Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm Bourdeix R, Batugal P, Oliver JT, George MLC, editors Bioversity International is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to improve the well- being of present and future generations of people by enhancing conservation and the deployment of agricultural biodiversity on farms and in forests. It is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. Bioversity has its headquarters in Maccarese, near Rome, Italy, with offices in more than 20 other countries worldwide. The organization operates through four programmes: Diversity for Livelihoods, Understanding and Managing Biodiversity, Global Partnerships, and Commodities for Livelihoods. The international status of Bioversity is conferred under an Establishment Agreement which, by January 2010, had been signed by the Governments of Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda and Ukraine. Financial support for Bioversity’s research is provided by more than 150 donors, including governments, private foundations and international organizations. For details of donors and research activities please see Bioversity’s Annual Reports, which are available in printed form on request from bioversity-publications@cgiar.org or from Bioversity’s Web site (www.bioversityinternational.org). The geographical designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Bioversity or the CGIAR concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations. Mention of a proprietary name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. COGENT, the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network founded by Bioversity International (then the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, IPGRI) in 1992, is a global network of coconut-producing countries, aimed at improving the production and use of coconut and the conservation of its diversity. As a network, COGENT synergizes the efforts of partners to strengthen coconut conservation and research programmes, and empower communities dependent on coconut for their livelihoods to adopt improved technologies and diversified production and marketing systems. We do this by bringing together crop scientists, social scientists, private sector stakeholders, enterprise and innovations specialists, and decision makers to develop models of best practice, guidelines and other knowledge that contribute to the effective conservation and use of coconut genetic resources. More details are available at www.cogentnetwork.org Citation: Batugal P, Bourdeix R, Oliver JT, George MLC, editors. 2010. Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm. International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT), Bioversity International, Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Cover design: Karen Lehrer Cover pictures: Roland Bourdeix ISBN: 978-92-9043-831-1 Bioversity International ������ COGENT Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a ������������������������������������������������� Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania 00057 Maccarese PO Box 236, UPM Post Office, Rome, Italy 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Serdang, Malaysia © Bioversity International, 2010 Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm Bourdeix R, Batugal P, Oliver JT, George MLC, editors Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Acknowledgements The editors would like to thank: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for financially supporting the production of this book. Bioversity International and the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) for supporting the publication. With special thanks to: Yeow, Giap Seng (Bioversity - Malaysia) for his technical support, Luc Baudouin and Jean Pierre Labouisse for their numerous suggestions on the text, Janis Thiriet and Vincent Johnson for their help on writing some of the pages describing the countries, Claudine Picq and Vincent Johnson for the technical editing, Karen Lehrer for book design and layout. Dr Roland Bourdeix Senior Researcher CIRAD (Centre international de recherche agronomique pour le développement) CEFE (Centre for evolutionary and evolutive ecology) CRIOBE (Centre de recherches insulaires et observatoire de l’environnement) Campus CNRS / CEFE / 2ème étage / C - 1919 Route de Mende - 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Phone: +33 4 67 61 32 85 Fax : +33 4 67 41 21 38 Email: roland.bourdeix@cirad.fr Dr Pons Batugal Former COGENT Coordinator (1994- 2006) Current position and address: President, Farmers Community Development Foundation International (FCDF) Block 5, Sacay Grand Villas, University of the Philippines at Los Baños Campus, Los Baños, Laguna 4031 Philippines Phone: +6349 536 6210 Email: pbatugal@gmail.com M Jeffrey T. Oliver Former COGENT communication officer Current position and address: Corporate communication officer IITA, PMB 5320, Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria Email: J.Oliver@cgiar.org Dr Maria Luz George Former COGENT Coordinator (2006-2009) Current position and address: Head, Project Management Unit CIMMYT Int. Km. 45, Carretera Mexico-Veracruz El Batan, Texcoco, Edo. de México CP 56130 Mexico Phone: +52(595) 9521900 Fax: +52(595) 9521983 Email: M.George@cgiar.org About the editors RB: Roland Bourdeix, ������������������������������������������������������������������� JPL: Jean-Pierre Labouisse, JTO: Jeffrey T Oliver, ���������������� PB: Pons Batugal Photo credits The photo credits are indicated by initials tagged on the pictures. �Contents Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................................vi Introduction....................................................................................................................................... vii Coconut palm nomenclature.............................................................................................................. 1 Catalogue structure and layout.......................................................................................................... 4 Lists of Coconut germplasm.............................................................................................................. 6 Germplasm descriptions according to country of origin.................................................................. 11 Benin............................................................................................................................................ 11 West African Tall Ouidah (WAT06)........................................................................................... 12 Brazil............................................................................................................................................ 15 Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) in Brazil and Côte d’Ivoire......................................................... 16 Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) in the Philippines...................................................................... 18 Cambodia.................................................................................................................................... 21 Cambodia Tall Koh Rong (KAT10)........................................................................................... 22 Cambodia Green Dwarf (KGD)................................................................................................ 24 Cameroon.................................................................................................................................... 27 Cameroon Kribi Tall (CKT)....................................................................................................... 28 Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD)................................................................................................... 30 Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) in India...................................................................................... 32 Comoro Islands........................................................................................................................... 35 Comoro Moheli Tall (CMT)....................................................................................................... 36 Côte d’Ivoire................................................................................................................................ 39 West African Tall (WAT) in Côte d’Ivoire.................................................................................. 40 West African Tall (WAT) in India............................................................................................... 42 West African Tall Akabo (WAT03)............................................................................................ 44 West African Tall Mensah (WAT04).......................................................................................... 46 Fiji................................................................................................................................................ 49 Niu Leka Dwarf (NLAD)........................................................................................................... 50 Rotuman Tall (RTMT)............................................................................................................... 52 France (French Polynesia, Mayotte and New Caledonia)............................................................ 55 New Caledonia Tall (NCT)....................................................................................................... 56 Lifou Tall (LFT)......................................................................................................................... 58 Nu Fella Tall (NUFT)................................................................................................................. 60 Mayotte Tall (MYOT)................................................................................................................ 62 Nu Quawen Tall (NUQT).......................................................................................................... 64 Nu Wehung Tall (NWHT).......................................................................................................... 66 ii Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm France (French Polynesia, Mayotte and New Caledonia) continued Rangiroa Tall (RGT).................................................................................................................. 68 Tahitian Red Dwarf (TRD)........................................................................................................ 70 Tahitian Tall (TAT)..................................................................................................................... 72 India............................................................................................................................................. 75 Andaman Giant Tall (AGT) in Côte d’Ivoire.............................................................................. 76 Andaman Giant Tall (AGT) in India.......................................................................................... 78 Andaman Ordinary Tall (ADOT) in Côte d’Ivoire...................................................................... 80 Andaman Ordinary Tall (ADOT) in India................................................................................... 82 Ayiramkachi Tall (AYRT)........................................................................................................... 84 Chowghat Green Dwarf (CGD)................................................................................................ 86 Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD).............................................................................................. 88 Gangabondam Green Dwarf (GBGD)...................................................................................... 