1. East Coast Tall
2. West Coast Tall
3. VPM-3 (Selection from Andaman Ordinary Tall)
4. ALR (CN -1) (Selection from Arasampatty Tall)
5. COD (Dwarf for tender coconut purpose only)
Tall x Dwarf
(To be grown under well managed conditions)
1. VHC 2 - ECT X MYD
2. VHC 3 - ECT X MOD
Red sandy loam, laterite and alluvial soils are suitable. Heavy, imperfectly drained soil is unsuitable.
June-July, December - January. The planting can also be taken up in other seasons wherever irrigation and drainage facilities are available.
Adopt a spacing of 25' x 25' (7.5 x 7.5 m) with 175 plants/ha. For planting in field border as a single row, adopt 20' spacing between plants.
Dug pit size of 3’ x 3' x 3'. In the pits, sprinkle Lindane 1.3 % D to prevent white ant damage. Fill the pit to a height of two feet (60 cm) with FYM, red earth and sand mixed in equal proportions. At the center of the pit, remove the soil mixture and plant the seedling after removing all the roots. Press the soil well around the seedling and provide the seedling with shade by using plaited coconut leaves or palmyrah leaves. Keep the pits free from weeds. Remove soil covering the collar region. As the seedlings grow and form stem, fill up the pits gradually by cutting the sides.
From 5th year onwards, adopt the following irrigation schedule based on pan evaporation for drip irrigation and basin irrigation.
For drip irrigation, open four pits size of 30 x 30 x 30 cm opposite to each other at one meter distance from the trunk. Place 40 cm long PVC conduit pipe (16 mm) in a slanting position in each pit and place the drippers inside the conduit tube and allow the water to drip 30 cm below the soil surface. Fill the pits with coir pith to prevent evaporation.
In the first year, irrigate on alternate days and from the second year to the time of maturity irrigate twice in a week based on the water requirement.
DROUGHT MANAGEMENT AND SOIL MOISTURE CONSERVATION
1. Mulching with coconut husks/leaves/coir pith
Apply coconut husks with convex surface facing upwards (100 Nos.) or dried coconut leaves (15 Nos) or coir pith up to a height of 10 cm in the basin of 1.8 m radius around the palms as mulch for soil moisture conservation particularly during summer season.
2. Burial of coconut husk or coir pith
Husk burial can be done in coconut basins or in the interspaces to overcome drought and button shedding. Bury husks @ 100 Nos. with concave surface facing upwards or 25 kg of coir pith /palm in circular trenches, dug 30 cm width and 60 cm depth at 1.5 metres radius. The husk can be also buried in the trenches at a distance of 3 m from the palm with a size of 45 cm deep and 150 cm width in between two rows of coconut. The soaking of the coconut husk or coir pith as the case may be preserves the monsoon rains.
3. Manuring
From 5th year onwards, apply 50 kg of FYM or compost or green manure. 1.3 kg urea (560 g N), 2.0 kg super phosphate (320 g P2O5) and 2.0 kg muriate of potash (1200 g K2O) in two equal splits during June – July and December – January. Apply manures and fertilizers in circular basins of 1.8 m from the base of the palm, incorporate and irrigate. During 2nd, 3rd and 4th year ¼, ½ and ¾ doses of the above fertilizer schedule should be adopted respectively. Sufficient moisture should be present at the time of manuring.
Fertigation may be done at monthly intervals with 75% of the recommended dose of the above fertilizers. Phosphorous may be applied as super phosphate in the basins and incorporated or as DAP through drip when good quality of water is available.
TNAU Coconut Tonic Nutrition
For nut bearing coconut, root feed TNAU coconut tonic @200ml/palm once in six months.
Bio-fertilizer recommendation
- 50 g of Azospirillum
- 50 g of Phosphobacteria ( or ) 100 g Azophos
- 50 g of VAM
Mix all the contents in sufficient quantity of compost or FYM and apply near feeding roots once in 6 months / palm starting from planting. Don’t mix with chemical fertilizers and pesticides
Organic recycling
Any one of the green manure crops like sunhemp, wild indigo, calapagonium or daincha may be sown and ploughed in situ at the time of flowering as a substitute of compost to be applied. Sow sunnhemp @ 50 g/palm in the basin and incorporate before flowering. Coir pith compost/vermicompost made from coir pith/ coconut leaves/ other wastes from coconut grove can be applied.
