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Assessment of current coconut genetic resources within the Caribbean using established protocols
Technical Report Developed in the project: “Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean”
under ITC/CARDI Contract No: 2015-57-EF
June 2016
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Acknowledgements: This Technical Report is an output from the collaboration between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI) as part of the EU funded project ‘Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean’. The report has been prepared by CARDI Consultant Evans Ramkhelawan.
Revised by R. Bourdeix (1,2) in September 2018.(1) CIRAD, UMR AGAP, F-34398 Montpellier, France.(2) AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France.
Revisions are indicated in blue police.
ITC/CARDI Contract No: 2015-57-EF
Citation: Ramkhelawan, E & Bourdeix, R. 2018. Assessment of current coconut genetic resources within the Caribbean using established protocols. International Trade Centre, Geneva, Switzerland.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Trade Centre concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
This document has not been formally edited by the International Trade Centre.
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Technical Report
Assessment of current coconut genetic resources within the Caribbean using established protocols
Introduction
The high levels of genetic diversity in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.), are the result of natural evolution and adaptation, as well as human involvement in the exploitation of the species (Harries, 1978, 2001; Harries et. al., 2004). As a portable source of food, water, fuel and construction material, the coconut played a fundamental role in human migrations and the development of civilization across the humid-tropics (Gunn et. al., 2011).
Coconut is cultivated in every continental land from Brazil to Mexico and also in the Caribbean islands. It is a very important crop in Latin America and the Caribbean for both cash and subsistence (Zizumbo et. al., 2005). It is not indigenous to the Americas but was introduced from the old world. The first introductions originated from Cape Verde (West Africa) to the Hispaniola Island (now Haiti and Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean (Bruman 1944; Harries 1977). Introductions to the West Coast occurred from the Solomon Islands around 1569 and from the Philippines to Mexico on various occasions from 1571 and 1821 (Smith, 1970; Zizumbo et. al., 1993). Coconut was present in Panama from pre-Columbian times but its origin and introduction date are unknown (Zizumbo and Quero 1998).
Coconut was brought to the Americas for the establishment of plantations. From the second half of the 17th century to the second decade of the 20th century, the use of the fruit for fresh consumption became the primary use. Then, during the 1920’s copra became the main product from coconut (Zizumbo et. al., 1993). Nowadays, the trend is towards diversification (Zizumbo et. al., 2005).
Possible independent origins and distribution of cultivated coconut in the old world tropics based on coconut morphology
Various authors have attempted to explain the geographic origins of cultivated coconut in the old word tropics based on the coconut fruit morphology (Gunn et. al., 2011; Harries 2012). Gunn et. al., 2011 noted that classical analyses of coconut fruit morphology revealed two predominant fruit types, named after traditional Polynesian varieties: the ‘niu kafa’ form
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characterised by oblong, triangular fruits with a large proportion of fibrous husk; and the ‘niu via’ form, whose fruits are rounded and often brightly coloured, with a large proportion of liquid endosperm (Whitehead, 1966; Harries, 1981). The ‘niu kafa’ form reflects natural selection for ocean dispersal and the ‘niu vai’ form reflects selection under human cultivation (Harries, 1978). TheDwarf varieties of palms are cultivated worldwide and are typically found near human habitation and show traits closely associated with human selection, slow trunk growth, self-pollination and the production of ‘niu vai’ fruits (Bourdeix et. al., 2001).
The more common Tall coconuts are outcrossing and grow faster than Dwarfs, resulting in greater height at reproductive maturity. The Talls are grown for the production of copra for oil extraction and coir for fiber. However, Talls lack the obvious domestication traits of the self-pollinating Dwarfs (Gunn et. al., 2001).
The long history of human interaction with coconuts have made it difficult to trace the coconut’s cultivation origins. However, application of molecular markers have provided some insights into coconut’s evolutionary history, genetic diversity and population structure (Mauro-Herrera, 2007; Perera et. al., 1999).
The review by Harries, 2012 suggest that the diversity of modern coconut varieties has arisen because natural selection and domestic selection were associated with different rates of germination and other morphologically recognisable phenotypic characteristics. It was noted that the rates of germination are determined by the mesocarp thickness. Slow-germinating and quick- germinating coconuts have different patterns of distribution. The former predominates on tropical islands and coastlines that could be reached by floating when tides and currents were favourable. These were spread only to sea-level locations to establish similar populations in new coastal locations (Harries, 1981).
