Potential coconut hybrids of location specific cross combinations for the maidan tract of Karnataka

Abstract

Six hybrid cross combinations of coconut cultivars were assessed at the Horticultural Research and Extension Centre in Arsikere, along with a routine check for their growth, blooming behavior, yield, and yield-attributing features under the Karnataka maidan tract. The cross combinations viz., Tiptur Tall × Philippines Ordinary Tall (TPT × PHOT), Tiptur Tall × Laccadive Ordinary Tall (TPT × LCOT), Laccadive Ordinary Tall× Malayan Yellow Dwarf (LCOT × MYD), Laccadive Ordinary Tall× Malayan Orange Dwarf (LCOT × MOD), Tiptur Tall × Malayan Yellow Dwarf (TPT × MYD), Tiptur Tall × Malayan Orange Dwarf (TPT × MOD) along with the local check Tiptur Tall (TPT) cultivar were planted at the spacing of 7.5 m × 7.5 m during the year 2012. Observations with respect to growth parameters like palm height, number of annual leaf production, total functional leaves at crown per palm and number of inflorescences produced per year per palm were recorded. Pooled data of last four years revels that among the hybrid combinations evaluated T6-TPT × MOD consistently recorded superior performance with respect to annual leaf production (12.63), total number of functional leaves per palm (28.75), number of inflorescence per palm per year (12.52), nut yield (103.54 nuts/palm) copra content (147.25 g/nut) and copra yield per palm (15.45kg/palm). It is therefore recommended for multi-location trials to assess its stability and adaptability across different environmental conditions before release for commercial cultivation in the maidan tract of Karnataka