Coconut is a majestic perennial palm grown extensively in numerous islands and also in the humid coastal tracts of tropical countries. The coconut-palm, rightly known as the Kalpa vriksha or the `tree of heaven’ provides many necessities of life, including food and shelter. Of all the tropical palms providing numerous useful products, it is perhaps the outstanding one. It is mainly cultivated for the nuts from which two important commercial products, copra and fibre, are obtained. Copra yields oil and oil-cake. The trunk of the mature palm is used as timber for constructing houses and the plaited leaves are used for thatching houses, fencing, etc. The unopened spathe is tapped for toddy. Fresh toddy called ‘neera’ is a tonic. Whereas sweet toddy can be converted into jaggery and sugar, fermented toddy is a mild alcoholic drink, and vinegar can also be prepared from it.

Water from tender coconut is a refreshing and delicious drink. In Kerala, the extraction of coir from the husk of nuts and the manufacture of coir products provides employment for thousands of people, particularly in the backwater tracts where facilities for retting husks are available. The coir is then dried in the sun and spun into coir yarn by hand or with a machine. Coir yarn is used as such or made into ropes, mats, nets, bags, etc. The coconut shell is largely used as a fuel and for the production of charcoal and making a variety of curios. The shell-flour is used as a filler in plastics. Thus every part of the palm is useful in one way or another.

At present coconut is being cultivated in 11 states in the country including Andamans, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Kerala accounts for 54.7 per cent of the total area under coconut followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Coconut cultivation has been recently introduced in the states of Goa and Maharashtra.

Coconut is essentially a crop of the humid tropics. Although it is mainly grown in the coastal plains, it is possible to grow it even at elevations of 600 to 900 m above the sea-level in areas near the Equator, where the temperature remains favourable. Rainfall is the most important climate factors affecting the palm. A rainfall of 100 to 225 cm per annum, evenly distributed throughout the year is considered most congenial. The palm can stand even higher rainfall, provided the soil is well drained. Regions with long and pronounced dry spells are not suited to its growth. Coconut-palm requires an equable climate, neither very hot nor very cold. The optimum mean annual temperature for its best growth and maximum yield is about 27°C, with a diurnal variation of 6° to 7° C. Frost and low humidity adversely affect the growth and yield of the palm. Persistent high humidity is also harmful, and the incidence of bud-rot is reported to be more under such conditions. The palm requires bright sunshine of about 2,000 hours a year.

The coconut-palm adapts itself remarkably well and thrives in almost all types of well-drained tropical soils, such as coastal sand, red loam, laterite, alluvial and the reclaimed soil of the marshy low-land. A water-table that is too high and remains static for long periods is harmful.

Since coconut is a cross-pollinated perennial crop, which can be propagated only through seeds, the selection of the planting material is of vital importance. Selection has to be made at the mother-palm level and at the seedling stage. The mother-palms should be healthy, high-yielding and regular in bearing. Also, factors such as a proportion of female flowers, ideal distribution o female flowers, high setting percentage and a high copra content should also be taken into consideration. Immature, undersized or malformed nuts should not be used as seed-nuts. If prepotent palms can be identified through progeny-testing, the yielding ability of the planting-material is further assured. A careful selection of the seedlings is as important as that of the mother-palms. The seedlings should be healthy and should have a minimum of six leaves when they are one year old. The early splitting of leaves is a desirable character. Nine-months-old seedlings, having a minimum of four leaves, can also be planted.

In well-drained soils, where water stagnation is not a problem, seedlings can be transplanted at the beginning of the south-westerly monsoon. If facilities for irrigation are available, it is advisable to take up planting at least a month before the onset of the monsoon, so that the seedlings get established before the heavy rains. In low-lying areas, subject to inundation during the monsoon, seedlings are better transplanted after the rainy season. Young palms in the early years of growth require sufficient attention. The transplanted seedlings should be shaded and irrigated properly during summer. Irrigation with 45 litres of water once in four days has been found to be the optimum, especially in sandy soils. Provision for drainage is also equally important for the healthy growth of the young palms. To ensure quick growth and early bearing, it is necessary to apply the complete NPK fertilizer from the early stage. The first dose of fertilizer should be applied three months after planting. It will be advantageous to apply large quantities of green leaf or compost to the soil where it is of coarse texture, with a poor organic matter content. The pits should be cleared of all weeds periodically and the soil washed down by rains and covering the collar region of the seedlings should be removed. The palms should be frequently examined for insect attack or fungus diseases and the necessary remedial measures should be adopted promptly. According to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, ICAR, Government of India, in 1999-2000, the production of vigorous seedlings by early germination, higher seedling, height, number of leaves, better root system and higher dry matter production/seedlings has been standardized. Seedlings raised in polybags with a potting mixture of red earth: sand: cowdung in a 1:1:1 ratio showed high vigour and better recovery than the conventional field nursery. The cost of production for 100 seedlings ranged from Rs 740 in conventional to Rs 1,688 in polybag with potting mixture. With reduced field transplanting shock, early flowering and nut-bearing capacity, raising of seedlings in polybags with potting mixture has been encouraged over conventional nursery technique.

