PANDIT JAWAHARLAL NEHRU COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND

RESEARCH INSTITUTE ,KARAIKAL.

FSC 202 BREEDING OF FRUITS AND PLANTATION CROPS (2+1)

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC: BREEDING OBJECTIVES, FLORAL BIOLOGY, SELFING AND

CROSSING TECNIQUES IN COCONUT AND ARECANUT

Submitted by ,
COURSE TEACHER : Dr.V.KANDHASAMY
B.SIVABHARATHY
COURSE ASSOCIATE : Dr .M.S.MARICHAMY 16UHR031
 INTRODUCTION
• COMMON NAME : COCONUT

• BOTANICAL NAME: cocos nucifera L.

• FAMILY: ARECACEAE

• The English name coconut, comes

from the Spanish and Portuguese
word .

• coco, which means “monkey face”,

Nucifera means “nut bearing”.
 TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION
• Kingdom: Palm
• Class: Liliopsida
• Subclass: Arecidae
• Order : Arecales
• Family: Arecaceae
• Genus: Cocos L.
• Species: Cocos nucifera L
 BREEDING OBJECTIVES
 To evolve varieties
 With higher nut production
 High copra and oil content.
Possessing drought tolerance.
 Resistant to important disease especially to root wilt
and pest.
Exclusively for use as “tender nuts”.
 FLORAL BIOLOGY
• Coconut is monoecious plant .
• Flowering start at 6-12 years of age.
• There are six stamens in male flower.
• Female flowers are 2-3 cm in diameter having a large ovary with three
locules and a stigma with three nectary glands.
 CONTD,
 Dwarf palms are autogamous and tall palms are allogamous
but hybrids and dwarf types exhibits both the types of
pollination.
• Pollination in coconut is carried out by wind and insects .
• The fruit consist of exocarp ( outer skin), mesocarp (fibrous
layer) and endocarp which is ovoid shell along with 3 ridge
and seed (one) situated at calyx with a thin brown testa
attached to the edible endosperm.
 BREEDING METHODS
• INTRODUCTION
• SELECTION
• HYBRIDIZATION
• BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOL

• Coconut breeding was started for the first time in the world in
1916, at coconut research station Neleshwar of Kerala.
 INTRODUCTION AND SELECTION

 The earliest exotic introductions were made in 1924 from Philippines,

Malaysia, Fiji, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam which formed the

nucleus population for many research programmes.

 Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod has been

designated as the "National Active Germplasm Site" for coconut and

maintains the world's largest assemblage of coconut germplasm with 132

accessions which include 86 exotic and 46 indigenous cultivars.

 Coconut varieties released through
selection
Sl. No. Cultivar Released under the name State for which
recommended
1 Laccadive Ordinary Chandrakalpa A.P., TN, Karnataka,
Maharastra, and
Kerala
2 Banawali Green Round Pratap Coastal Maharastra
3 Philippines Oridinary Kerachandra Coastal Maharastra,
Coastal AP and WB.
4 Andaman Ordinary VPM-3 All districts of Tamil
Nadu
 HYBRIDIZATION
• THE CROSSING TECHNIQUE INVOLVES THE
FOLLOWING STEPS:
 EMASCULATION
 POLLEN COLLECTION AND PROCESSING
 POLLINATION
 COLLECTION OF SEED NUTS
 STORAGE AND SOWING AT APPROPRIATE TIME
 Dwarf x Dwarf
 The crosses between DxD have not given
satisfactory results to yield potential traits.
 Tall x Dwarf
 Among dwarfs, Chowghat Dwarf Orange and
Ganga Bondam are best for production of
hybrids with West Coast Tall.
 It is reported that all the hybrids of Tall x dwarf
green, Tall x Gangabondom exhibeted
heterosis in the weight of nuts, kernal content
and nut water.
• Dwarf x Tall
• Higher production than TxD hybrids
• The COD x WCT hybrid was found to have
better nutrient utilization ability.
• Example: Chandra Sankara (COD x WCT)
• Tall x Tall
• The poor yield in tall combination may due to
the poor combining ability of other parents.
 Chandra Sankara (COD X WCT)

• Heavy yielder and

produces 116nuts/plam
• It is susceptible to
drought .
• Released by CPCRI in
1985
 Chandra laksha (LCT X COD)
• It comes to bearing in
about 4-5 years after
planting.
• Annual yield is 109
nuts/plam.
• Copra content of 150-
210g/nuts
 Kalpa sankara (CGD X WCT)

• This hybrid was

recommended for
cultivation in root (wilt)
disease prevalent tracts
of kerala.
• Annual yield is 85 nuts
per plam
 Kalpa samruthi (MYD X WCT)
• It is suitable for tender
nut purpose.
• Annual yield is 117 nuts
per plam.
• Largest cultivation in
kerala and Assam.
 Kalpa sreshta (MYD X TPT)
• Suitable for tender nuts
• Yield is 167
nuts/plams/year
• Copra out turn of
6.28t/ha.
Embryo Culture and Tissue Culture
 It is useful for producing plantlets from special coconut types
such as Mohacha Naral, Thairu thengai etc. where the
endosperm is soft and jelly like and does not germinate under
normal conditions.
• ADVANTAGE:
 rapid multiplication
 save time,
 space,
 resources.
 FUTURE TRUST
• Development of superior varieties for high yield,
tender nut quality, and inflorescence sap (neera) etc.
• Development of short statured varieties to overcome
the shortage of experienced climbers in many parts
of country.
• Application of molecular markers to aid in breeding
programmes aiming for biotic and abiotic stresses
and identification of hybrid seedling in coconut
nurseries.
 Difficulties encountered

• Palms unique floral biology.

