Coconut improvement by selection and breeding - A review in the light of recent findings
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Date
2007-02-08
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Abstract
The major breeding objectives have been identified as higher yield of oil per unit area of coconut plantation and resistance/tolerance to serious diseases such as root (wilt), thattipakka, and stem bleeding. The breeding systems vary widely in Tall and Dwarf cultivars. The advantages of selecting the best 10% of palms in a given population as mother trees for seed nut collection and breeding purposes have been indicated. Studies on the relationship between ] yield of nuts, copra content per nut, total yield of copra/palm, and yield of oil/palm showed that in West Coast Tall, the mean copra content/nut, though negatively correlated with yield, does not affect annual outturn of copra/palm, the threshold value being 162.6 nuts, and that the yield of oil/palm and yieldjof nuts were significantly and positively correlated. The necessity for applying selection pressure on weight of copra/nut and oil percentage in addition to number of nuts has been indicated keeping in view the variability and heritability data available for these characters. Selling of West Coast Tall palms confirmed the earlier observation that it is heterozygous for height while Chowghat Dwarf Orange variety is heterozygous for colour, vigour, and stature. Palms which breed true for these characters are also present in the population. In addition to the wide variations observed in the percentage of heterozygotes for vigour realised by selling or under open pollination of Dwarf Orange or under specific cross combinations with Tall, the progenies were also observed to segregate for colour. Further experiments are to be taken up for a better understanding of the genetic make up of the Tall and Dwarf varieties. The different approaches that may be pursued for improving their genetic base and the possibilities of realising a higher percentage of hybrids in the Dwarf x Tall crosses are discussed in the light of available data.
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coconut, selection, breeding
Citation
In: Coconut research and development; proceedings of the international symposium, 1st, CPCRI, Kasaragod, 27-31 Dec. 1976. Edited by N.M. Nayar. 1983 Wiley Eastern, New Delhi 44-55