INTER-CULTURAL OPERATION
The inter-space in the coconut garden has to be ploughed twice in a year in June-July and December - January. Intercultural operation is essential to keep weed population under check, to enhance the utilisation of the applied plant nutrients by the coconut trees, to facilitate proper aeration to the roots of coconut, to induce fresh root growth.
Weed management
For the broad-leaved weeds, pre-emergence spraying of atrazine @1.0 kg a.i./ ha for the control of grasses and sedges. Post emergence spraying of glyphosate @ 10 ml and 20 g ammonium sulphate/litre of water.
INTER CROPPING
Inter/mixed crops may be selected based on the climatic requirement of the inter/mixed crop, irrigation facilities and soil type. The canopy size, age and spacing of the coconut are also to be considered. Market suitability should be taken into consideration before selecting an intercrop.
A. Below 7 years of age: Any suitable annual crop for particular soil type and climatic condition may be raised as intercrops upto 5 years after planting depending upon the canopy coverage. Groundnut, sesamum, sunflower, tapioca, turmeric and banana can be grown. Avoid crops like paddy and sugarcane etc.
B. 7 – 20 years of age: Green manure crops and fodder crops (Napier grass and guinea grass) alone can be grown.
C. Above 20 years of age (20 years of age has to be adjusted based on the sunlight transmission of above 50% inside the canopy): The following crops can be grown depending on the soil and climatic suitability.
(i) Annuals : Groundnut, bhendi, turmeric, tapioca
(ii) Biennials : Banana. Varieties Poovan and Monthan are suitable.
(iii) Perennials: Cocoa*, pepper*(Panniyur 1 or Panniyur 2 or Panniyur 5 or Karimunda), nutmeg* and vanilla*
*Suitable areas in Pollachi tract of western region and Kanyakumari district. For vanilla, use disease free planting material and maintain high vigilance to maintain a disease free crop.
Multiple cropping system
Coconut + banana + sirukizhangu + bhendi is suitable system for the eastern region. Crops like banana, pepper, cocoa, nutmeg, vanilla can be tried under multiple cropping system in suitable areas in the western region. In all the systems, apply recommended quantity of water and manures and fertilizers to the intercrops separately.
PEST MANAGEMENT
1. Rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros)
Management:
- Remove and burn all dead coconut trees in the garden (which are likely to serve as breeding ground) to maintain good sanitation.
- Collect and destroy the various bio-stages of the beetle from the manure pits (breeding ground of the pest) whenever manure is lifted from the pits.
- Soak castor cake at 1 kg in 5 l of water in small mud pots and keep them in the coconut gardens to attract and kill the adults.
- For seedlings, apply 3 naphthalene balls/palm weighing 3.5 g each at the base of inter space in leaf sheath in the 3 inner most leaves of the crown once in 45 days.
- Set up light traps following the first rains in summer and monsoon period to attract and kill the adult beetles.
- Field release of Baculovirus inoculated adult rhinoceros beetle @ 15/ha reduces the leaf and crown damage caused by this beetle.
- Apply mixture of either neem seed powder + sand (1:2) @150 g/palm or neem seed kernel powder + sand (1:2) @150 g per palm in the base of the 3 inner most leaves in the crown
- Place Phorate 10 G 5 g in perforated sachets in two inner most leaf axils for 2 times at 6 months intervals.
- Set up Rhinolure pheromone trap @ 1/ 2 ha to trap and kill the beetles.
2. Black headed caterpillar (Opisina arenosella)
- Release the larval (Bethylid, Braconid and Ichneumonid) and pupal (Eulophid) on (chalcid) parasitoids and predators periodically from January, to check the build up of the pest during summer.