Coconuts float because of the fibrous husk and air space in the nut cavity. The thickness of the husk contributes both to floating ability and a slow germination (Harries, 2012). Successful trans-lagoon or trans-oceanic dissemination requires a slow rate of germination. The thick husked coconut with a long, angular fruit and a small endosperm cavity aids in buoyancy. When mature, it takes 60 - 220 days to achieve 90% germination (Whitehead, 1965). Once the tide delivers it to a beach, the angular shape prevents the fruit from rolling and shifting in the surf. It remains there to root and is not easily washed away.
Human settlers disseminated the domestic types (thin mesocarp and large volumes of water) even widely to inland and upland locations on large islands and continental land masses. The unconscious human selection by the earliest cultivators would have included tender-nut water content as the most important criterion. For any given size or weight of the fruit, there is greater volume of coconut water in the cavity of a spherical nut (Dwarfs) rather than ovoid nuts (Talls). Visual selection for the spherical fruit shape would have been applied automatically (Harries, 2012). The thinner husk allows the embryo to germinate more rapidly, taking from 30 -
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140 days and often beginning while still on the palm (Whitehead, 1965). Germination within the husk while still on the tree is not uncommon (Foale, 1968).
Quick germination is not the only selection criterion for the coconut palm. There were opportunities for cultivators to select palms with dwarf or compact habits, bright (red or yellow) fruit colours and sweeter water.This review suggests four regions where diversity has been determined by germination rates. Recent DNA studies support these distinctions (Harries, 2012).
Coconut genetic resources within the Caribbean
Within the Caribbean, there are a wide number of Tall types, Dwarfs and hybrids including intermediates or “Bastard types”. There is also a wide range of cultivated variants which were selected by farmers from their estates. Many of these indigenous types have not been characterised. Characterisation of genetic resources in coconut is a pre-requisite for crop improvement initiatives. An attempt has been made to conduct an assessment of the current coconut genetic resources in the eight participating countries of the project entitled “Coconut industry development for the Caribbean”. The characterisation was done through conventional agronomic and morphological methods. Nowadays, microsatellite markers are the tools used to study the evolution of the genome, for understanding of genome structure and determinants of genetic diversity. However, in the absence of this technology, morphological characterisation (Harries 1981) can be of great practical importance, such as mother tree selection in quality seedling production.
Ekanayake et.al., 2010, noted that the classification of coconut has not been adequately standardised. Liyanage (1958) reported the first systematic classification of coconut in Sri Lanka. This classification is based largely on stature and reproductive behavior of the palm. It recognises three varieties namely Typica (tall), Nana (dwarf) and Aurantiaca (intermediate). Several morphotypes or forms within each variety also exist.
Variety Typica (tall) is the most abundant variety found in most coconut growing countries. It is tall in stature and naturally outbreeding or cross pollination occurs. Typica forms usually take 5 - 6 years to flower and they produce flowers continually. They are hardy palms that tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Examples of the variety Typica within the Caribbean are the Atlantic Tall, Panama Tall and the Pacific Tall.
The variety Nana (dwarf) is short in stature and self-pollination or natural inbreeding occurs. It flowers early, within 3 years after planting. Nana forms suffer adversely from drought, pests and diseases. Dwarfs are currently grown on a plantation scale as well as backyards, for coconut water. They are also extensively used in the production of coconut hybrids because of their short stature, precocity and profuse bearing ability.
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Within the Nana form are the Red, Green and Yellow Malayan Dwarfs, the Brown or Bronze Dwarf and the Brazilian Green Dwarf.
The variety Aurantiaca is intermediate in stature, predominantly self-pollinating and late flowering (5 years after planting). The low tolerance to drought, pests and diseases restricts the areas in which this variety can thrive. Forms of the variety Aurantiaca include hybrids formed from controlled crosses such as Maypan (Malayan Dwarf x Panama Tall).