90 Indian West Coast Tall (WCT).................................................................................................. 92 Indian West Coast Tall Spicata (WCT01)................................................................................. 94 Kappadam Tall (KPDT)............................................................................................................ 96 Laccadive Micro Tall (LMT) in Côte d’Ivoire............................................................................ 98 Laccadive Micro Tall (LMT) in India....................................................................................... 100 Laccadive Ordinary Tall (LCT) in Côte d’Ivoire...................................................................... 102 Laccadive Ordinary Tall (LCT) in India................................................................................... 104 Nadora Tall (NDRT)................................................................................................................ 106 Rangoon Kobbari Tall (RKBT)................................................................................................ 108 Sakhi Gopal Tall (SKGT02).................................................................................................... 110 Tiptur Tall (TPT)..................................................................................................................... 112 Indonesia................................................................................................................................... 115 Borneo Tall (BONT)................................................................................................................ 116 Java Tall (JVT)........................................................................................................................ 118 Kinabuhutan Tall (KNT).......................................................................................................... 120 Mamuaya Tall (MAMT)........................................................................................................... 122 Mapanget Tall (MPT)............................................................................................................. 124 Mapanget Tall-2 (MPT02)...................................................................................................... 126 Mapanget Tall-10 (MPT10).................................................................................................... 128 Mapanget-Tall 99 (MPT99).................................................................................................... 130 Marinsow Tall (MWT)............................................................................................................. 132 Palu Tall (PUT)....................................................................................................................... 134 Pandu Tall (PDT).................................................................................................................... 136 Pungkol Tall (PGLT)............................................................................................................... 138 Raja Brown Dwarf Ternate (RBD01)...................................................................................... 140 Santongbolang Tall (SNTT).................................................................................................... 142 iiiContents Sea Tall (SET)........................................................................................................................ 144 Tenga Tall (TGT)..................................................................................................................... 146 Malaysia..................................................................................................................................... 149 Malayan Green Dwarf (MGD)................................................................................................ 150 Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD).................................................................................................... 152 Malayan Straits Settlement Apricot Tall (SSAT)..................................................................... 154 Malayan Straight Settlement Green Tall (SSGT)................................................................... 156 Malayan Tall 3 Heads (MLT36).............................................................................................. 158 Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD)................................................................................................ 160 Marshall Islands......................................................................................................................... 163 Marshall Islands Green Dwarf (MIGD)................................................................................... 164 Mozambique.............................................................................................................................. 167 Mozambique tall (MZT)......................................................................................................... 168 Nigeria........................................................................................................................................ 171 Nigerian Tall (NIT).................................................................................................................. 172 Panama...................................................................................................................................... 175 Panama Tall (PNT)................................................................................................................. 176 Panama Tall Aguadulce (PNT01)........................................................................................... 178 Panama Tall Monagre (PNT02).............................................................................................. 180 Papua New Guinea.................................................................................................................... 183 Karkar Tall (KKT).................................................................................................................... 184 Madang Brown Dwarf (MBD) in Côte d’Ivoire....................................................................... 186 Madang Brown Dwarf (MBD) in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu....................................... 188 Markham Valley Tall (MVT) in Côte d’Ivoire........................................................................... 190 Markham Valley Tall (MVT) in India........................................................................................ 192 Philippines................................................................................................................................. 195 Aguinaldo Tall (AGDT)........................................................................................................... 196 Antique Tall Mapatag (ANTT01)............................................................................................. 198 Bago Oshiro Tall (BAOT)........................................................................................................ 200 Baguer Green Dwarf (BAGD)................................................................................................. 202 Ballesteros Tall (BALT01 and BALT02).................................................................................. 204 Bataan Tall (BAAT01, BAAT02, BAAT03)............................................................................... 206 Baybay Tall (BAYT) in Côte d’Ivoire....................................................................................... 210 Baybay Tall (BAYT) in the Philippines.................................................................................... 212 Catigan Green Dwarf (CATD)................................................................................................. 214 Kinabalan Green Dwarf (KIND).............................................................................................. 216 Philippines Lono Tall (PLNT).................................................................................................. 218 Philippines Ordinary Tall (PHOT)........................................................................................... 220 Pilipog Green Dwarf (PILD) in Côte d’Ivoire.......................................................................... 222 iv Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Philippines continued Pilipog Green Dwarf (PILD) in the Philippines....................................................................... 224 San Ramon Tall (SNRT)......................................................................................................... 226 Tacunan Green Dwarf (TACD)................................................................................................ 228 Tagnanan Tall (TAGT)............................................................................................................. 230 Samoa........................................................................................................................................ 233 Samoan Tall Spicata (SMOT03)............................................................................................ 234 Samoan Yellow Dwarf (SYD)................................................................................................. 236 Seychelles.................................................................................................................................. 239 Seychelles Tall (SCT)............................................................................................................. 240 Solomon Islands........................................................................................................................ 243 Rennell Island Tall (RIT)......................................................................................................... 244 Solomon Island Tall (SIT)....................................................................................................... 246 Sri Lanka.................................................................................................................................... 249 King Coconut (RTB).............................................................................................................. 250 Sri Lanka Green Dwarf (PGD)................................................................................................ 252 Sri Lanka Tall (SLT)................................................................................................................ 254 Sri Lanka Tall Ambakelle (SLT02).......................................................................................... 256 Surinam...................................................................................................................................... 259 Surinam Brown Dwarf (SUBD).............................................................................................. 260 Tanzania..................................................................................................................................... 263 East African Tall (EAT)............................................................................................................ 264 East African Tall Zanzibar (EAT33)......................................................................................... 266 Pemba Red Dwarf Tanga (PRD01)........................................................................................ 268 Thailand..................................................................................................................................... 271 Aromatic Green Dwarf (AROD).............................................................................................. 272 Thailand Green Dwarf (THD)................................................................................................. 