- Among the larval parasitoids, the bethylid Goniozus nephantidis is the most effective in controlling the pest. The optimum level of release is 1:8 of host-parasitoid ratio. The parasitoid should be released @3000/ha under the coconut trees when the pest is in the 2nd or 3rd instar larval stage. Parasitoids should not be released in the crown region since they will be killed by predators like spiders and reduviid bugs.
- Remove and burn all affected leaves/leaflets.
- Spray Malathion 50 EC 0.05% (1mi/lit) to cover the undersurface of the leaves thoroughly in case of severe epidemic outbreak of the pest in young palms.
- Root feeding for the control of coconut Black headed caterpillar: Select a fresh and live root, cut sharply at an angle and insert the root in the insecticidal solution containing Monocrotophos 36 WSC 10 ml + water 10 ml in a 7 x 10 cm polythene bag. Secure the bag tightly to the root with a cotton thread. Twenty four hours later, check whether there is absorption. If there is no absorption select another root. These methods should not be resorted to as a routine practice and it is suggested only for cases of severe epidemic outbreak of the pest and when the survival of the tree is threatened.
3. Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus)
- Remove and burn all wilting or damaged palms in coconut gardens to prevent further perpetuation of the pest.
- Fill the crown and the axils of top most three leaves with a mixture of fine sand and neem seed powder or neem seed kernel powder (2:1) or Lindane 1.3 D (1:1 by volume) once in three months to prevent the attack of rhinoceros beetle damage in which the red palm weevil lays eggs.
- Plug all holes and inject Pyrocone E or Carbaryl 1% or 10 ml of Monocrotophos into the stem by drilling a hole above the points of attack.
- Setting up of attractant traps (mud pots) containing sugarcane molasses 2½ kg or toddy 2½ litres + acetic acid 5 ml + yeast 5 g + longitudinally split tender coconut stem/logs of green petiole of leaves of 30 numbers in one acre to trap adult red palm weevils in large numbers.
- Install pheromone trap @1/2 ha
- Root feeding: As under black headed caterpillar
4. Termites (Odontotermes obesus)
- Swabbing with neem oil 5% once on the base and upto 2 m height of the trunk for effective control.
- Spray Copper sulphate 1% or cashew nut shell oil 80% or spray Chlorphyriphos @ 3ml/lit of water, neem oil 5% or NSKE 20% to preserve plaited coconut leaves from the termite attack.
Special problem: Coconut eriophyid mite (Aceria guerreronis)
Package of recommendations for the management of the coconut eriophyid mite
a. Manurial and fertilizer recommendation (Soil application/tree/year)
- Urea 1.3 kg
- Super phosphate 2.0 kg
- Muriate of potash* 3.5 kg
* Increased quantity is recommended to increase the plant resistance to the mite.
- Neem cake application @ 5 kg
- Organic manure (well rotten FYM) @ 50 kg
b. Micronutrients (Soil application / tree / year)
- Borax 50 g
- Gypsum 1.0 kg
- Magnesium sulphate 500g
- Grow sunnhemp as intercrop twice a year (Seed rate 30 kg/ha)
DISEASE MANAGEMENT:
1. Basal stem rot Ganoderma lucidum
Management:
Cultural Method
- Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf1) @ 200 g/palm + Trichoderma viride @ 200 g/palm/year
- Apply 200g phosphobacteria and 200 g Azotobactor mixed with 50 Kg of FYM/palm
- Green manure crops must be raised and ploughed in situ
- Neem cake 5 kg/tree must be applied along with fertilizers
Chemical
- Aureofungin-sol 2 g + 1 g Copper sulphate in 100 ml water or 2 ml of Tridemorph in 100 ml water applied as root feeding. (The active absorbing root of pencil thickness must be selected and a slanting cut is made. The solution to be taken in a polythene bag or bottle and the cut end of the root should be dipped in the solution).
- Forty litres of 1% Bordeaux mixture should be applied as soil drench around the trunk in a radius of 1.5 metre.
2. Bud rot (Phytophthora palmivora)
Management:
The infected tissues from the crown region should be removed and dressed with Bordeaux paste or 1% Bordeaux mixture to be sprayed to reach the crown region as pre-monsoon spray.