The classification developed by Liyanage (1958) has become obsolete. According to more recent studies (Bourdeix & al., 2016: Bourdeix & al., 2018), Traditional coconut varieties are classified in five main types:
1. Tall-types, which represents 90 to 95 % of all existing coconut palms. Simply, they are often called “Talls”. They generally form quite heterogeneous cross-pollinating populations. Talls can grow at a rate of more than 50 cm annually when young and flower at 6-10 years with an economic life span of 60-70 years.
2. Preferentially Self-pollinating Dwarf-types. They are often called Dwarfs, Fragile Dwarfs or Malayan-Type Dwarfs, because the Malayan Red and Yellow Dwarfs are the most widely known cultivars of this group. They grow at a rate of 15 to 30 cm annually, have a productive life span of 30-40 years and usually start flowering 12 to 30 months after field planting. Apart from their usually short height, these varieties show a combination of common characteristics: autogamic preference, small size of organs, precocity, and rapid emission of inflorescences. Because of the last two characteristics, they play an important role in genetic improvement programs.
3. Compact Dwarf-types ares much rarer and mainly found in the Pacific region. They are mostly cross-pollinating, but not always. Scientists call them Compact Dwarfs or Niu Leka-type Dwarfs (because the Niu Leka Dwarf from Fiji is the first and most widely known cultivar of this type). This type of dwarf coconut is much rarer and mainly found in the Pacific region.
4. A few intermediate forms called Semi-Tall types, intermediate between Dwarfs and Talls, with variable reproduction modes. The most famous is the autogamous King Coconut cultivar from Sri Lanka. It seems that farmers created recently many of these varieties from the progenies of Dwarf x Tall hybrids.
5. A new category, presently called “Super Dwarf” is emerging. Farmers from the Pacific region obtained these new varieties by selecting within the progenies of crossed between the Malayan- Type Dwarfs and the Compact Dwarfs. The varieties gather dwarfism genes from two distinct origins. Best of them have a very slow vertical growth and fruits of excellent quality. Such progenies also exist in Jamaica.
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Picture 1. R. Bourdeix. Some different types of coconut trunks. 4. Malayan Dwarf-Type coconut palm trunk 5. Compact Dwarf-Type coconut palm trunk 6. Tall-type coconut palm trunk, variety “West African Tall” from Côte d’Ivoire 7. Tall-type coconut palm trunk, variety “Tagnanan Tall” from the Philippines
Picture 2. R. Bourdeix. Coconut leaf-bases create the scars on the trunk. Left: Tall-type coconut palm trunk with leaf scars spaced around 8 cm apart. Rigth: Malayan Dwarf-Type coconut palm trunk with much closer leaf scars
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The four major morphological characters and their traits that are used for characterising coconut varieties are as follows (Ekanayake et. al., 2010):
Stem morphology (stature – tall, dwarf or intermediate). The most salient characteristic is the lengh of 10 internodes, measured from leaf scars. The second main characteristic is the presence or absence of a bole at the basis of the stem.
Crown morphology (crown size – well spread or small) Fruit morphology (fruit colour, shape and size) Breeding behaviour (self/cross pollinating nature, seasonality) Yield (prolificacy)
The major coconut varieties for the eight countries are shown in Table 1. A description of the major morphological characters for 14 out of the 21 varieties listed in Table 1 was obtained from some of the participating countries along with desk top searches. A description of these 14 varieties is provided in Appendix 1. Additional pictorial descriptions of four hybrids and four varieties are now available on CARDI Website.
Descriptors of Atlantic Tall, Malayan Dwarf Green and CES hybrid (which are located at the Central Experiment Station, Centeno, Ministry of Agriculture, Trinidad) were documented following IPGRI (1995) guidelines and shown in Appendix 2.
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Table 1 - Varieties of Coconut in eight project participating countries
Note from R. Bourdeix: the colors (yellow, Green and Brown) are generally not used to make distinction for Tall-type and hybrid varieties. For instance, the Maypan hybrid (Malayan Yellow Dwarf x Panama Tall) can be Green, Brown and more rarely yellow, but the three forms are the same variety. Similar example is given by the Panama Tall variety. On the other hand, it very probably exists different Tall-type varieties in some of the Carribean countries, but they differs from other characteristics than color. Jamaica had a genebank with more than 50 coconut varieties, but the experts do not know what is still alive and what was destroyed by the Lethal Yellowing Disease.