274 Thailand Tall Sawi (THT01).................................................................................................... 276 Tonga......................................................................................................................................... 279 Niu Kafa Tall Tonga (NKF03).................................................................................................. 280 Tonga Tall (TONT).................................................................................................................. 282 Trinidad and Tobago.................................................................................................................. 285 Saint Vincent Tall (STVT)....................................................................................................... 286 Vanuatu...................................................................................................................................... 289 Vanuatu Red Dwarf (VRD)..................................................................................................... 290 Vanuatu Tall (VTT).................................................................................................................. 292 �Contents Vietnam...................................................................................................................................... 295 Cochin China Tall (CCNT)...................................................................................................... 296 Annexes.......................................................................................................................................... 299 Annex 1. List of Coconut germplasm registered in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database ................................................................................................................ 301 a. List of Coconut germplasm registered in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database ordered by alphabetic order of international cultivar names................................ 301 b. List of Coconut germplasm registered in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database ordered by country of origin.................................................................................................. 328 c. List of Coconut germplasm registered in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database ordered by country of conservation...................................................................................... 357 Annex 2. Guidelines for producing coconut pictures................................................................ 387 vi Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Foreword Since its establishment in 1992, the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) has made tremendous progress in conserving the diversity of coconuts, both ex situ in formal collections and in situ on farms, and in promoting the use of this diversity by resource-poor coconut farmers and their communities around the world. The present publication, which is a joint initiative of COGENT, Bioversity International and the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) represents the most ambitious attempt so far to document and describe this diversity in a form accessible to a wide range of users. The Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm provides comprehensive information on 116 accessions conserved in the collections of 27 coconut-producing countries. The aim of the publication is to provide coconut breeders and other researchers, as well as students and policy-makers in the research-and-development community, with a better appreciation of the available genetic resources of a crop that is of special importance to resource-poor farmers. Coconuts are overwhelmingly grown by smallholders cultivating less than four ha of land, often in coastal communities or other vulnerable situations. Diverse germplasm provides the raw material both for crop breeding to enhance productivity in these difficult environments, and for attempts to diversify the use of coconuts, from conventional copra production into a range of higher-value products that can help to lift coconut producers and their communities out of poverty. Most research-and-development organizations in coconut-producing countries have very limited access to genetic diversity nationally and very little information on the diversity that may be available elsewhere. The germplasm exchange system established by COGENT and the underpinning information system, of which this publication forms a part, should greatly improve their access to diversity and help them to provide farmers with a greater choice of varieties to meet their evolving needs. The Catalogue provides a wealth of information, both as text and illustrations. The descriptive material will help users to identify varieties they already hold, while the information on evaluation and uses will help them to select new materials to suit various purposes, whether as promising parents for breeding programmes or for immediate use at the farm and community level. Both scientific evaluations relating to variables such as pest and disease responses and yield are provided, as well as information on more traditional uses and cultural aspects. The whole-hearted commitment of numerous curators, breeders and other research staff of national coconut programmes of COGENT member-countries who prepared the data and pictures used in this publication is gratefully acknowledged. The collaboration of CIRAD was also vital to the success of this project. Further, we are grateful to the Asian Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development for supporting the projects that generated the data and illustrations on which the catalogue is based, as well as the publication process itself. Richard Markham Director (2003-2008) Commodities for Livelihoods Programme Bioversity International viiIntroduction Introduction Although coconut is known worldwide as the symbol of tropical beaches, little is commonly known about this palm and its products. Coconut genetic diversity is comprehensively and safely conserved, and remains underutilized by most stakeholders from both tropical and non-tropical countries. The situation is worst in the northern hemisphere where over 90% of the people who see a picture of a coconut complete with husk, may not even recognize it as a coconut! Coconut genetic diversity is needed to ensure sustainable coconut production. This diversity is vital for breeding improved varieties and hybrids for higher-yields and for other traits preferred by smallholder producers and adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses in rainfed growing environments. Unfortunately, most of the 38 member- countries of the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) do not have, individually, a wide range of coconut genetic diversity. Some countries implement breeding programmes using a limited number of varieties which may not be suitable or adequate enough to effectively achieve their breeding objectives. This is partly because many of them are not aware of the available germplasm in other countries which they could use to provide a wider genetic base in their breeding programmes. Illustrated descriptions of coconut varieties were initially provided by a few authors such as Pruhdhomme (1906) and Liyanage (1958). In their paper, full pages of drawings or photographs that show various split coconut fruits of different shape and size are found. In some documents linked to surveys or characterization of coconut germplasm, there are also a few pictures and drawings describing various coconut varieties (Whitehead 1966; Le saint et al. 1983; Sangare et al. 1984; Foale 1987; N’Cho et al. 1988). However, such publications are limited in number. The idea of making an illustrated coconut germplasm catalogue as a printed book was first presented in 1993 to the COGENT Steering Committee meeting held in Montpellier, France. An unpublished draft containing the full description of a dozen of coconut varieties was presented by R. Bourdeix from CIRAD. The first catalogue of Coconut germplasm, as printed book, was published in India under the title “Coconut descriptors” (Ratnambal et al. 1995). In this publication, each variety is described in four full pages, of which, two are colour plates and the other two pages consist of a table giving values for most of the standardized descriptors (IBPGR 1992). However, this book, as indicated by its name, is mainly aimed at scientists. There is no description of the varieties in their ethnobotanic, economic or historic contexts. Thus, the distribution of this book is very limited and does not reach general public. The second volume was published in 2001 only as a CD-Rom to reduce publication costs. Since 2000, the COGENT network, Bioversity and CIRAD have been collaborating to develop and publish this catalogue of coconut germplasm. From the beginning, the work has aimed to produce a high quality catalogue. The objective of this effort is not only to show as many referenced varieties as possible, but also to provide as much available information (pictures and text) as possible, in order to help stakeholders to identify and select coconut varieties for their various uses. The catalogue presents comprehensive and sound scientific content aiming at increasing awareness of the coconut and its diversity. The information in the catalogue has been presented in a popular manner so that it is attractive and understandable enough to the general public, while retaining its technical rigour to be appreciated by scientists, researchers and students, thereby appealing to a much wider spectrum of readers. The editors References Foale MA. 1987. Coconut germplasm in the South Pacific Islands. ACIAR Technical Report, Series No. 4. IBPGR. 1992. Descriptors for coconut. International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome. 61pp. Le Saint JP, de Nucé de Lamothe M, Sangare A. 1983. �������������������������������������������������������������������� The dwarf coconut palms at Port Bouet (Côte d’Ivoire). Part II. Sri Lanka Green Dwarf, and additional information about Malayan Yellow and Red Dwarfs, Equatorial Guinea Green Dwarf and Cameroon Red Dwarf. Oléagineux 38:595- 606. viii Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Liyanage DV. 1958. Varieties and forms of the coconut palm grown in Ceylon. ��������������������������������� Ceylon Coconut Quarterly 9: 1-10. N’cho YP, Le Saint JP, Sangare A. 1988. ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� The dwarf coconut palms at Port Bouet (Côte d’Ivoire) Part III. New Guinea Brown Dwarf, Thailand Green Dwarf, Polynesia Red Dwarf. ��������������������� Oléagineux 43: 55-66. Prudhomme E. 1906. Le cocotier, culture, industrie et commerce. Paris, France. Ratnambal MJ, Nair MK, Muralidharan K, Kumaran PM, Bhaskara Rao EVV, Pillai RV. 1995. Coconut descriptors. Part I. CPCRI, Kasaragod, Kerala, India. 