Tips to choose mother seeds and seedlings for coconut cultivation

It is important to select good quality mother plants of the desired variety. The significant
features of a mother plant include the following:

• The mother tree should be disease-free.
• The tree should be a regular bearer that produces at least one leaf and inflorescence every month.
• It should be a high yielding variety producing a minimum of 100 nuts a year.
• The age of the plant should be 25 to 40 years for tall varieties. For short varieties, seeds from younger trees are also used.
• Leaf scars should be closely spaced and the trunk of the tree should be stout.
• The crown of the tree should be spherical or semi-spherical.

Selection of Good Quality Seedling

Major considerations in selecting good quality seedling include the following:

• 9-12 month old seedling
• At least four leaves for 9 month old seedling
• Six to eight leaves for 10-12 month old seedling
• Early germination, rapid growth & seedling vigour
• Collar girth : 10-12 cm
• Early splitting of leaves

Generally, healthy seedlings which are one year old, which have 6-8 leaves and 10-12 cm collar girth (when they are 9-12 months old) are selected for planting. Early splitting of leaves in the seedlings shall be a criterion for selecting good seedlings. However, in waterlogged areas 18 – 24 months old seedlings are preferred for planting.