CountryVarieties of coconut
Hybrid Yellow
Hybrid Green
Hybrid Brown
Malayan Dwarf Red
Malayan Dwarf Green
Malayan Dwarf Yellow
Tall Orange
Tall Green
Tall Brown
Belize DominicaGuyana
Jamaica St. Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname Trinidad and
Tobago
CountryVarieties of coconut
Brazilian Green Dwarf
Panama Tall
Chactemal Hybrid
Maypan Hybrid
Jamaica Tall
Clara Nut Cocrit Nut
Bronze Dwarf
Bastard Nut
Belize
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DominicaGuyana Jamaica St. Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
SurinameTrinidad and
Tobago
CountryVarieties of coconut
May Jam Hybrid
Fiji Dwarf or Niu Leka
Atlantic Tall Non-descript Hybrids
Belize Dominica Guyana Jamaica St. Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname Trinidad and
Tobago
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In Dominican Republic, The coconut varieties are as follow;
At least one Tall-Type variety, called Criollo Yellow, Red (also called orange or dorado), green Dwarf from Malaysia Brazilian Green Dwarf Cameroon Red Dwarf A promising Yellow Dwarf with pink color inside the young husk, coalled “Indio”, see
picture Hybrid PB121, Malayan Yellow Dwarf x West African Tall Hybrid PB111, Camerooun Red Dwarf x West African Tall Two more hybrids created locally, and named “hybrid dorado” and “hybrid criollo” Another hybrid imported recently from Mexico
Picture 3. R. Bourdeix. An interesting form of Yellow Dwarf with pink color of young fruits, called “Indio” in Dominican Republic.
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The two figures here under give the varietal composition of two large plantations located in Dominican Republic (From Wuidart, 1993).
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Bibliography
Bourdeix, R. 1999. Coconut varieties: Malayan Dwarf. International coconut genetic resources network newsletter, October 1999.
Bourdeix, R., Baudouin, L., Billotte, N., Labouisse, J. and Noiret, J. 2001. Tropical plant breeding In: Andre, C., Michel, J., Sergh, H. and Dominique, N. editors. Tropical plant breeding. Montpellier, France: CIRAD: pp. 106 - 127.
Bruman, H. J. 1944. Some observations on the early history of coconut in the new world. Acta Americana 2: 200 - 243.
Bourdeix, R., Perera, L., Rivera, R. L, SaenaTuia, V. and Masumbuko, L. 2016. Global coconut communities - status and strategies in in situ diversity management and utilization. In: Coconut: Global status and perspectives. Central Plantation Crop Research Institute, Kasaragod, India.
Bourdeix, R. & Kumar, V. 2018. Compact and "Super" Dwarf varieties In: Bourdeix, R., Labouisse J.P., Mapusua, K., Ollivier J. & Kumar, V. 2018. Coconut planting material for the Pacific region. Avalaible at the URL: http://replantcoconut.blogspot.com, seen 23/09/2018.
Ekanayake, G. K., Perera, S. A., Dassanayake, C. N. and Everard, J.M.D.T. 2010. Varietal classification of new coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) forms identified from southern Sri Lanka, Cocos 19:41 - 50.
Foale, M.A. 1968. Growth of the young coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) 2. The influence of nut size on seedling growth in three cultivars. Australian journal of agricultural research 19: 927 – 937).
Gunn, B. F., Baudouin, L. and Olsen, K. M. 2011. Independent origins of cultivated coconuts in the old world tropics. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21143. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021143
Harries, H. C. 1977. The Cape Verde region (1499 - 1549): The key to coconut culture in the western hemisphere? Turrialba 27: 227 - 231.
Harries, H. C. 1978. The evolution, dissemination and classification of Cocos nucifera L. Bot. Rev. 44: 265 - 319.
Harries, H. C. 1981. Germination and taxonomy of the coconut. Ann. Bot. 48: 873 - 883.
Harries, H. C. 2001. The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.). In: Last FT (ed) Tree crop ecosystems. Elsevier, New York, pp 321 - 338.
Harries, H. C., Baudouin, L. and Cardena, R. 2004. Floating, boating and introgression. Molecular techniques and the ancestry of coconut palm populations on Pacific islands. Ethnobotany Res Appl (online) 2: 37-53 http://128.171.206.29/ojs/index.php/era/article/view/36/24.