198pp. Sangare A, Le Saint JP, de Nucé de Lamothe M. 1984. ������������������������������������������������������������������������� The tall coconut palms at Port Bouet (Côte d’Ivoire). Part III. Cambodia Tall, Tonga Tall, Rotuman Tall. Oléagineux 39:205-215. Whitehead RA. 1966. Sample survey and collection of coconut germplasm in the Pacific Islands (30 May - 5 September 1964). Ministry of Overseas Development, HMSO, London. �Coconut palm nomenclature Coconut palm nomenclature Baudouin L, Bourdeix R, Harries H, George MLC Efforts to standardize coconut cultivar names have been undertaken for decades. The completion of this chapter has benefited from a separate work aiming to publish an international list of Coconut cultivars names by the above mentioned authors. The International Workshop on Coconut Genetic Resources, held in Cipanas (Indonesia) in October 1991 recommended setting up the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (presently known as COGENT) and to network information and documentation. This was implemented during a meeting held in Montpellier (France) in May 1992, where representatives from national collections clarified the status of existing collections and outlined what would become the Coconut Genetic Resources Database (CGRD). They compiled a list of descriptors and designed standardized methods of observation. Once the first version of the CGRD was released, Brazil, China, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Western Samoa were visited by CIRAD experts in the framework of the CGRD project (Bourdeix 1996; 1997a; 1997b; 1998; Bourdeix et al. 1999; Baudouin 2002). National researchers were trained in gathering and inputting data into the database. These visits offered the experts many opportunities to interact with national researchers about the names of their coconut cultivars. Many new names were recorded and some had to be revised. All modifications were made under the direct authority of the researchers in charge of their national coconut research programmes. Surveys made in the Philippines and in Brazil added further names. The CGRD now contains passport and characterization data of 1416 conserved accessions in 22 countries worldwide. It is the major source for the drafting of the present international coconut cultivars name list. The national researchers in charge of the coconut genetic resources programme are fully responsible for naming the coconut cultivars from their country. However, they are prompted to follow a number of guidelines in order to ensure proper standardization. An international name must not duplicate any previously recorded name (including synonym names). The international name of a coconut cultivar is made of two parts: a cultivar name and an abbreviation. Specific populations or origins or variants within a cultivar can be referred to using a population name after the cultivar name and by a number after the abbreviation. To avoid confusion, it is highly desirable to use standardized naming procedure. The present document explains how a coconut cultivar is named. A cultivar name should consist of two parts. It should not exceed 30 characters and is written in English (except possibly for the first part). The first part of the name includes one of these: • a vernacular cultivar name, • a place or region or country of origin, • a prominent biological trait of the cultivar, • an ethnological trait linked to the history of the cultivar, • a colour, if the cultivar is homogeneous for fruit colour (autogamous dwarfs), or • a combination of those. The name of the country of origin (or the corresponding adjective) is optional but may be the only element of part one. If not, the other elements are placed after the country. Avoid unnecessary words such as “local”, “ordinary” or “coconut”. Examples are given below: • Agta Tall: Agta is a vernacular name describing a prominent trait (blackish necrotic pericarp), • Markham Valley Tall: Markham Valley is a place name, � Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm • Indian West Coast Tall: was renamed from “West Coast Tall”. “Indian” is desirable here because “West Coast” alone can refer to many places in the world, • Andaman Giant Tall: combination of a place (Andaman) and a prominent trait, • Malayan Yellow Dwarf: combination of a place (country) and a colour, • Raja Brown Dwarf, combination of an ethnological trait and a colour. The international abbreviation of a cultivar consists in three to four letters, eventually followed by two digits. An abbreviation must not duplicate any previously recorded abbreviation (preferably including synonym abbreviation). The first part of the abbreviation is a mnemonic of the full name, as shown in the following examples: • For the West African Tall, the abbreviation is WAT, • For the Bali Yellow Dwarf, BAYD was preferred to the previous AYD, which was a poor mnemonic (The abbreviation BYD already designates Brazilian Yellow Dwarf). For self-pollinating varieties: a letter (G, Y, R, O or B) codes the colour of the fruit. In the case of green fruits, the letter G can be omitted. • MYD for Malayan Yellow Dwarf, • CATD (without G) for Catigan Green Dwarf. The abbreviation also indicates the type, by using the letters T or D when applicable. For instance: • PRD for Pemba Red Dwarf (autogamous dwarf with homogeneous colour), • WAT for West African Tall (allogamous tall with various colours within the cultivar), • RTB for King Coconut (synonym Rath Thembili, semi tall). The idea of populations within a cultivar has been developed in order to be accurate in specifying the origin of germplasm, while avoiding creating too many unnecessary cultivar names. This population name is added after the cultivar name; and two digit numbers are added to the abbreviation. Examples are given below, with population names in italics: • Cotabato Tall Ionas (COTT01) is one of several populations collected near Cotabato in the Philippines during a “Course grid strategy” survey, • East African Tall Kenya (EAT32): corresponds to the former Kenya Tall conserved in India, • Malayan Yellow Dwarf Jamaica (MYD03) is more heterogeneous than the usual MYD. This population has been maintained for a long period outside of country of origin and it has diverged from the original population through genetic drift, selection or unwanted pollen mixture, • Panama Tall Aguadulce (PNT01) is phenotypically close to the typical Panama Tall (PNT) but is introgressed with a small proportion of genes from the Atlantic coast coconut palms, • Sri Lanka Tall Ambakelle (SLT02) is a selected population of the Sri Lanka Tall (SLT), • Maitum Tall Spicata designates some individual palms that have special characteristics of the inflorescence, belonging to the Maitum tall cultivar. Use of the international cultivar names in scientific publications is strongly recommended. Whilst there may be good reasons to use another name, it is a good practice to include a table or a list establishing the link between the alternative names and the international names. References Hamelin C, Bourdeix R, Baudouin L. 2005. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� The international coconut genetic resources database. In: Batugal P, Ramanatha Rao V Oliver J, editors. Coconut Genetic Resources. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute – Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. pp. 427-438. �Coconut palm nomenclature Baudouin L, Bourdeix R, Bonnot F, Hamelin Ch, Rouzière A. 2000. COGENT establishes an international coconut genetic resources database (CGRD). COGENT Newsletter 3:1-2. Baudouin L. 2002. Study on genetic resources status in Hainan – China (visit 12-18 December 2000). Doc CIRAD-CP SIC No. 1505. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. 54p. Bourdeix R. 1996. Coconut germplasm in Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil. Mission Report, March 1997, Doc CIRAD-CP No. 548. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. 53p. Bourdeix R. 1997a. Coconut germplasm in Tanzania, Sri Lanka and India. Mission Report, March 1997, Doc CIRAD-CP No. 739. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. ����49p. Bourdeix R. 1997b. Actions de formation en Afrique et Amérique Latine/Caraïbes. Cours de formation des formateurs à l’utilisation du manuel Stantech (Techniques Standardisées de Recherches pour l’Amélioration du Cocotier). ��������Mission Report, August 1997, Doc CIRAD-CP No. 857. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. 49p. Bourdeix R. 1998. Coconut germplasm and breeding in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. CIRAD 1997 Annual Review Report (March 1998), Doc CIRAD-CP No. 998. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. 50p. � Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Catalogue structure and layout Bourdeix R, Batugal P In most cases, each coconut cultivar or population is described in a one-page picture plate and a one-page text. The textual description of each accession contains the following information: international name and abbreviation; authors; conservation sites; history; morphological description and other traits; yield and production; other topics such as susceptibility to pests and diseases, uses in breeding, if any; and a list of references for further information about the accession. The international name and abbreviation of the variety are printed at the top right of the picture plate. The abbreviated names of the photographer, when available, appear in white letters at bottom left side of each picture. A list of photographer’s names is included on the acknowledgements page. Figure 1 presents the general pattern of the picture plates. Each plate presents six photographs of at least three good-looking and true-to-type coconut palms. • Photo 1: in situ whole coconut palm (best 10 to 12-years old) showing the whole stem and the top of the leaves bearing fruit, preferably also showing workers, farmers or researchers. • Photo 2: a picture of in situ fruit bunches- a single bunch before all the fruits turn completely brown-grey. When possible, there is one mature bunch and one younger bunch on the same image, as young bunches may have traits that are useful for varietal identification. • Photo 3: a picture of in situ fully opened inflorescence, preferably with one-third to half of the male flowers already fallen, and with a representative number of female flowers. • Photo 4: a composite picture showing twelve fruits: three young fruits (9-10 months old), three fully mature fruits with crumpled brown-grey epidermis, three nuts split longitudinally and three nuts split equatorially. For each stage, a big, a medium and a small fruit is presented in order to give an idea of both genetic and environmental variation. The three immature fruits are also chosen for their different colours if available, especially for the Talls. • Photo 5: a picture of three husked nuts located at the top left of the page. Inclusion of such a picture was mainly because most people from the Northern hemisphere would recognize coconuts without their husk. In addition, there is genetic variation in the size, the shape and the position of the 3 coconut “eyes”, although this is not included in the Coconut Standard Descriptors. Small, Medium and Big coconuts are presented from left to right. • Photo 6: any additional illustration of interest (photo, map, figure or drawing) related to the coconut variety, such as a special trait not visible in other pictures (e.g. pink colour inside the husk, detail of inflorescence, and aspect of the young palm) or any special use or ethnobotanical information about the variety. �Catalog structure and layout Figure 1. Basic format of the plates. 