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Dwarfs have far fewer varieties than Talls, both because of their inbreeding and because their seeds cannot survive a long period floating on the ocean. �is inability stems from the characteristically thin husk of the Dwarf nut, which acts against the preservation of the seed within. Dwarfs are regarded as the likely result of mutations that made female flowers ready for pollination whilst the male flowers of the same inflorescence were releasing their pollen, resulting in a high frequency of self-pollination. �e names of Dwarf varieties usually refer to the country or region of origin and the colour, such as Sri Lanka Green, Nias Orange, Malayan Yellow and New Guinea Brown (see Figure 2-2). Telling the difference between a Tall and a Dwarf palm �e differences in trunk thickness and the size of the crown allow almost instant recognition of a palm as Tall or Dwarf, except for hybrids of the two, which are intermediate in trunk thickness (see Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1. Contrasting thickness and shape of the base of the trunk of a Tall (left), a Dwarf (right), and an intermediate hybrid, type of palm — all three adjusted to the same scale. 35 �e Dwarf palm does not develop a bole or enlarged base on the trunk, as most Tall varieties do. �e Dwarf trunk has very nearly the same diameter at ground level as it does along its full length, except for very slight tapering as it gains height. Dwarf palms are of course much shorter than Talls of the same age (less than half the trunk height), and their shorter fronds result in a smaller crown. �e Dwarf begins to flower and bear fruit two or three years earlier than the Tall (from the age of three years under really favourable conditions), and because its trunk extends only slowly, fruit bunches are carried close to the ground at first and remain within reach of the human hand for several years. Talls, on the other hand, usually bear their first bunches out of reach, and they rapidly grow to a height at which harvesting requires a longhandled cutting tool, an extension ladder or climbing skills. Within the Tall group, it is fairly easy to recognise two major subgroups on the basis of size and shape of the fruits. A large, roundish fruit having a thinner husk is referred to as the ‘domesticated’ form (Figure 2-3, right). It has evolved as
Figure 2-2. Four common fruit colours, light brown, orange, yellow and pale green, found especially on Dwarf palms. Many other shades of green and brown are found on Tall fruit but the recessive orange and yellow colours shown here are almost exclusive to Dwarf palms, which display the same colours on the frond petiole and also have pale leaflets. (Roland Bourdeix, Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), France) a result of selection by humans over many millennia for greater water content, providing a convenient water supply for drinking where fresh water is scarce, especially on sea voyages. �e ‘wild’ form of the Tall coconut, on the other hand, is found wherever the palm has spread naturally, and has remained genetically unchanged in its proportions of husk and nut. �e wild-type fruit is smaller than the domesticated fruit and has a higher proportion of husk, which enables it to float on the ocean for a long time, and a correspondingly lower volume of nut-water. Intermediate-sized fruits, showing great diversity between palms, are found in many coconut populations. �is is especially so on some of the long-occupied Pacific islands, indicating that an original wild coconut palm population, which predated the arrival of human colonisers, has been blending for some time with introduced largerfruited varieties. A few very remote islands, such as North Keeling in the Cocos Islands of the Indian Ocean, show truly wild-type fruit with no trace of introduced forms. 36 Drought tolerance Apart from their recognisable fruit characters (size, shape, dominant colour), different Tall populations can also be distinguished, when compared within a location, through their differences in adaptation. Environmental variables (such as the regular occurrence of a dry season, seasonal variations in temperature, or attacks by pest and disease organisms) induce tolerance through natural selection. For example, coconut palms from Kerala, in south-west India where the dry season is pronounced, withstand the seasonal drought well at home.
Page 1 and 2: The coconut odyssey the bounteous p
Page 4 and 5: �e coconut odyssey the bounteous
Page 6: Foreword Coconut is a tree of great
Page 9 and 10: �e strand posed few biohazards .
Page 11 and 12: Traditional coconut cream and milk
Page 14 and 15: Preface Few plants are more univers
Page 16 and 17: chapter 1 �e coconut odyssey begi
Page 18 and 19: Evolution of the coconut �e ocean
Page 20 and 21: In this way, the coconut palm evolv
Page 22 and 23: Figure 1-5. Zones of latitude withi
Page 24 and 25: ships bound for Cuba and other isla
Page 26 and 27: as the seedling develops. It secret
Page 28 and 29: But there was another motive. Durin
Page 30 and 31: Figure 1-12. Four seasonal mean tem
Page 32 and 33: midwinter, the central heating kept
Page 34 and 35: chapter 2 Surprising diversity amon
Page 38 and 39: �ey are also notably better adapt
Page 40 and 41: �e Niu Leka produces many interme
Page 42 and 43: Figure 2-6. Aerial view of North Ke
Page 44 and 45: chapter 3 �e life story of a palm
Page 46 and 47: �e embryo of the seed is conceale
Page 48 and 49: noticeable setback to growth, the s
Page 50 and 51: completing the second full circle.
Page 52 and 53: Why does the palm on the strand lea
Page 54 and 55: Figure 3-12. �e exposed roots of
Page 56 and 57: chapter 4 Taking the plunge looking
Page 58 and 59: Annual rainfall of 2000 mm, which i
Page 60 and 61: Figure 4-2. Crowded palms, showing
Page 62 and 63: Figure 4-4. Fruitless and therefore
Page 64 and 65: chapter 5 Caring for the palm from
Page 66 and 67: Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, par
Page 68 and 69: �e only known coconut disease att
Page 70 and 71: least in the early years) will not
Page 72 and 73: Table 5.1. Visual symptoms of some
Page 74 and 75: Table 5.2. Critical levels for mine
Page 76 and 77: chapter 6 �e productive palm pote
Page 78 and 79: from a palm with a 10-metre trunk.
Page 80 and 81: Figure 6-5a. A less likely disaster
Page 82 and 83: Where there is ready access to a to
Page 84 and 85: chapter 7 �e fruit and its parts
Page 86 and 87:
have provided the foundation for a
Page 88 and 89:
traces of many minerals, such as po
Page 90 and 91:
Figure 7-3. Coconut milk being sque
Page 92 and 93:
produced particularly in India and
Page 94 and 95:
is lit at one end (requiring coals
Page 96 and 97:
Coconut sap for toddy and sugar In
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(400-600 kg/m 3 ), and finally ther
Page 100 and 101:
Precision cutting recovers the best
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even one metre would be enough to
Page 104 and 105:
Preparing a ‘tender nut’: a spe
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little water left inside. Select on
Page 108 and 109:
Recovering the kernel �e kernel c
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Small, 10-mm cubed pieces of fresh
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chapter 10 �e coconut’s industr
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using annual oil crops. Until then,
Page 116 and 117:
which is the largest exporter. Indi
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on the separation of oil from its e
Page 120 and 121:
skills. �e introduction of simple
Page 122 and 123:
chapter 11 �e wonder food Since a
Page 124 and 125:
Saturated and unsaturated fats Mark
Page 126 and 127:
double bonds are shown beside the n
Page 128 and 129:
Independent researchers in the Unit
Page 130 and 131:
molecules entering into the chemist
Page 132 and 133:
Issue Detail Comments 10. High melt
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The coconut odyssey - the bounteous possibilities of the ... - ACIAR

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