3. Stem bleeding diseaseThielaviopsis paradoxa
Management:
The bark of the trunk should be removed in the bleeding area and Bordeaux paste should be applied
4. Lethal leaf blight (LLB)Lasiodiplodia theobromae
Management:
Spray 1.0 per cent Bordeaux mixture or 0.25 per cent Copper oxychloride or 0.2 per cent Indofil M 45 (4 times at monthly interval during February, March, April and May).
a. Preparation of 1% Bordeaux mixture
A quantity of 400 g of copper sulphate should be dissolved in 20 litres of water and 400 g of lime in another 20 litres of water separately. The copper sulphate solution should be added to the lime solution constantly stirring the mixture. Earthen or wooden vessels alone should be used and metallic containers should not be used. To find out whether the mixture is in correct proportion, a polished knife should be dipped in the mixture for one minute and taken out. If there is reddish brown deposit of copper, additional quantity of lime should be added till there is no deposit in the knife.
b. Preparation of Bordeaux paste
Take 200 g of Copper sulphate and dissolve it in one litre of water and 200 g of lime in one litre of water separately. Both are mixed simultaneously in a third vessel and the resultant mixture can be used as a paste.
SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN COCONUT
- Rejuvenation of existing garden
The low yield in vast majority of gardens is due to thick population, lack of manuring and irrigation. These gardens could be improved if the following measures are taken.
Thinning of thickly populated gardens: In the farmer’s holdings where thick planting is adopted, many trees give an yield of less than 20 nuts/palm/year. By cutting and removal of these trees, the yield could be increased. Besides, there is saving in the cost of cultivation and increase in net profit. After removal of low yielding trees, the populations should be maintained at 175 palms/ha.
Ensuring adequate manuring and irrigation: The yield can be increased in the existing gardens when manuring , irrigation and cultural practice is adopted as per recommendation.
2. Pencil point disorder (Micronutrient deficiency)
Because of micronutrient deficiency, the stem will taper towards its tip with lesser number of leaves. The leaf size will be greatly reduced and the leaves will be pale and yellow in colour. Along with the recommended fertilizer dose, 225 g each of Borax, Zinc sulphate, Manganese sulphate, Ferrous sulphate, Copper sulphate and 10 g of Ammonium molybdate may be dissolved in 10 litres of water and poured in the basin of 1.8 m radius. This disorder can be corrected if noticed early. Severely affected palms may be removed and replanted with new seedlings.
3. Button shedding
Shedding of buttons and premature nuts may be due to any one of the following reasons:
- Excess acidity or alkalinity
- Lack of drainage
- Severe drought
- Genetic causes
- Lack of nutrients
- Lack of pollination
- Hormone deficiency
- Pests & Diseases
The following remedial measures are suggested.
a. Rectification of soil pH
Excess acidity or alkalinity of soil may cause button shedding. If the soil pH is less than 5.5, it is an indication of excess acidity. This could be rectified by adding lime. Increase in alkalinity is indicated by soil pH higher than 8.0. This situation could be rectified by adding gypsum.
b. Providing adequate drainage facilities
Lack of drainage results in the roots of coconut trees getting suffocated for want of aeration. Shedding of buttons occur under such condition. Drainage channels have to be dug along the contours to drain the excess water during rainy season.
c. Management of young coconut gardens under waterlogged conditions
- A trench between two rows of young coconut palms should be dug during onset of the monsoon rains. The size of the trench is 3 m width, 30 – 45 cm depth to entire length of field. The soil excavated from the trench should be placed along the rows of palms to make a raised bed.
- Form mound around the young palms to a radius of 1.2 m width with height of 30 –45cm.
d. Genetic causes
In some trees button shedding may persist even after ensuring adequate manuring, irrigation and crop pest and disease management. This is an indication of inherent defect of the mother palm from which the seed material was obtained. This underlines the need for proper choice of superior mother palm for harvesting seed coconut to ensure uniformly good yielding trees.
e. Lack of nutrition
Button shedding occurs due to inadequate or lack of manuring. The recommended dose of manurial schedules and proper time of application are important to minimise the button shedding. Apply extra 2 kg of muriate of potash with 200 g of Borax/palm over and above the usual dosage of fertilizer to correct the barren nuts in coconut for period of 3 years.