20 cm Big Medium Small Sri Lanka Tall Ambakelle (SLT02) 20 cm 1 23 4 5 6 � Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm List of Coconut germplasm Baudouin L, Hamelin C, Bourdeix R This book describes part of the coconut germplasm conserved by COGENT member countries in their national and international collections. A list of the germplasm described in this book is provided below. This list mainly comes from the list of accessions registered in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database (CGRD) (Hamelin et al. 2006). Its completion has benefited from a separate work aiming to publish an international list of Coconut cultivars names (Baudouin L. et al., in preparation). The 121 cultivars and populations described in this book are identified by a page number in the last column of table 1. In annexe 1 to this book, more complete lists of germplasm conserved in COGENT countries are presented. Compared to the accessions recorded in the CGRD, less than ten accessions have been added to these lists, mainly concerning populations of Brazilian Tall and the Mayotte Tall. The accessions conserved at the Bone-Bone research station in Indonesia have been removed from this list, because these accessions were lost without being duplicated. When compared to the data in the CGRD, some names have also been modified, such as populations originating from Bangladesh (modifications made by the researchers from this country); a few dwarf varieties have also had their names changed: for instance the cultivar “Ghana Yellow Dwarf” was renamed as a population of Malayan Yellow Dwarf, as both historical and molecular data confirms its Malayan origin. Duplicates accession within the same country have been removed from these lists. For instance, in Côte d’Ivoire international genebank, three accessions of Malayan Yellow Dwarf are registered in the CGRD Database. Only one of them was kept in these lists. The lists given in annex 1 contain 735 populations, originating from 42 countries and conserved in 24 countries. At the population level, 74% of the 735 populations are conserved through a unique accession worldwide; 15% are duplicated (2 accessions), 4% are conserved through 3 accessions worldwide and the remaining 8% by 4 accessions or more. Only four populations are conserved in more than ten countries: Cameroon Red Dwarf, Rennell Island Tall, Malayan Red Dwarf and Malayan Yellow Dwarf. They are 360 cultivars; most of which (81%) are represented by a unique population. The cultivars with the highest number of populations are the Sri Lanka Tall (49 populations), the Bangladesh Tall (38) and the Malayan Tall (36). Of the 360 cultivars, 46% are conserved worldwide by a unique accession. Only 19 cultivars are conserved worldwide by more than 10 accessions; but their conservation patterns are quite variable: for instance, the cultivar Bangladesh Tall comprises 39 different populations, all conserved only in Bangladesh. The cultivar Malayan Yellow Dwarf counts only 5 different populations but it is conserved in 18 different countries. Reference Hamelin C, Bourdeix R, Baudouin L. 2005. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� The international coconut genetic resources database. In: Batugal P, Ramanatha Rao V Oliver J, editors. Coconut Genetic Resources. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute – Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. pp. 427-438. �List of coconut germplasm Table 1. List of cultivars and population described in this book, ordered by country of origin. Country of origin International Population International Synonyms Page cultivar name within abbreviation and other the cultivar names Benin West African Tall Ouidah WAT06 Grand Ouest Africain Ouidah, 12 GOA6 Brazil Brazilian Green Dwarf BGD Anao verde do Brasil, 16 in Brazil and Côte d’Ivoire Anao verde de Jiqui, AVEJ Brazilian Green Dwarf BGD Anao verde do Brasil, 18 in the Philippines Anao verde de Jiqui, AVEJ Cambodia Cambodia Tall Koh Rong KAT10 Grand Cambodge Koh Rong, 22 GCB10, KAT Cambodian Green Dwarf KGD Nain Vert Cambodge Kolke, 24 NVC, CGD Cameroon Cameroon Kribi Tall CKT Grand Cameroun Kribi, GCA 28 Cameroon Red Dwarf CRD Nain Rouge Cameroun, NRC, 30 in Côte d’Ivoire COD Cameroon Red Dwarf CRD Nain Rouge Cameroun, NRC, 32 in India COD Comoros Comoro Moheli Tall CMT Grand Comores Moheli, GCO, 36 COT Côte d’Ivoire West African Tall WAT Grand Ouest Africain 40 in Côte d’Ivoire West African Tall WAT Grand Ouest Africain 42 in India West African Tall Akabo WAT03 Grand Ouest Africain Akabo, 44 GOA3, WAT3 West African Tall Mensah WAT04 Grand Ouest Africain Mensah, 46 GOA4, WAT4 Fiji Niu Leka Dwarf NLAD Nain Niu Leka, NNL, NLD 50 Rotuman Tall RTMT Grand Rotuma, GRT, RTT 52 France Rangiroa Tall RGT Grand Polynésie Rangiroa, 68 French Polynesia GPY2, PYT2 Tahitian Red Dwarf TRD Nain Rouge Tahiti, NRY, RYT 70 Tahitian Tall TAT Grand Polynésie Tahiti, GPY1, 72 PYT1 France Mayotte Tall MYOT 62 Mayottte France Lifou Tall LFT 58 New Caledonia New Caledonia Tall NCT Grand Nouvelle Caledonie, GNC, 56 Grand Ouvéa Nu Fella Tall NUFT Nu Fella, NUF 60 Nu Quawen Tall NUQT Nu Quawen, NUQ 64 Nu Wehung Tall NWHT Nu Wehung, NWH 66 India Andaman Giant Tall AGT Andaman Giant, AG 76 in Côte d’Ivoire Andaman Giant Tall AGT Andaman Giant, AG 78 in India � Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm India Andaman Ordinary Tall ADOT Andaman Ordinary, AO, ADO 80 in Côte d’Ivoire Andaman Ordinary Tall ADOT Andaman Ordinary, AO, ADO 82 in India Ayiramkachi Tall AYRT AYK 82 Chowghat Green Dwarf CGD 86 Chowghat Orange Dwarf COD 88 Gangabondam Green Dwarf GBGD Gangabondam, GB 90 Indian West Coast Tall WCT INDIAN TALL 92 Indian West Coast Tall Spicata WCT01 Spicata, SPI 94 Kappadam Tall KPDT Kappadam, KAP 96 Laccadive Micro Tall LMT Grand Laccadive Micro, GND7, 98 in Côte d’Ivoire Lakshadweep Micro Laccadive Micro Tall LMT Grand Laccadive Micro, GND7, 100 in India Lakshadweep Micro Laccadive Ordinary Tall LCT Grand Laccadive Ordinaire, 102 in Côte d’Ivoire GND8, Lakshadweep Ordinary Laccadive Ordinary Tall LCT Grand Laccadive Ordinaire, 104 in India GND8, Lakshadweep Ordinary Nadora Tall NDRT Nadora, NDR 106 Rangoon Kobbari Tall RKBT Rangoon Kobbari, RKB, 108 Sakhi Gopal Tall SKGT SKG 110 Tiptur Tall TPT 112 Indonesia Borneo Tall BONT BRT 116 Java Tall JVT 118 Kinabuhutan Tall KNT DKN Dalam Kinabuhutan 120 Mamuaya Tall MAMT 122 Mapanget Tall MPT DMT Dalam Mapanget 124 Mapanget Tall 2 MPT02 DMT Dalam Mapanget 126 Mapanget Tall 10 MPT10 DMT Dalam Mapanget 128 Mapanget Tall 99 MPT99 DMT Dalam Mapanget 130 Marinsow Tall MWT DMW Dalam Marinsow 132 Palu Tall PUT Grand Indonésie Palu, GDO3 134 Pandu Tall PDT DPD Dalam Pandu 136 Pungkol Tall PGLT DPL Dalam Pungkol 138 Raja Brown Dwarf Ternate RBD01 Nain Brun Indonésie, 140 NBOIBD Santongbolan Tall SNTT 142 Sea Tall SET DES Dalam Sea 144 Tenga Tall TGT Grand Indonésie Tenga, 146 GDO2, DOT2 Malaysia Malayan Green Dwarf MGD Nain Vert Malaisie, NVM 150 Malayan Red Dwarf MRD Nain Rouge Malaisie, NRM 152 Country of origin International Population International Synonyms Page cultivar name within abbreviation and other the cultivar names �List of coconut germplasm Country of origin International Population International Synonyms Page cultivar name within abbreviation and other the cultivar names Malaysia Malayan SS Apricot Tall SSAT Strait Settlement Apricot, SSA 154 Malayan SS Green Tall SSGT Strait Settlement Green, SSG 156 Malayan Tall 3 Heads MLT36 Grand Malaisie, GML 158 Malayan Yellow Dwarf MYD Nain Jaune Malaisie, NJM 160 Marshall Islands Marshall Islands Green Dwarf MIGD Nain Vert Kiribati, NVK, KIGD 164 Mozambique Mozambique Tall MZT Grand Mozambique, GMZ 168 Nigeria Nigerian Tall NIT NGT, Mapio Pong 172 Panama Panama Tall PNT 176 Panama Tall Aguadulce PNT01 Grand Panama 1 Aguadulce, 178 Panama Tall Monagre PNT02 Grand Panama 2 Monagre, 180 GPA2, PAT2 Papua New Guinea Karkar Tall KKT Grand Kar-Kar, GNG1, NGT1 184 Madang Brown Dwarf MBD 186 in Côte d’Ivoire Madang Brown Dwarf MBD 188 in PNG and Vanuatu Markham Valley Tall MVT Grand Markham Valley, 190 in Côte d’Ivoire GNG3 GMV, NGT3 Markham Valley Tall MVT Grand Markham Valley, 192 in India GNG3 GMV, NGT3 Philippines Aguinaldo Tall AGDT AGD 196 Antique Tall Mapatag ANTT01 198 Bago-Oshiro Tall BAOT BAO 200 Baguer Green Dwarf BAGD BAG 202 Ballesteros Tall Cagayan BALT01 Ac 27 204 Ballesteros Tall Tarraq BALT02 Ac 27 204 Bataan Tall Tenejero BAAT01 206 Bataan Tall Mianay BAAT02 208 Bataan Tall Kitaotao BAAT03 209 Baybay Tall BAYT Grand Bay-Bay, GPH4, PHT4 210 in Côte d’Ivoire Baybay Tall in BAYT Grand Bay-Bay, GPH4, PHT4 212 the Philippines Catigan Green Dwarf CATD Nain Vert Philippines Catigan, 214 NVP2, PGD2 Kinabalan Green Dwarf KIND KIN 216 Philippines Lono Tall PLNT PHL 218 Philippines Ordinary Tall PHOT Philippines Ordinary 220 Pilipog Green Dwarf PILD Nain Vert Philippines Pilipog, 222 in Côte d’Ivoire NVP5, PGD5 Pilipog Green Dwarf in PILD Nain Vert Philippines Pilipog, 224 the Philippines NVP5, PGD5 San Ramon Tall SNRT SNR 226 10 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm Country of origin International Population International Synonyms Page cultivar name within abbreviation and other the cultivar names Philippines Tacunan Green Dwarf TACD Nain Vert Philippines Tacunan, 228 NVP3, PGD3 Tagnanan Tall TAGT Grand Tagnanan, GTN, TNT 230 Samoa Samoan Tall Spicata SMOT03 Spicata, SPIT 234 Samoan Yellow Dwarf SYD Nain Jaune Apia, NJA, Nain 236 Jaune Samoa Seychelles Seychelles Tall SCT SYC 240 Solomon Islands Rennell Island Tall RIT Grand Rennell, GRL, RLT 244 Solomon Island Tall SIT Local tall, LT 246 Sri Lanka King Coconut RTB KCD, Rath Tembili 250 Sri Lanka Green Dwarf PGD Nain Vert Sri Lanka, NVS,SGD, 252 Pumilla Green Dwarf Sri Lanka Tall SLT Ceylon Tall 254 Sri Lanka Tall Ambakelle SLT02 Grand Sri Lanka Amélioré, GSL 256 Surinam Surinam Brown Dwarf SUBD Surinam Dwarf, SRD 260 Tanzania East African Tall EAT 264 East African Tall Zanzibar EAT33 Zanzibar Tall, ZNT 266 Pemba Red Dwarf Tanga PRD01 Kitamli, PRDTAN 268 Thailand Aromatic Green Dwarf AROD Pandan 272 Thailand Green Dwarf THD Nain Vert Thaïlande, NVT, TGD 274 Thailand Tall Sawi THT01 Grand Thaïlande Sawi, GTH1 276 Tonga Niu Kafa Tall Tonga NKFT03 Niu Afa 280 Tonga Tall TONT Grand Tonga, GTG, TGT 282 Trinidad and Tobago Saint Vincent Tall STVT ST. Vincent, STV 286 Vanuatu Vanuatu Red Dwarf VRD Nain Rouge Vanuatu, NRV 290 Vanuatu Tall VTT Gigante de Vanuatu, 292 Gigante de Novas Hebridas, GVT GNH Viet Nam Cochin China Tall CCNT CC 296 1111 Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country of western Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The economy of Benin remains dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. As with other countries in the West African region, coconut is considered the second most economically important perennial oil crop in Benin. The most common variety planted is the West African Tall (WAT). The WAT was most probably introduced from Mozambique. Additionally, the variety was first planted in the country at Ouidah around the 17th century (Sanoussi, 1998). Aside from WAT, other varieties grown in Benin include the hybrid PB 121, which is a cross between the Malayan Yellow Dwarf and the West African Tall (MYD x WAT), and, less extensively, PB 111 which is a cross between the Cameroon Red Dwarf and the West African Tall (CRD x WAT). The total area planted with coconut in the country is estimated at 15 000 ha, about 90% of which is tended by smallholder farmers with average farm sizes ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 ha, although some large scale plantations or estates also exist varying in sizes from 5 to 50 ha each (Sanoussi 2005). Some of these smallholder farmers also rear cattle on their coconut farms, while others grow intercrops like cassava, maize, bean and groundnut as staple food, while their coconut palms are still young. Located 20 km from Cotonou on the Porto-Novo Road, the Seme Podji research station was created in 1949 by the Institut de Recherches sur les Huiles et Oléagineux (IRHO) one of the research institutes now merged into CIRAD. Today, the station is part of a research facility belonging to the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Benin. The main research areas are: the creation of high yielding coconut varieties, the release of technological package for plantation management of hybrid coconut varieties, and the regeneration of soils under old coconut groves. Only four coconut varieties are conserved there, namely the West African Tall, Malayan Yellow, Brazilian Green and Cameroon Red Dwarf. References Sanoussi A. 2005. Coconut hybrid trials in Benin. In: Batugal PA, Benigno D, Oliver J, editors. 2005. Coconut hybrids for smallholders. Project reports and related papers of the multilocation trials to identify suitable coconut hybrids and varieties for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. CFC technical paper No. 42. pp. 52-61. Available from: URL: http://www.cogentnetwork.org/CFCTechPaper42.pdf Sanoussi A. 1998. Coconut breeding in Benin. In: Batugal PA, Ramanatha Rao V, editors. 