• Its long juvenile phase before flowering.
• Prolonged intervals between generations.
• Heterozygous nature of the crop.
• Long period of experimentation required to obtain results as
stability in yield occurs between 15- 20 years.
• Low rate of sexual reproduction.
ARECANUT
VARIETAL WEALTH OF
ARECANUT
 Research Centres working on arecanut

• 1) CPCRI Regional Station, Vittal. Karnataka

• 2) CPCRI Research Centre, Mohitnagar (W.B)
• 3) CPCRI Research Centre, Kahikuchi (Assam)
 BREEDING OBJECTIVES
• High yield
• Regular bearing
• Large sized fruit
• More nuts/ bunch
• Good quality
• More number of female flowers
• High percentage of seed set
• Dwarfness and tolerence to yellow leaf diasease.
 Floral biology
• Monoecious palm
• Infloresence is spadix and it is
completely enclosed in a sealed
boat shaped spathe.
• Spadix is having a main rachis
divided subsequently into secondary
and tertiary rachies.
• Female flowers are confined to
tertiary and distal end of secondary
rachis.
• Male flowers are produced on
filiform branches arising below and
beyond the female flowers.
• Both female and male flowers are
sessile with two whorls of perianth.
• Fruit is a monolocular, one seeded berry and it
consist of a fiborous outer husk, enclosing a single
seed.
• Cross pollinated crop.
• Fruit set varies from 12 to 14 percent.
• Full bloom to maturity of the fruit ranges from 35 to
47 weeks.
 Cultivars of Areca catechu

• Four botanical varieties of Areca catechu were reported,

 Areca catechu var. communis,

 A. catechu var. silvatica,

 A. catechu var. batanensis and

 A. catechu var. longicarpa based on the size and shape of fruits and kernel.

• A new cultivar A. catechu var. deliciosa with sweet kernel has been

reported from Karnataka.

 Germplasm and Varieties

• Arecanut is one of the very few examples, wherein crop

improvement work combined with improved input technologies

contributed to revolutionize production and productivity.

• Evolving high-yielding and improved varieties of arecanut has been

successful through the introduction of indigenous and exotic types

and selection of mother palms, seed nuts and seedlings.

 In recent years, hybridization and exploitation of dwarfing genes for

breeding dwarf and high-yielding varieties have been initiated.

 Germplasm repository at CPCRI regional station, Vittal, Karnataka,

consists of 164 accessions.

 This includes 23 exotic introductions from Fiji, Mauritius, China, Sri Lanka,

Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Australia, representing 6 species of

Areca and 141 indigenous types obtained from different parts of India.
 Improved varieties
MANGALA
• Medium sized tree.
• Start bearing in 4-5 year
• Medium sized round nuts
• Early bearing.
• Average yield 3 kg.plam
 SUMANGALA
• Tall variety
• Medium sized oblong nuts
• Takes 5-6 year for bearing
• Average yield 3.18 kg/plam
 SRIMANGALA

• Tall variety
• Big sized round nuts
• Average yield 3.28 kg/plamS
 SARWAMANGALA
• Regular bearer, with homogenous population
• Trees are semi tall to tall.
• Colour of ripe nuts –orange to deep yellow
• Potential yield -6.28 kg/plam
 Mohith Nagar
• Tall variety
• Big size round shaped nuts
• Average yield 3.60 kg/plam
• Suitable for coastal area
 IMPROVED ARECANUT CULTIVRS
CULTIVAR IMPORTANT CHARECTERISTICS
Mangala An introduction from south china, semi tall, early bearing,
(VTL 3) more female / inflorecence, high seed nut, average yield
8.25kg of ripe palms per palm per year.
Sumangala An introduction from Indonesia; tall, nuts deep yellow to
(VTL 11) orange, average yield 12.93 kg ripe nuts per palm per year at
the age of 10 years.
Sreemangala An introduction from Singapore; tall, ripe nuts deep yellow
(VTL 17) colour, average yield 12. 82kg /palm/tree.
Mohitnagar An indigenenous cultivar from west bengal, known for
uniformity, wide adaptability, high yield of 15kg /palm /tree.
SAS -1 A selection from Sirsi (karnataka) area , tall, regular bearing,
bunch compact, 18 kg /palm/ yaer, suitable for tender as well
as ripe nut processing.
 HYBRIDIZATION
• Iinitiated in early 70 s at the CPCRI Regional station, Vittal.
• Intervarietal hybridaization carried out among mangala, sumangala,
sreemangala, Mohit Nagar, Thirthahalli, Sreevardan and Hirehalli
dwarf and evaluation of seedling with respect to their performance
did not result in selection of any useful arecanut hybrids.
• Utilization of dwarf mutants was encouraging and attempt to
establish a plantation of short is in progress.
• Interspecific hybridization between Areca catecheu and A. triandra,
the hybrids expressed hybrid vigour for number of females flowers,
length of spadix and grith of stem but high sterility.
 Vittal Areca Hybrid-1(VTLAH-1)
• Hybrid between Hirchalli Dwarf x Sumangala.
• Moderate yielder but early stabilization in nut
yield.
• Medium sized oval, yellow to orange nuts.
• Yield (kg chali/palm/year)- 2.54.
• Sun scorching and wind damage is minimal
due to dwarfing nature.
 Vittal Areca Hybrids-2 (VTLAH –II)
• Dwarf variety released by CPCRI vital.
• Medium sized round nuts
• Average yield 2.64 kg/plam