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Harries, H. C. 2012. Germination rate is the significant characteristic determining coconut palm diversity. AoB PLANTS (2012): pls045doi: 10.1093/aobpla/pls045.
Homenauth, O. 2005. Status of coconut genetic resources research in Guyana. In: Coconut genetic resources. International plant genetic resources institute, Regional office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. 709 - 714.
IPGRI. 1995. Descriptors for coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy.
Konan, J. L., Bourdeix, R. and Batugal, P. 2005. Production and provision of hybrid seednuts. In: Coconut hybrids for small holders. Common fund for commodities (ed. Batugal, P., Benigno, D. and Oliver, J.) CFC. Technical paper No. 42: 26 - 35.
Liyanage, D. V. 1958. Varieties and forms of the coconut palm grown in Ceylon. Ceylon coconut quarterly. 9:1 - 10.
Mauro-Herrera, M., Meerow, A. W., Borrone, J. W., Kuhn, D. N. and Schnell, R. J. 2007. Usefulness of WRKY gene-derived markers for assessing genetic population structure: an example with Florida coconut cultivars. Sci Hort 115: 19 - 26.
Perera, L., Russell, J. R., Provan, J. and Powell, W. 1999. Identification and characterization of microsatellite loci in coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) and the analysis of coconut plantations in Sri Lanka. Mol Ecol. 8(2): 344 – 346.
Smith, R. W. 1970. Mexico and Venezuela In: FAO: Coconut breeding. Yearly progress report to the FAO. PP. 20 - 21.
Whitehead, R. A. 1965. Speed of germination, a characteristic of possible taxonomic significance in Cocos nucifera L. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 42: 369-372.
Whitehead, R. A. 1966. Sample survey and collection of coconut germplasm in the Pacific islands. (30 May to 5 September 1964) London, UK: HMSO, Ministry of overseas development, 1966.
Wuidart, W. 1993. Nagua, filiale de Lavador (République Dominicaine) : coopération technique pour le suivi des plantations de cocotier. Visite agronomique du 2 au 4 avril 1993. Paris : CIRAD-CP, 88 p. Document en bibliothèque : http://catalogue-bibliotheques.cirad.fr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=29043
Zizumbo, D. and Quero, H. J. 1998. Re – evaluation of early observations on coconut in the new world. Econ. Bot. 52: 68-77.
Zizumbo, D., Been, B., Tupinamba, E. A., Castillo, R. and Oropeza, C. 2005. Research on coconut genetic resources in Latin America and the Caribbean. In: Coconut genetic resources. International plant genetic resources institute, Regional office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI - APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. 556 - 569.
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Zizumbo, D., Hernandez-Roque, F. and Harries, H. C. 1993. Coconut varieties in Mexico. Econ. Bot. 47:65 - 78.
Appendix 1. Description of 14 coconut varieties in the project countries
1. Malayan Dwarf (Bourdeix 1999)The Malayan Dwarf is a base variety in many germplasm collections and genetic improvement programmes. It consists of three races, the yellow, red and green Dwarfs. The Malayan Dwarf has been found to confer precocity in many hybrids, especially Tall palms. Thus, it has been used in hybridisation with local Talls in various parts of the world. The first coconut hybrid produced was between the Malayan dwarf and Niu Leka in Fiji in 1928. Currently, none of the Malayan Dwarf races are tolerant to Lethal Yellowing Disease. The Dwarf types do not have a bole at the base of the stem, but under good environmental conditions, slight swelling at the base or the stem may be observed.
2. Malayan Yellow Dwarf (Konan et. al., 2005)The Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD) is now the most widely diffused cultivar in the world. In the field of coconut resources and breeding, it is the most utilised cultivar worldwide. It has a fast growth rate and grows taller compared to other Dwarfs. Dwarf types differ in the colour of their sprouts, leaf stalks, inflorescences and fruits. For the MYD, these are all pale yellow. The MYD is a direct autogamy type (self-fertilisation). The period of receptivity of female flowers is fully overlapped by the period of dehiscence of male flowers, from the same inflorescence. The female phase starts just before the spathe opens.