1998. Papers presented at a workshop on Standardisation of Coconut Breeding Research Techniques, 20-25 June 1994, Port Bouët, Côte d’Ivoire. Pp 98-100. Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. Available from: URL: http://www.cogentnetwork.org/CoconutBreeding.pdf Genebank Contact Institut National de Recherche Agricole Country member of COGENT du Benin (INRAB) Mr. Bernadin Lokossou Seme Podji research station Director Cotonou Phone: 229-240101 Benin Fax: 229-250266 Phone: (229) -240101 e-mail: lokaldo@yahoo.fr Fax: (229) -250266 e-mail: Inrabdg4@bow.intnet.bj Coconut conserved germplasm from Benin Germplasm descriptions according to country of origin 12 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Benin West African Tall Ouidah (WAT06) Konan JL, Koffi B, Bourdeix R Conservation Selected West African Tall Ouidah (WAT06) palms are only conserved in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. Twenty- two WAT accessions totalling more than 3000 palms are registered in the CGRD. Since 1960, West African Tall seednuts – resulting from a mix of Akabo, Mensah and Ouidah origins – have been exported to at least eight germplasm banks worldwide, which include Brazil, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Tanzania and Vanuatu. History According to Harries (1978), coconut was introduced from Mozambique to West Africa by Portuguese navigators at the beginning of the 16th century. From the Cape Verde Islands, it would have moved to the coasts of West Africa and Latin America. In Benin, the first introduction would have taken place in Ouidah city during the 17th century. From 1951 to 1954, three accessions of WAT were identified from two plantations located in Côte d’Ivoire (Mensah and Akabo) and from one located in Benin. The three accessions are kept separately in the collections and a mixture of these three accessions is used for the creation of hybrids under the name of West African Tall. Since 1951, around 1307 West African Tall palms were used in controlled crossings. Post analysis shows that 62% are originating from the Mensah Plantation, 23% were introduced from Benin and 15% come from the Akabo Plantation. This distribution is not really random; it results from successive selections carried out independently for about 30 years. Identification It is difficult to distinguish the three populations Akabo, Mensah and Ouidah of the WAT variety. Fruits of the WAT from Benin are a little heavier than those of the WAT found in Côte d’Ivoire (1170g compared to 1040g in the Côte d’Ivoire germplasm bank). They also have a higher husk weight ratio (43% compared to 38%). The weight of copra per fruit of the two populations is similar, ranging from 190g to 245g depending on environmental factors. Yield and production Fruit production generally begins 6-7 years after field planting. The number of bunches ranges from 11 to 14 per palm per year with a number of fruits ranging from 40 to 90 per palm per year. Data from Côte d’Ivoire allowed the comparison of 4000 ha of WAT with 12 500 ha of hybrids (mainly MYD x WAT or PB121). From 1985 to 1990, the hybrids have produced 2.4 t of copra per ha per year compared to the WAT which yielded only 1.5 t. Other information WAT is widely used as a parent material in coconut breeding programmes. Its hybrids with the Malayan Yellow Dwarf (known as PB121 or MAWA) and the Cameroon Red Dwarf (CAMWA) have been distributed worldwide. WAT is more sensitive to drought than the hybrid PB121. WAT is also sensitive to the lethal yellowing diseases in Jamaica, Tanzania and Ghana. It was also sensitive to the coconut foliar decay disease in Vanuatu. It is susceptible to the Phytophthora disease in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia. References de Nucé de Lamothe M, Wuidart W. 1979. Coconut varieties of Tall type at Port Bouët (Côte d’Ivoire). I. West African Tall, Mozambique Tall, Polynesia Tall, Malayan Tall. Oléagineux 34:339‑349. Harries HC. 1978. Evolution, dissemination and classification of Cocos nucifera L. Botanical Review 44:265‑320. 13 West African Tall Ouidah (WAT06) Big Medium Small 20 cm 1515 Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7491 km. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean are part of the Brazilian territory. Coconut growing is important for the economies of north-eastern and northern Brazil, accounting for approximately 82% of the country’s production. Brazil ranks fifth among the coconut producing countries in the world (FAO 2002). Coconuts are planted from the northern State of Roraima to the State of Paraná in the south, with high concentrations in the coastal line from Pará to Rio de Janeiro. Coconuts are cultivated in the most `diverse soil, climate and management conditions. The most utilized coconut parts are water from the green coconut (tendernut) and the fresh meat from the mature nut. The use of coconut by-products in Brazil is still very limited. Populations of Tall coconut palms introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century spread through the north- eastern coastal zone, adapting themselves to various environmental conditions to create different ecotypes (Ribeiro et al. 1995). The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) collected, characterized and conserved the genetic variability of these populations, and used them for developing superior hybrids with better production traits and quality, adapted to different Brazilian agroecological zones. Brazil has established a coconut genebank in the State of Sergipe to serve EMBRAPA´s coconut improvement programme. There is now a commitment to upgrade this genebank to become an International Coconut Genebank for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICG- LAC) with the support of the Bioversity International and the International Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT). References FAO. 2002. Statistical databases: Agriculture 2002. ������������ Rome, Italy. Ribeiro FE, de Siqueira ER. 1995. Introdução, coleta e conservação de germoplasma de coqueiro no Brasil. Embrapa-CPATC, Aracaju. (Documentos, 3). Tupinambá EA, da Silva Jr JF, Aragão WM. 2005. ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Status of coconut genetic resources research in Brazil. In: Batugal P, Ramanatha Rao V, Oliver J, editors. 2005. Coconut Genetic Resources. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute – Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania (IPGRI-APO), Serdang, Selangor DE, Malaysia. pp 695-703. Available from: URL: http://www.cogentnetwork.org/index.php?page=books Conserved coconut germplasm from Brazil Genebank Contact Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Country member of COGENT (EMBRAPA) Dr Alexandre Nunes Cardoso Parque Estacao Biologica, W3 Norte Coordinator, International Cooperation Brasilia-DF 70770-901 Phone: (55) (61) 448 4256 Brazil Fax: (55) (61) 2724656 Email: Alexandre.cardoso@embrapa.br 16 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) in Brazil and Côte d’Ivoire Bourdeix R, Tupinamba E, Konan JL Conservation Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) is conserved in Brazil and in the coconut germplasm centres of at least eight countries. It is represented by 17 accessions totaling more than 3000 palms. It was introduced into the collections of Benin, Ghana, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Tanzania from Côte d’Ivoire. Seednuts were also sent to Guyana and Tahiti in the 1980s. History BGD is a legendary coconut variety. Its sweet young nuts are sold for drinking along the tropical beaches of Brazil. It is difficult to trace the history of the Green Dwarfs around the world. The BGD now conserved in Côte d’Ivoire was collected in African Equatorial Guinea around 1960. Originally, this Dwarf was introduced into Africa from the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, by the agronomist Don Osman Silveira in June 1950. It is said that BGD was introduced into Brazil in 1920 from the Bogor botanical garden in Indonesia. However, recent DNA molecular studies point out that BGD originated from the Philippines. Identification More than 45 Green Dwarf coconut varieties are referenced worldwide. Some of them can be easily distinguished from the BGD. The Pilipog, Catigan, Tacunan, Sri Lanka and Thailand Green Dwarfs have all special fruit features that make them quite different. Different names from different locations have been given to the same variety. For instance, BGD is also known as Equatorial Guinea Green Dwarf (EGD) in Africa. It is very difficult to compare the coconut palms planted on other continents and diverse environments. DNA molecular techniques will probably help to reduce the number of varieties that are today considered distinct. The palm generally has a thin stem, about 20-25 cm in diameter, with little or no bole. The youngest leaves at the top of the palm are quite erect, more than those of the Malaysian Dwarfs. Due to its short peduncle, the bunch is well supported by the leaf petioles. Fruits are oblong-shaped, with an intense green colour. The average fruit weight ranges from 556g in the dry zone of Tanzania to 1090g in the rich volcanic soils of the Vanuatu islands. Inside the fruits, the nuts are almost spherical and weigh from 353 to 556g. Yield and production BGD generally starts to flower 2-3 years after planting. It may produce 50-100 fruits per palm per year under good conditions. With irrigation and fertilization, BGD produces around 150 nuts per palm per ha, at a planting density of 200 palms per ha. Water from young nuts is very sweet and tasty. Currently, about 59 000 ha of this cultivar are planted in Brazil. Some Brazilian farmers have become rich by planting BGD and selling young nuts to drink. Other information BGD was used as female parent in producing many coconut hybrids. However, in Côte d’Ivoire, none of these hybrids were released to farmers. The progenies from BGD were more heterogeneous than those obtained with other Dwarfs, such as Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD) or Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD). In Africa, hybrids with BGD were also quite sensitive to nut fall caused by the fungus of Phytophthora sp. Nevertheless, the hybrid from BGD and the Rangiroa Tall (RGT) was recommended for the corral soils of Polynesian islands in the Pacific region. Hybrids from BGD and local Tall coconuts are also being tested in Brazil. References de Nucé de Lamothe M, Rognon F. 1977. Dwarf coconut at Port Bouet. Oléagineux 32:367‑ 375. Ferreira JMS, Warwick DRN, Siqueira LA. 1994. ������������������������������������������������������������ Cultura do Coqueiro no Brasil. EMBRAPA-SPI, Aracaju, Brazil. Brazil 17 Big Medium Small 20 cm Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) 18 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Brazil Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) in the Philippines Rivera RL, Santos GA, Emmanuel EE, Rivera SM Conservation Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) is represented by 73 palms at the field genebanks of the Philippine Coconut Authority–Zamboanga Research Centre (PCA-ZRC) field and in the Coconut Breeding Trials Unit in Mambusao, Capiz, Philippines. History The Brazilian or Equatorial Green Dwarf was imported from Côte d’Ivoire in 1978. The BGD conserved in Côte d’Ivoire was collected in the African country of Equatorial Guinea around 1960. But this Dwarf was introduced to Africa from the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, by the agronomist Don Osman Silveira in June 1950. It is said that BGD was introduced to Brazil in 1920 from the Bogor botanical garden of Indonesia. However, recent DNA molecular studies point out that BGD originated from the Philippines. Identification This variety is characterized by very marked dwarfism, good fruit composition, semi-autogamous, fruits smaller than those of Catigan Green Dwarf or Tacunan Green Dwarf. It is also known as Equatorial Guinea Green Dwarf (EGD). Yield and production EGD could easily reach its reproductive stage in 24 to 36 months given good cultural management. For a Dwarf variety, the copra content of the nuts is rather high at about 200g. Whole fruit weight is 878g, consisting of 269g husk, 149g shell, 302g meat. At 10-26 years of age, a palm bears 106 nuts. Copra production is 3 t per ha. Other information Toddy (the sweet sap extracted by incising the young inflorescence of the palm) from EGD ferments vigorously like the toddy gathered from Tall palms. PCA-ZRC records showed that initial toddy production of almost one liter per plam per day could be attained, increasing up to more than four liters per palm per day. Another promising product from the sap of EGD is coconut sugar because of its high total soluble solids. When toddy is intended for sugar production, the preferable harvest time for higher yield is in the afternoon. The average total soluble solids of toddy is around 14% and could even reach 20% with appropriate maintenance and cleaning of receiving receptacles. The coconut sugar is mainly used in cooking and desserts and cannot be replaced by other types of sugar due to its unique flavour. The demand for this product is expected to increase significantly in the future. References Rivera RL, Rivera SM, Emmanuel EE. 2005. Compilation of fruit component characters and fruit and bunch return of coconut accessions at PCA-ZRC field genebank I. Dwarf coconut accessions. Breeding and Genetics Division. PCA-Zamboanga Research Center, San Ramon, Zamboanga City. ������������������������� Philippines (Monographs). Santos GA, de la Cruz BV, Baylon GB, Rivera SM, Rivera RL. 1993. ��������������������������������������������������� Collection and evaluation of coconut cultivars and conservation of genetic resources. Annual Report 1993, PCA-ARDB, Diliman, Quezon City. Philippines. 19 Big Medium Small Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) photographed in Côte d’Ivoire 20 cm 2121 Cambodia is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, VietNam and Laos. In Cambodia, there is no large-scale commercial cultivation of coconut palms or coconut industry. Cambodia is not a country member of COGENT, although Coconut varieties from Cambodia are conserved in COGENT member countries. In Cambodia, coconut palms are the main feature of family gardens, where both green and mature coconuts provide regular income. A preliminary survey conducted in 2004 showed that there were at least 12 million coconut palms in Cambodia (Vanhan 2007). In late 2001, coconut beetle (B. longissima) was recorded as a new pest in Cambodia. The first infestations were recorded in an area near the Vietnamese border, especially in young coconut plantations. Within two years it had spread over the whole country. This new threat caused significant damage to coconut trees (on average 74% of coconut palms were attacked, resulting in 21% mortality). To combat this problem, the Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Land Improvement (DAALI) of the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries took actions (phytosanitary measures, pest outbreak intervention via insecticide application and extension work on control measures) to control the spread of the pest. Unfortunately, the beetle is still established and inflicting significant damage in Cambodia. In 1969, just before the outbreak of the Cambodian civil war, almost 1300 seednuts were collected and imported into Côte d’Ivoire by a French agronomist, CE Briolle. Four closely related coconut varieties of ‘Cambodia Tall’ from the localities of Ream, Sre Cham, Battambang and Koh Rong were collected either from plantations or directly from local markets. Reference Vanhan H. 2007. Coconut beetle management in Cambodia. In: Appanah S, Sim HC, Sankaran KV, editors. Developing an Asia-Pacific Strategy for Forest Invasive Species: the Coconut Beetle Problem – Bridging Agriculture and Forestry. Report of the Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network Workshop, 22–25 February 2005, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok. pp. 37-46. Conserved coconut germplasm from Cambodia Genebank Contact No genebank affiliated to COGENT Country not member of COGENT Dr H Vanhan Deputy Director, Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Land Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries. Cambodia e-mail: vanhan@mobitel.com.kh; tel: (855) 12818216; fax: (855)23 216655 22 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Cambodia Cambodia Tall Koh Rong (KAT10) Bourdeix R, Konan JL, Ballo K Conservation Cambodia Tall Koh Rong (KAT10), which originates from the island of Koh Rong, is only conserved in Côte d’Ivoire, where the 184 palms planted in 1969 and 1987 are still alive. History Koh Rong is one of four large islands off the coast of Cambodia that extends over more than 400 km between the Thai and Vietnamese borders. The word ‘Kho’ means ‘island’ in Thai. In 1969, just before the outbreak of the Cambodian civil war, almost 1300 seednuts were collected and imported into Côte d’Ivoire by the French agronomist, CE Briolle. Four closely related coconut varieties of ‘Cambodia Tall’ from the localities of Ream, Sre Cham, Battambang and Koh Rong were collected either from plantations or directly from local markets. Identification The Cambodia Tall Koh Rong is typical of the Southeast Asian varieties. It has rapid growth, and possesses a thick straight stem, long fronds and large fruits. It is not easy to differentiate it from the Tagnanan Tall (Philippines) or from the Malayan Tall. Compared to the latter varieties, the Cambodian palms are of a more uniform green colour, and far fewer palms bear brown or red fruits. The fruits are also more oval than those of the Malayan or Tagnanan Talls. The inner nut is rounded, often wider than long, and rarely has the ligneous point found at the tip of the shell in other Talls with large fruits, such as the Malayan, Panama, and especially Rennell Island Talls. The fruits weigh an average of 1762g and are rich in meat (545g) and free water (450ml). Fruit germination is particularly rapid, and is complete around 12 weeks after sowing, when African Tall palms are only just beginning to germinate. Yield and production The Cambodian Tall Koh Rong starts bearing slowly. From 6 to 8 years after planting, it only produces 26 fruits per palm per year on average under Ivorian conditions. Thereafter, yields fluctuate from around 31 fruits per palm per year up to 13 years. They exceed 40 fruits on the 14th and 15th year. It is likely that production will continue to increase up to 20-25 years, but the slow bearing quality of this variety means that it cannot be recommended for commercial production. Other information Observation and analysis of four Cambodian varieties from Ream, Sre Cham, Battambang and Koh Rong showed them to be similar, or even identical. Little use has been made of Cambodian Talls in breeding programmes. In Côte d’Ivoire, the ‘Ream’ origin was crossed with the West African Tall and Mozambique Tall in the first genetic trial planted in 1965. The performance of the resulting hybrids was average, with adult palm yields producing around 3 t of copra per ha per year, 7 to 15% more than the West African Tall (WAT) control. The high kernel or copra content of their fruits does not compensate for their low fruit production. References Briolle CE. 1969. Le cocotier sur les terres de mangrove au Cambodge (1ère partie). Oléagineux 24(8-9):475-479. Briolle CE. 1969. Le cocotier sur les terres de mangrove au Cambodge. Aménagement des plantations familiales (2ème partie). Oléagineux 24(10):545-549. Bourdeix R, Konan JL, N’Cho YP. 2005. Coconut. A guide to traditional and improved varieties. Editions Diversiflora, Montpellier, France. 23 Cambodia Tall Koh Rong (KAT10) Big Medium Small 20 cm 24 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Cambodia Cambodia Green Dwarf (KGD) Bourdeix R, Konan JL, Ballo K Conservation Cambodia Green Dwarf (KGD) is conserved only in Côte d’Ivoire, where 92 true-to-type palms planted in 1970 are still alive. The material has not been rejuvenated to date. History Old papers from the Marc Delorme Research Centre indicate that 420 coconuts of the variety ‘Cambodia Green Dwarf’ were sent to Africa from Sihanouk City (now Sihanoukville) in 1969 by CE Briolle, a French agronomist. The origin of these seednuts is encoded as Battambang Kolke. Battambang is the second city of Cambodia, a pleasant provincial town spanning the Sangker River. Surrounded by the town’s main shops, there is a big central market where, most likely, the coconuts were very probably bought for collection. This is no longer being practised as collectors acquire seednuts from homogeneous and isolated plantations, instead of buying them from the market. Kolke is the name for a little lizard which usually lives inside the palm crown. This variety is said by CE Briolle to be typically Cambodian. In Côte d’Ivoire, 144 palms were initially planted in an experimental plot in 1970. Because of the great heterogeneity of the original introduction, KGD has been discarded from the coconut breeding programme in Côte d’Ivoire. This variety has never been tested as a parent palm for hybridization. Identification In Africa, field observations showed that the KGD population is very heterogeneous. Some of the palms look like true Dwarf types, with a thin stem, about 20 to 25cm in diameter, and with little or no bole at the base. But other palms look like Tall types, hybrids or intermediate forms. Because of this great heterogeneity, only 54% of the original palms were finally considered as true Dwarf types. The fruits are oblong in shape and intermediate green colour. When the fruits begin to dry, the green colour becomes darker at the top of fruits than in the middle (see bunch picture). Yield and production The average fruit weight of KGD in Côte d’Ivoire is 771g. The nuts without husk are spherical and weigh 551g. In Côte d’Ivoire, MGD starts to flower on average four years after field planting. KGD produces 38 fruits per palm per year when immature (mean 6-8 years) and 48 fruits per palm per year when mature (mean of 9-17 years). Other information In Cambodia, coconut, including the Cambodia Green Dwarf, has been used for sugar production. It was reported that, in the context of harvestable energy from the coconut palm, the amount of energy harvested in the sap (through production of ethanol) could be five to seven times higher than from the oil of the nuts. The coconut palm yields 19 t per ha per year compared to sugarcane production (5-15 t per ha per year). References Jeganathan M. 1974. Toddy yields from hybrid coconut palms. Ceylon Coconut Quarterly 25:139-148. Banzon JA. 1984. Harvestable energy from the coconut palm. Energy in Agriculture 3:337-344. 25 Cambodia Green Dwarf (KGD) Big Medium Small 20 cm 2727 Cameroon is a country of central western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon’s coastline lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. Agriculture was the main source of growth and foreign exchange until 1978 when oil production replaced it as the cornerstone of growth for the formal economy. Agricultural development and productivity declined from neglect during the oil boom years of the early 1980s. Agriculture was the principal occupation of 56% of the economically active population in 2003, although only about 15.4% of the land was arable. The most important cash crops are cocoa, coffee, cotton, bananas, rubber, palm oil and kernels, and peanuts. The main food crops are plantain, cassava, corn, millet, and sugarcane. Palm oil production has shown signs of greater vigour, but the product is not marketed internationally. Cameroon bananas are sold internationally, and the sector was reorganized and privatized in 1987. Similarly, rubber output has grown in spite of Asian competition. Cameroon is now among the world’s largest cocoa producers. Although Cameroon is not a country member of COGENT, coconut varieties from Cameroon are conserved and used to produce coconut hybrids in COGENT member countries such as Benin (Sanoussi 2005) and Côte d’Ivoire (Bourdeix et al. 2005). Research in Agriculture is conducted in Cameroon by IRAD (Institute of Agricultural Research for Development), the University of Yaoundé and various international institutions such as CARBAP (Centre africain de recherche sur bananiers et plantains), PRASAC (Pôle régional de recherche appliquée au développement des savanes d’Afrique centrale) and IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture). No research is currently undertaken on the Coconut palm in Cameroon, although the lethal yellowing disease of the coconut palm remains active in the southern coastal region (Dollet et al. 1977). References Dollet M, Giannotti J, Renard JL, Ghosh SK. 1977. ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Étude d’un jaunissement létal des cocotiers au Cameroun: la maladie de Kribi. Observations d’organismes de type mycoplasmes. Oléagineux 32:317-322. Bourdeix R, Konan JL, N’Cho YP. 2005. �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Coconut. A guide to traditional and improved varieties. Editions Diversiflora, Montpellier, France. Sanoussi A. 2005. Coconut hybrid trials in Benin. In: Batugal, Dante Benigno and Jeffrey Oliver, editors. 2005. Coconut hybrids for smallholders. Project reports and related papers of the multilocation trials to identify suitable coconut hybrids and varieties for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. CFC technical paper No. 42. pp. 52-61. Available from: URL: http://www.cogentnetwork.org/CFCTechPaper42.pdf Conserved coconut germplasm from Cameroon Genebank Contact No genebank affiliated to COGENT Country not member of COGENT Institute of Agricultural Research for Development PO Box : 2067 / 2123 – Yaoundé – Cameroon Tel/Fax : (237) 223 35 38 / 222 33 62 / 223 26 44 http//www.irad-cameroun.org E-mail : contact@irad-cameroun.org 28 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Cameroon Cameroon Kribi Tall (CKT) Konan JL, Bourdeix R, N’Cho YP Conservation Cameroon Kribi Tall (CKT) can be found in Cameroon, but until 2002, there was no recorded coconut germplasm bank in Cameroon where the lethal yellowing disease is active. The only other country where CKT can be found is Côte d’Ivoire, where 147 palms from rejuvenation were planted in 1982. History Cameroon is a country on the Gulf of Guinea, on the western coast of Africa. The town of Kribi is in southern Cameroon, less than two hours by road from Douala, the economic capital. The coconut palms bordering the beaches were introduced around 1890 by Presbyterian ministers from the island of Sao Tomé. Identification The CKT variety is typical of coconut palms on the coasts of West Africa. CKT has quite a slender stem, which begins with a discreet bole at the base. Often, the base of the stem is not rectilinear, curving slightly. The fronds are of average size with relatively broad leaflets. The palm reaches 5.5 m in height (from the ground to the base of the oldest living frond) ten years after planting. The fruits are green to brown and morphologically very similar to those of coconut palms in Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. They are elongated with distinct longitudinal ridges and quite frequently have a crease around the equator. They are poor in water and rich in husk. The fruit contains an ovoid nut with thick meat. However, the fruits of the Cameroon variety are around 9% lighter than those produced by Tall coconut palms originating from Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. Whole fruits weigh 895g on average, almost 42% of which is husk fibre. Inside, the oblong nut is small and weighs 417g, with 277g of kernel. Yield and production This variety is quite precocious and high yielding for a Tall type material, with a 9-10 year average of 1.8 t of copra per ha per year, while the other West African Tall coconuts from Côte d’Ivoire and Benin planted at the same time in the same plot do not exceed 1.4 t. Each palm produces an average of 12.8 bunches and 78 fruits per year at a planting density of 143 palms per ha. Other information In Cameroon, CKT proved susceptible to the so-called Kribi disease, a form of lethal yellowing. According to growers, the original disease focus was Equatorial Guinea. The disease occurred for the first time in 1937 at Ebodié, sparing a few palms, and then it spread by successive leaps, leaving zones of coconut palms several kilometres long free of the disease, but killing almost 90% of palms in the disease foci within two to three years. Following the losses caused by this disease, major replanting operations were implemented between 1945 and 1954. Given its resemblance to the varieties from Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, the Cameroon Kribi Tall has only undergone limited testing in varietal improvement programmes. References Dabek AJ, Johnson CG, Harries HC. 1976. Mycoplasma-like organism associated with Kaïncope and Cape St-Paul wilt diseases of coconut palm in West Africa. Pest Articles and News Summaries 22:354-358. Dollet M, Gianotti J, Renard JL, Ghosh SK. 1977. ������������������������������������������������������������������������ Etude d’un jaunissement léthal des cocotiers au Cameroun: la maladie de Kribi. Observations d’organismes de type mycoplasmes. Oleagineux 32:317-322. 29 Cameroon Kribi Tall (CKT) Big Medium Small 20 cm 30 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Cameroon Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) ���������������� in Côte d’Ivoire Bourdeix R, Konan JL, Ballo K Conservation Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) is conserved in the germplasm centres of at least 12 countries, from Brazil to Vanuatu, representing 22 accessions and totalling more than 5000 palms. History CRD was collected in the region of Kribi, Cameroon in 1955. People remember that it was introduced in Africa by American priests, but nobody knows from which country. Its origin is probably the Pacific Ocean region, based on recent molecular biology studies. Identification CRD palms generally have a very thin stem, about 20 cm diameter in Côte d’Ivoire, with no bole. Quite often, the stem is narrower at the base than at the upper part. But when the growing conditions are ideal, it may develop a little bole (about 30 cm diameter in the rich soil of Vanuatu islands). The youngest leaves at the top of the palm are erect and straight, very different from those of the Malayan Dwarf types. The peduncles of the bunch are quite long, and sometimes very heavy bunches may abort before full maturity. The reproductive system has been described as direct autogamy. Characterization data can be found for at least seven countries: Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Tanzania, and Vanuatu. CRD is the palest of all the Red Dwarfs described in this catalogue. Its colour is generally closer to yellow-orange than a true red. This colour, however, is not very stable. It may change according to mineral nutrition or light intensity. Sometimes, within the same palm, colours of fruits from different bunches can range from intense orange to almost yellow. It is quite easy to distinguish the CRD from the Malayan Red Dwarf and other related Dwarfs. Its colour is paler, its fruits are pear-shaped, its bunches have longer peduncles, and its top leaves are more erect. Most of the other Red Dwarfs from Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Ocean region show a darker orange-red colour. DNA molecular studies have shown that the CRD and the Pemba Red Dwarf from Tanzania are probably identical. In the Comoro archipelago near Madagascar, the Red Dwarfs locally called ‘mrasi’ look also very similar to the CRD. Yield and production CRD produces medium-sized fruits of excellent composition and thin husk. The average fruit weight ranges from 447g (in Malaysia, dry zone) to 945g (in India). Inside the fruits, the nuts are spherical and weigh from 283-657g depending upon the country. In good field conditions, CRD starts to flower 2-3 years after field planting. It produces 50-90 fruits per palm per year without irrigation. CRD is mainly an ornamental palm, planted in gardens and cities. Water from young nuts is sweet and tasty. As with most of the Dwarfs, CRD is sensitive to drought and is subject to alternate bearing. Other information CRD is sensitive to the fruit attacks by weevil of the genus Pseudotheraptus. CRD was used in breeding as female parent for testing and producing hybrids in Africa. The hybrid between CRD and the West African Tall is very productive but quite sensitive to weevil attacks. The cross between CRD and the improved Rennell Island Tall (RIT) has been released to farmers by the Marc Delorme Research Station in Côte d’Ivoire. Reference de Nucé de Lamothe M, Rognon F. 1977. Les cocotiers nains à Port Bouët (Côte d’Ivoire). I. Nain Jaune Ghana, Nain Rouge Malaisie, Nain Vert Guinée Equatoriale et Nain Rouge Cameroun. ����������������������� Oléagineux 32:367‑ 375. 31 Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) photographed in Côte d’Ivoire 20 cm Big Medium Small 32 Catalog of conserved coconut germplasm - by country of origin - Cameroon Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) in India Ratnambal MJ, Niral V, Krishnan M Conservation Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) is conserved at the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) in Kasaragod (Kerala), India. It is available in 13 different germplasm banks and is represented by 22 accessions in the Coconut Genetic Resources Database. History CRD was introduced to the germplasm collection at CPCRI from Côte d’Ivoire in 1977. This variety was described as a Dwarf characterized by a slender stem, long leaves and long rachis and pear-shaped, pyriform nuts. The nuts contain about 180g of copra with an oil content of 68.5%. There are similarities between CRD in Côte d’Ivoire and the Pemba Red Dwarf in Tanzania. Identification CRD is a short-statured cultivar attaining a height of 4.4 m 18 years after planting. The palm does not possess a bole and the stem is not very slender with a girth of about 76 cm. The crown is circular in appearance and contains about 34 leaves. The internodal length is very short and the length of 10 internodes is 25.3 cm. The leaves are medium-sized, with short and broad leaflets. The palm starts flowering after six years of age. The inflorescences are short with strong peduncles and a longer spikelet-bearing portion. The inflorescence contains about 35 spikelets. The spikelets are medium–sized and contain an average of 0.9 female flowers per spikelet. The number of female flowers in an inflorescence is about 29. Fruit setting is around 26.7%. Pollination is by direct autogamy, as complete overlapping of the male and female phases is observed in a spadix. The yellowish red, medium-sized fruits are oval in shape with a pointed apical end. The nut inside is also oval and medium-sized with a strong shell and thick kernel. Yield and production This variety starts fruiting at about seven and half years of age. The palm is not a regular bearer and produces good yields in alternate years. Generally, about 10 bunches are produced in a year. The average nut yield is 80 fruits per palm per year. The fruit weighs about 945g, with a smaller percentage of husk to whole fruit weight (27.8%). The nut without the husk weighs about 657g and produces nearly 220g copra per nut. The oil yield is 64%. The estimated yield of copra and oil under rain-fed conditions is 3.1 t per ha per year and 2 t per ha per year, respectively. Other information This variety is susceptible to drought, although the hybrid CRD x WAT (PB111) is slightly better adapted than the parents. It has been evaluated in the germplasm trials at CPCRI. CRD is being used in the CPCRI breeding prog