The palms generally start bearing at the age of five or seven years after planting and the stabilized yield is obtained from about the tenth year onwards for 50 to 60 years. Regular intercultivation and manuring of the palms are essential for stepping up and maintaining the productivity of palms at a high level. Tillage including digging, ploughing, piling of mounds, leveling of mounds, etc., and the making of shallow basins each with a radius of 2 m, at the beginning of the monsoon and filling them up at the close of the monsoon are beneficial. In sandy soils, which are of low fertility and do not have a luxuriant growth of weeds, regular intercultivation may not be quite necessary but in other types of soils, intercultivation is essential for keeping down the weeds under check and for creating a soil mulch. The method of intercultivation mainly depends on the local conditions, soil type, topography, size of holding, intensity of rainfall, etc.

The recommended dose of fertilizers is 500 g of N, 300 g of P₂O₅ and 1,200 g of K₂O per palm per year for the ordinary tall variety. Hybrids and varieties, with a high yield potential, should be fertilized with 1,000 g of N, 500 g of P₂O₅ and 2,000 g of K₂O. For soils, which are poor in organic matter, the application of green manure or compost at 50 kg per palm is recommended. Green-manuring crops usually grown are cowpea, sunn-hemp, Crolalaria striata, Crolalaria juncea and Calopogonium mucunodes. Fertilizers may be applied in two split doses. After the receipt of summer showers, one-third of the dose of fertilizers is spread around the palm within a radius of 1.8 m and raked in. Circular basins, 1.8 m in radius and 25 cm in depth, may be dug in July-August and the green-leaf manure or compost applied and partially may be spread over the green-leaf manure or compost in the first week of September and the basins closed. Under irrigated conditions and in areas with assured supply of moisture throughout the year, the annual dose of fertilizers may be applied every three months in equal split doses.

In regions with a long spell of dry weather, there is a definite set-black in the growth and the yield of the coconut-palm. An increase of 50 to 100 per cent in the yield of nuts can be obtained by giving summer irrigation. The quantity and the interval between irrigation depend upon the soil and the climatic conditions. In loamy soils, copious irrigation, once a week, is sufficient. In sandy soils along the sea-coast even sea-water can be used for watering during the summer months without any adverse effect.

Mango, jack-fruit, areacanut and other tree crops and a number of annual crops are commonly grown along with coconut-palms in household gardens. Recent studies have shown that under rainfed conditions, tuber crops (such as tapioca, yams, sweet-potato, ginger, and turmeric), Banana, pineapple, upland rice in pulses can be grown successfully as intercrops in adult coconut plantations without any detrimental effect on the fertility of the soil and the productivity of the palms. Under irrigated conditions, cacao forms a very beneficial crop combination with coconut. Other crops suitable for mixed cropping include pepper and tree spices, such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Mixed farming, including the rearing of milch animals of fodder grasses and legumes raised as intercrops in coconut gardens, which, in turn, are manured with cowdung and urine is a very remunerative form of mixed husbandry suited to farmers having small coconut holdings. This practice improves the soil fertility by recycling organic wastes, enhances the yield of palms and generates additional income and employment potential for the farmer’s family.

The coconut-palm is unique in that once it attains the normal bearing stage, it continues to bear a bunch of nuts in every leaf axil almost at monthly intervals all the year round and throughout its life extending over 50 or 60 years. The nuts mature nearly one year after fertilization. Generally, harvesting is done once in 45 to 60 days. Tender nuts, which are in great demand, as a delicious soft drink, particularly in West Bengal and Maharashtra, are best harvested at the tender age of six to seven months. Large-scale harvesting of the tender nuts is not being done in other parts of the country. Nuts for culinary purposes, for making `cup’ copra and good-quality fibre are harvested at the age of about 11 months, whereas those for ball copra and coarse coir are harvested only when they are fully ripe.