Dwarfs are generally precocious (produce fruits early) and the MYD flowers 34 months after planting. Mature fruits could be harvested 12 months later. The MYD can produce about 125 nuts/palm/year. On average, it does not produce much copra (83 g/nut) and oil.
3. Malayan Red Dwarf (Konan et. al., 2005)It is believed that the Dwarf palms of Malaysia (red, green and yellow forms) were introduced from Indonesia by planters during the period 1890 – 1900. The colour of the seedling sprouts, the leaf stalks, the inflorescence and the immature fruit is not really red but more like bright orange. The palm generally has a thin stem about 22 - 25 cm in diameter, with no bole. However, when growing conditions are good, it may have a small bole 35 - 40 cm in diameter. The youngest leaves at the top of the palm are quite soft and the upper canopy resembles disheveled hair. Because of its short peduncle, the bunch is well supported by the leaf petioles. The reproductive system is direct autogamy.
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The Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD) produces medium sized, oblong fruits that are generally bigger than those of the MYD. The average fruit weight varies from 668 g (in Brazil) to 1080 g (in Vanuatu). Inside the fruits, the nuts are almost spherical and weigh on average 443 - 755 g. Under ideal agronomic conditions, MRD starts flowering on the second to third year and may produce 70 - 90 fruits per palm per year, without irrigation. Water from young nuts is sweet and tasty, but not as sweet as some green dwarfs. The albumin is thin and gives rubbery copra. MRD is sensitive to drought and is frequently used in landscaping as an ornamental palm.
4. Malayan Green Dwarf (Bourdeix 1999)The fruits of Malayan Green Dwarf (MGD) are bigger and rounder with a higher album ratio than MYD and MRD. The MGD closely resembles the “Brazil Green” in Africa. Currently in Jamaica, the MGD is crossed with Panama Tall to produce the Maypan hybrid.
5. Panama Tall (Konan et. al., 2005)The palm starts bearing late and on average, flowering begins 76 months after planting. Trees that are 9 - 12 years old produce about 31 fruits per palm per year. Fruits of the Panama Tall are almost round, both longitudinal and cross section, and weigh about 1483 g on average. The nut is round and sometimes slightly conical at the end with the germination “eyes”. The kernel weighs 473 g with 263 g of oil-rich copra. The husk of immature fruits sometimes display an intense pink colouring. The variety known as the “Jamaican San Blas” in India is also a Panama Tall.
6. Brazil Green Dwarf (Konan et. al., 2005)The Brazil Green Dwarf (BGD) was collected in Equatorial Guinea around 1960. It is believed that the BGD was introduced to Brazil in 1920 from the Bogor Botanical Gardens of Indonesia. Recent DNA analysis showed that BGD originated from the Philippines. It produces sweet and delicious young nuts which are sold for drinking. The youngest leaves at the top of the palm are quite erect. The palm has little or no bole with a thin stem 20 - 25 cm in diameter. Because of the short peduncle, the bunch is well supported by the leaf petioles. Flowering commences 2 - 3 years after planting. It may produce 50 - 100 fruits per palm per year in good natural conditions. With irrigation and fertilisation, BGD produces around 150 nuts per palm per hectare at a planting density of 200 palms per hectare.
Fruits are oblong and of an intense green colour. The average fruit weighs 556 g - 1090 g. Inside the fruits, the nuts are almost spherical and weigh on average 353 g to 556 g. BGD looks very similar to the MGD in the Caribbean.
7. Jamaica Tall (Homeonauth 2005)
This tall palm bears long, angular fruits with distinct ridges and a thick mesocarp. The fruits can be green or bronze in colour. When dehusked, the nuts are also angular and pointed at the end. The Panama Tall fruits are more spherical with a thinner mesocarp.
8. Clara nut (Homeonauth 2005)
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The Clara nut is found in the Pomeroon, Guyana and is grown principally for water. The coconut water is sweet and favoured over all other types in Guyana. It is similar in character to Panama Tall. Husked Clara nuts are large and spherical, with a high water capacity, but thin kernel. The hectarage devoted to Clara is minuscule compared to the varieties grown for copra.
