production:

Time of sowing: The time of sowing seed nuts in the nursery will vary

depending on the location (agro-climatic zone) and the monsoon. Sowing of

seed nuts coincident with commencement of the rainy season will reduce

the frequency of irrigation required for getting good germination. The most

appropriate time for sowing seed nuts in the West Coast region is May-June.

However, seed nuts can be sown all round the year under favourable

climatic conditions and good irrigation facilities.

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Nursery bed preparation: Seedbeds should be prepared in an area having

loose and well-drained soil. Raised beds of 10-20 cm height are made to

provide good drainage. Seedbeds are generally of 1m width and convenient

length with 75cm space between beds.

The seedbeds should be drenched with Chlorpyriphos @ 0.05% before

sowing of seed nuts, in areas having termite problem. To prevent bud rot in

seedlings, the nursery can be drenched with 1% Bordeaux mixture, in bud

rot endemic areas.

Sowing of nuts: The seed nuts are generally sown in the nursery beds with

a spacing of 40cm between rows and 30cm between nuts. Generally four or

five rows of seed nuts can be sown in one bed. The nuts may be planted

either horizontally with the widest of the segments at the top or vertically

with stalk-end up. The nuts are covered with soil, such that the top portion

of husk alone is visible as it helps to prevent possible infection of the collar

region of the emerging seedlings. Only seed nuts with nut water should be

selected for sowing. Some seed nuts, even though they are without nut

water, may germinate. Such seed nuts may be soaked in water for 24 to 36

hours prior to sowing.

Irrigation: The seed beds should be irrigated regularly to ensure that the

soil is moist. After sowing, the seed beds should be irrigated thoroughly to

saturation levels and repeated as frequently as necessary. During summer

months, the beds may be irrigated on alternate days. Irrigation can be

provided through hose/micro sprinklers.

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Mulching: The seed beds can be covered with suitable mulch (coconut

leaves, straw or green leaves etc.) to conserve moisture and check the weed

growth.

Weeding: The nursery should be kept free of weeds to allow good growth of

the seedlings.

Management: A record should be maintained indicating the name of variety

sown, date of sowing, number of nuts sown, seedbed number and date of

seed nut harvest. A signboard should be placed preferably in front of each

bed indicating the name of variety sown along with the date of sowing.

Seed nuts of tall varieties begin germination within 60-130 days after

sowing and seed nuts of dwarf varieties germinate 30-95 days after sowing.

Generally, germination is recorded till the fifth month of sowing and a good

seed lot will give 80 to 90% germination. Seed nuts that do not germinate

within 5 months after sowing as well as those with dead sprouts can be

removed from the nursery. Such rejected seed nuts can be used for

production of copra.

Chemical fertilizers need not be applied to the seedlings in the nursery

since the seedlings are usually nourished by the endosperm. Moreover,

application of chemical fertilizers can mask the true genetic potential of

seedlings, making the selection of genetically superior seedlings difficult.

Poly bag seedling production: Poly bag nursery can be adopted for

producing more vigorous seedlings with better root system. Compared to the

nursery in the field, watering, weeding and roguing operations for the

elimination of unwanted seedlings are easier in poly bag nursery. The

seedlings can be raised in black polythene bags (500-gauge thickness) of 60

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cm x 45 cm size for bigger nuts and 45 cm x 45 cm for smaller nuts. The

bottom of the bags is to be provided with 8-10 holes for draining the excess

water. To fill 100 bags, around 2-2.5m3 of potting mixture will be required.

The commonly recommended potting media are top soil mixed with sand in

3:1 ratio or fertile top soil, sand and well rotten and powdered cattle

manure/vermicompost in the ratio of 3:1:1. Red earth, well rotten and

powdered cattle manure/vermicompost and sand in 1:1:1 ratio can also be

used. Fertilizers can be applied in the poly bags @ 20g ammonium sulphate

and 25g muriate of potash per bag after two months of germination and 45g

of ammonium sulphate and 45g of muriate of potash per bag after four

months of germination. Seedlings are to be watered after application of

fertilizers.

