Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

Description:

The coconut palm, a tropical crop, is widely distributed throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific region. Its center of origin is still under debate. Small coconut-like fossils going back 15 million years were found in New Zealand. Older fossils have also been found in Rajasthan, India. It is still unclear how the coconut reached some of the places where it flourishes today.

Although coconut is a major crop in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and India, many of the coconut producing countries are small islands in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Caribbean. For some countries, coconut is both a primary subsistence crop and a significant source of export earnings. Coconut can be grown in harsh environments, such as atolls, and tolerates swampy and water-deficient areas and poor soils.

The main economic products derived from the coconut palm are the fruits or nuts, the copra, which is the dried solid endosperm of meat of the nut, the edible oil extracted from the copra, and desiccated coconut for which the endosperm is ground before drying.

Statistics:

Coconut now grows on about 12 million hectares in 90 countries. About 10 million families make their living from growing coconuts, about 8 million of these are in Asia and the Pacific. Nearly all of the world’s coconut crops grow on small plots of less than 4 hectares.

Uses of Coconut:

People call coconut a variety of names, which reflect its usefulness to societies - Tree of Life, Tree of Abundance, Tree of Heaven. Almost every part of coconut palm is used.

Coconut plays an important role in sustaining fragile ecosystems in island and coastal communities and is used as a source of food, drink, fuel, animal feed and shelter. It is also a cash crop, used to produce many items for sale at either the local, national or international level. The main internationally traded products are copra, coconut oil, copra meal, and desiccated coconut.

CGIAR Research Activities in Coconut:

The CGIAR believes that to enhance the sustainability of coconut production, there is an urgent need to promote the effective conservation of coconut genetic resources and their efficient utilization in breeding programs. Coconut is also well suited for conservation through use.

The CGIAR has recognized coconut as "the oil crop most in need of international research." An international workshop recommended establishing a Coconut Genetic Resources Network (COGENT) under the auspices of one of the CGIAR research centers Bioversity International. In 1993, the network was established as part of Bioversity International's program. COGENT's priorities are to:

• develop an international coconut genetic resources database to enhance dissemination to breeders worldwide;
• collect and secure germplasm in areas which are threatened by genetic erosion and fill gaps in national collections;
• evaluate germplasm to identify suitable varieties for farmers;
• develop molecular methods for assessing genetic diversity and promote safe germplasm movement; and
• strengthen national programs in the conservation and utilization of coconut genetic resources.

Sources:

Technical Advisory Committee. Priorities and Strategies for Resource Allocation during 1998 - 2000.
April 1997.

Evolution of Crop Plants.
N.W. Simmonds. 1976.

Bioversity International web site