9. Cocrit nut (Homenauth 2005)The Cocrit nut is also found in the Pomeroon, Guyana. It seems to combine the nut characteristics of the Jamaica Tall and the Panama Tall. Fruits of the Cocrit nut are more spherical than oblong, with a thin mesocarp and thick kernel. Nut size ranges from small to large, with trees of larger nuts being less prolific. In all commercial plantings in Guyana, demand for new planting materials is generally for the Cocrit variety.
10. Bastard nut (Homenauth 2005)The Bastard nut is mainly found in the Pomeroon river region. This hybrid was formed from natural cross pollination between Dwarf and Tall types. Bastard nuts show marked hybrid vigour in trunk and leaf size, number of bunches produced per year and number of nuts per bunch.
11. Maypan (Bourdeix et. al., 2005)The Maypan was created in 1974 in Jamaica by crossing Malayan Yellow and Red Dwarf varieties as the female parent, with Panama Tall (imported into the island at the beginning of the 20th century). At that time, Maypan showed resistance to Lethal Yellowing Disease. The Maypan hybrid starts bearing 5 years after planting and can produce 200 fruits per annum before the 7th year. The Maypan produces fairly large fruits averaging 1200 - 1400 grams. Based on cumulated yields over the 5 - 8 years old period of production, 2.6 tons of copra per hectare per year can be obtained; fruit yield averages 100 fruits per palm per year during this period. Over the 9 - 13 years old period, the Maypan produces 4.6 tons of copra per hectare per year; fruit yield averages 122 fruits per palm per year during this period. Since around 1995, the Maypan is no longer considered resistant to Lethal Yellowing Disease.
12. Green Dwarf (Homenauth 2005)There is also the Green Dwarf in Guyana which is similar to the Brazilian Green Dwarf in growth habit, number of nuts per bunch and size of nuts.
13. Yellow Dwarf (Homenauth 2005)The Yellow Dwarf found in Guyana is different from the MYD, it has a larger nut size and less intense colour in the petioles and epicarps of the nuts.
14. Red Dwarf (Homenauth 2005)The Red Dwarf variant found in Guyana is similar to the Red Dwarf of India, Sri Lanka and the Malayan Red Dwarf.
15. Bronze or Brown Dwarf (Homenauth 2005)
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This Dwarf variant can also be found in scattered plantings in Guyana. The epicarp is bronze or brown in colour. It may have been introduced from Suriname and comes into bearing within 2 years after planting. The bunch size in a 10 year old palm can be 20 - 25 nuts with each nut having 450 ml water. This variety is in demand and has the potential to spread rapidly to commercial holdings as a water nut.
Appendix 2. Characteristics of Malayan Green Dwarf, CES Hybrid and Atlantic Tall, located in Trinidad.
CharacteristicsVarieties
Malayan Green Dwarf (15 years old)
CES Hybrid(15 years old)
Atlantic Tall(32 years old)
Flower initiation (yrs) 2 - 3 4 - 5 6 - 7Leaf and bunch attachment
Fragile Strong Very strong
Fruit Size Small Intermediate BigGrowth Slow Intermediate FastHeight (m) 6.7 18.3 36.6Fruit production /year 130 - 150 120 - 150 80Presence of a bole None Low HighCrown size Small, V-shaped Intermediate,
V-shapedSpherical, well spread
Fruit colour of tender nut
Pure green Yellow-green Brown
Fruit shape Round Ovoid AngledFruit weight of tender nut (kg)
2.4 3.4 3.2
Nut (fruit without husk) appearance/shape
Almost round Ovoid Pointed
Dry husk weight (g) 265 340 370Shell weight (g) 95 145 160Meat or kernel weight (g)
210 360 300
Weight of dry nut (g) 630 950 910Quantity of liquid endosperm in dry nut (ml)
60 105 80
Quantity of liquid 385 430 340
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endosperm in tender nut (ml)Bearing habit Year-round Year-round Year-roundRoot distribution Less dense and few Intermediate More dense and
plentifulMode of pollination Mostly selfed Mostly selfed Cross pollinationVertical description of stem
Erect Curved Curved
Colour of petiole Green Green BrownReaction to drought Sensitive Sensitive Less sensitiveCopra weight/fruit (g) 210 392 341.6Uses Water Water, agroindustry Water, agroindustry
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