Boron deficiency or crown choke disorder: Apply 200 g of borax/palm/year in two splits.
f. Lack of pollination
Button shedding also occurs due to lack of pollination. Setting up of beehives @ 15 units/ha may increase the cross pollination in the garden. Further the additional income obtained through honey, increases the net profit per unit area.
g. Hormone deficiency
The fertilised female flowers i.e., buttons shed in some cases. By spraying 2, 4- D at 30 ppm or NAA 20 ppm (2,4-D 30 mg or NAA 20 mg per litre of water) on the inflorescence one month after opening of the spathe, the setting percentage could be increased.
h. Pests
Button shedding may happen due to the attack of bug. Spraying of systemic insecticides like Methyldematon 0.025% (1ml/lit) or Dimethoate 0.03% (1ml/lit) may reduce the occurrence.
i. Diseases
Button shedding also occurs due to disease incidence such as basal stem rot. Adoption of control measures suggested for the disease reduces not only spread of the disease but also prevents button shedding.
Mother palm selection
- Select seed gardens, which contain large proportion of high yielding trees with uniformity in yielding ability. Trees growing closer to households, cattle shed, compost pits and other favorable conditions should be avoided.
- High yielding mother palms giving not less than 100 nuts/palm/annum should be chosen for collecting seednuts. Alternate bearers should be avoided. The age of the palm chosen be middle age i.e., from 25 to 40 years. Even trees with 15 years age can be selected, if it is high yielding and has stabilized yield.
- The mother palm should have straight trunk, spherical or semi spherical crown, high rate of leaf and spathe production, short and stout petiole, more number of female flowers regular bearing habit, non – buckling bunches, high setting parentage, medium in nut size, high copra outturn and free from pest and diseases. A good regular bearing mother palm produces on an average one leaf and an inflorescence in its axil every month. So, there will be twelve bunches of varying stages of maturity at any one time. Avoid trees producing habitually barren nuts.
- Harvest seednuts during the months of February - August to get maximum germination and good quality seedlings. Harvest the bunches intended for seednut by lowering them to the ground using a rope to avoid injury to seednuts
- The seednuts should be round in shape and when tapped by finger should produce metallic sound. Fully ripe nuts develop twelve months after fertilization.
- To get more quality seedlings, the seednuts of tall and hybrid are to be air cured for one month followed by sand curing for two months. For dwarf varieties, the air curing should be lesser than one month followed by sand curing for two months.
Nursery management
- Select nursery area in a well drained plot with coarse texture soil near water source for irrigation. Nursery can be raised in the open space with artificial shade or in the adult coconut garden.
- Plant seednuts in a long and narrow bed at a spacing of 30 x 30 cm either horizontally or vertically in deep trenches with 20-25 cm depth. Five rows of nuts may be planted in each bed accommodating 50 nuts per row.
- Irrigate the nursery beds once in three days.
- Keep the nursery free of weeds. To manage the weed problem in coconut nursery, growing sunnhemp 2 times (each harvested at flowering stage) followed by one hand weeding at 6th month was found to be very effective besides yielding green manure for manuring the adult coconut palms.
- Provide shade to the nursery by raising Sesbania or Leucaena on the sides of beds.
- The seednuts start germination 6 – 8 weeks after planting and germination continues upto six months. Select seedlings that germinate before 5 months after planting. Remove those nuts which do not germinate 5 months after sowing.
- Regularly survey for pest and diseases.
- Select seedlings 9 to 12 months after planting. Seedlings, which have germinated earlier, having good girth at collar and early splitting of leaflets, should be selected for planting. Do not select the so called Kakkamukku Pillai i.e., seednuts which have just germinated. Eliminate the seedlings which are deformed or having stunted growth.
- Remove the seedlings from the nursery by lifting with spade. Do not pull out the seedlings by pulling leaves or stem.
- Select quality seedlings with a minimum of 6 leaves and girth of 10 cm at collar.