In order to produce poly bag seedlings, the seed nuts are initially sown

very closely and allowed to germinate in a pre nursery bed. The germinated

nuts are picked out from nursery once weeks, until 80% of nuts have

germinated or up to 5 months from sowing, whichever is earlier. The

germinated nuts are placed in half filled poly bags with the sprout

positioned upwards in the centre of the bag and sufficient potting mixture is

added to fill the bags up to two-third portion and the sides slightly pressed

to keep the nut firm.

Important diseases/pests and their management

There are no serious pest and diseases in coconut nurseries. However,

bud rot affected seedlings are to be avoided for planting.

Bud rot: The fungus, Phytopthora palmivora, causes this disease. The

symptoms are yellowing and withering of the spindle leaf followed by drying

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and death of the seedlings. The spindle of the affected seedlings will easily

come out with a gentle pull and rotting can be seen in the lower end of the

detached leaf. The affected portion emits a foul smell. Though it is not a

major problem in coconut nurseries, the affected seedlings are to be

removed and the surrounding seedlings treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Scale insect (Aspidiotus destructor): The characteristic symptom is

yellowing of leaves and presence of scale insect underneath the leaves.

Though the insects do not pose serious threat to the seedlings, this can be

controlled by drenching the nursery with Dimethoate @ 0.05% to ensure

good quality and healthy foliage of seedlings.

Termite: Drying of the sprouts and leaves are the symptoms of termite

damage in the nursery. Drenching the nursery with Chlorpyriphos @ 0.05%

will control the termites.

White grub (Leucopholis coneophora): This occurs mainly in sandy soils.

The characteristic symptom is yellowing of leaves followed by drying of

leaves and death of the seedlings due to severe root damage. This can be

controlled by application of Phorate 10 G @ 15g/seedling.

Selection of seedlings

Selection of seedlings is an important step for ensuring high yield.

Only seedlings with good quality should be selected through rigorous

selection. One year old good seedlings will have a minimum of six leaves

with a short petiole,

Good qualitydark green and broad leaves and large number of roots.
seedling
They will have a collar girth of 10cm. Seedlings which show early splitting of

leaves may be preferred for planting.

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 The colour of the petiole and vigour of the seedlings can be used as a

selection criterion for dwarfs and hybrids. The Dwarfs should exhibit the

petiole colour of the mother palm while, the petiole colour of hybrid

seedlings may range from green/brown/intermediate shades of the parents.

Generally, 65% of good quality seedlings can be expected from a well

managed nursery.

It is advisable to raise a few seedlings of the parental varieties herever

possible, side by side with progeny seedlings to compare during selection of

true to type dwarf and hybrid seedlings. Seedlings of dwarf varieties can be

easily identified by their early germination, short height, short and sturdy

leaves with short and narrow leaflets. Different dwarf varieties are easily

recognized by their colour of petiole and leaves. Seedlings of tall varieties

usually grow tall with long leaves and long and broad leaflets.

Since early germination is one of the criteria for the selection of

seedlings, the storing and sowing of seed nuts should be in lots according to

the harvest and should not be bulked.

Removal and transportation of seedlings

Seedlings should be removed from the nursery by lifting with a spade.

Seedlings should never be lifted from the soil by pulling the leaves or petiole.

The seedlings should be planted as early as possible after removal from the

nursery. The seedlings can be kept for about four weeks under careful

storage after removal from the nursery. In such cases, the seedlings should

be kept under shade and also watered.

Seedlings can be compactly packed and transported. For very long

distance transportation, special care should be taken to pack the seedlings

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in moss/coir pith/other moisture retaining material. Poly bag seedlings can

be transported as such and planted directly in the field, after cutting and

removal of the base of the poly bag to facilitate growth of roots.

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