The Coconut Tree

The coconut palm is one of the most natural in the world. The coconut palm is a member of the family (it is the palm family). The origins of this palm plant are native to South Asia, so many ways to use it by humans. The coconut is a versatile fruit, it not only is an integral part of cuisines from around the world but also contains water that is consumed for medicinal properties. 

The coconut pail is a large palm tree with a height of approximately 30 m.it has pinnate leaves, each growing to a size of around 6 m, with a pinnate approximately 90 cm long. The palm bears polygamous and awesome flowers, where both male and female flowers blossom within the same inflorescence. The palm tree displays both, cross-pollination and self-pollination of the tree. The fruit borne is edible, and the water within the kernel-encasing is very sweet.

Botanically referred to as the Cocos, it is a member of the Asteraceae or palm family, in fact, it is the only member of the genus coconuts. It thrives in the tropical regions and is a major trade component due to it is various decorative, culinary, and non-culinary uses. Interestingly, every part of it is put to some use or the other.

The Coconut Tree History

 Native to the tropics, the palm seems to have found its way across the continents. The fruit, being light and buoyant, is said to have possibly found its own course across the globe, with the help of marine currents. It can be found as far as Norway in the north, where the people have for centuries ensured that the seed germinated under the right, ‘created’ conditions. It is believed that the fruit and its palm made their way into Hawaii on account of the deliberate efforts made by Polynesian voyagers.

 The name coconut, it is believed, was awarded to this tree by Spanish and Portuguese explorers. The name was derived from the Iberian coco, which referred to a mythical hairy master. The kernel and hair around the fruit probably generated this connection. The nut was added to refer to the seed-bearing palm, just like most other tree seeds are referred to, in English. The name stuck, and today the whole world knows the tree as the coconut palm.

Climate Conditions to Grow up

 The coconut palm basically thrives in the world’s tropical regions. It requires warm climatic conditions for growth. The natural conditions best suit its growth

•  Sandy soil, with a high salinity tolerance
•  Abundant sunlight, with a mean annual temperature of 27-28 degrees Celsius
•  Regular rainfall of approximately  140-210 cm, annually.
•  High humidity,
•  Absence of overhead canopy growth.

 Coconut Tree Diseases

 Coconut trees are prone to some diseases. Few of them are very harmful, and few slowly affect the tree by gradually reducing overall yield. Let us give you a brief on the diseases that infest the coconut tree and ways to protect it.

•  Stem bleeding
•  Leaf rot
•  Crown choking
•  Grey leaf spot
•  Bud rot
•  Tatiana

 Stem bleeding

You might have witnessed the stem of a coconut tree extracting reddish-brown liquid out of the cracks. Over time, cracks are built on coconut stem on which liquid becomes one of the diseases that decays its tissues leading to limited yield. Often trunks of trees develop big holes which can be avoided with the use of fertilizers or organic manure such as cow manure that prevents plants and trees from numerous diseases.

 Leaf rot

 Leaves tend to change color, turn black and younger leaves break off easily. The tree turns week, resulting in low yield. You can use our Multiplex Coconut Mix of 1 kg, a multi-micronutrient fertilizer that produces regular flowering, quality and improved yield with bigger sized nuts. This fertilizer is a mixture of Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum and Boron micronutrients. It comes in powdered form and can be mixed with soil for a fantastic result.

 Crown choking

Leaves grow smaller and fail to unfurl. Overall, gives a choked appearance leading to the death of the palm. To avoid this condition, organic manure or fertilizer can be used to prevent such diseases and increase the look and yield of palm.

 Grey leaf spot

 You will find minute yellow spots surrounded by grayish bands right on the surface of grown leaves. Slowly, these spots turn fully grayish white, leading to complete drying of leaves when the infection turns severe.

 Bud rot

Early symptoms occur with the yellowing of one or two leaves. Black spots occur on leaves, and later they fall. This is a gradual process, if left untreated will result in limited to no yield or smaller nuts.

 Tatiana

The symptoms of this disease were first appeared in Tatiana Village based in East District, Andhra Pradesh just after a cyclone that hit the village in 1949.

 Type Of Coconut Trees In India

•  West Coast Tall
•  East Coast Tall
•  Chandrakant
•  Andaman Ordinary/ VPM-3
•  Timur Tall
•  Kara Samara
•  Karachandran
•  Chow ghat Green Dwarf
•  Chow ghat Orange Dwarf

  West Coast Tall

  A common variety that can take up to 6-7 years to start producing fruits. It can grow in a wide range of soils and have 65-70% oil content. The trees also produce good quality juice, which can be useful in making Jagger.  The variety is often suggested for high scale cultivation in coastal areas of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orris, Tripura, and Lakisha weep.

 East Coast Tall

Another tall variety of coconut with 65-68 % of oil content. It is suitable for growing in the coastal region of West Bengal, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. This type of coconut performs well in well-draining, alluvial or red loam soil, and starts bearing fruit at the age of 6-8 years.

 Chandrakant

Also known as Lakisha weep ordinary or LCT, it can grow on a variety of soil types and can survive under moist conditions as well. The variety is an amazing choice for cultivation on higher scales in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. The coconut has 68-72 % of oil content and starts to fruit in the 5-6th year of plantation.

 Andaman Ordinary/ VPM-3

The trees of this variety start producing fruits in 5-6 years of plantation. The variety is drought-tolerant and has 70% content of oil and high copra content as well. The commercial cultivation of this variety takes place in Tamil Nadu, Andaman, Kerala,  and Andhra Pradesh.

 Timur Tall

Another famous variety of coconut is widely cultivated in the southern state of Karnataka. It contains around 68% of oil content and the fruiting usually occurs after 6-7 years. The variety produces 70-80 coconuts per tree on average, with 6-12 inches long.

 Kara Samara

A popular cultivar in the south Indian state of Kerala. The variety takes almost 6-8 years before it can start producing fruits. It is also a tall coconut variety that has 68-70% oil content. The average yield of this coconut variety is 90-100 fruits per tree every year.

 Karachandra

This variety of coconut can also grow in a wide range of soils and produces an average of 100-110 fruits per tree every year. It is suitable for commercial cultivation in all states. It takes around 5 years to produce fruits. The oil content in this type of coconut is 66-68%.

 Chow ghat Green Dwarf

 It is one of the famous dwarf varieties of coconut in India, suitable for cultivation in southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. It takes only 3-4 years to produce fruits, with an oil content of around 66-68 %. The characteristic feature of this variety is a beck which is visible when the fruits are mature.

 Chow ghat Orange Dwarf

 The variety is called Kerala in Karnataka. The trees are widely cultivated in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It can produce fruits in 3-4 years of plantation and have a good amount of oil content in them. The variety produces, on average, 60-65 fruits per tree every year.