COGENT 1

N e w s l e t t e rCOGENT

ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2000 ISSN 1563-4396

COGENT ConductsResearch With

Coconut FarmersMost farmers in theAsia and the Pacificregion have anextensive knowledgeon the management ofcoconut diversity. Forone, they havemaintained coconutcultivars that haveseveral of the desired

characteristics, and are adapted to the local climate and culture.

The value and usefulness of these varieties could be furtherimproved, though, through a farmer participatory researchproject on coconut diversity conducted by COGENT incollaboration with IPGRI and funded by the International Fundfor Agricultural Development (IFAD).

To keep many of these desirable traits, the three-year projectaverred, farmer participation is essential to ensure that theimproved coconut varieties are adapted to the environmentalconditions and meet their specific needs. “Genetic diversity ismaintained through diversity of uses, so the entire process, fromselecting and breeding multifunctionality in cultivars toencouraging market demand for alternative coconut products,becomes important to plant genetic resources conservation,” theproject report stated.

COGENT, together with IPGRI, conducted the farmerparticipatory research project in keeping with its mission topromote sustainable coconut product and enhance the incomeof coconut farmers in the Asia and Pacific region. The projectwas participated in by 14 countries, namely: Bangladesh, China,Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Samoa, Sri

Meetings3rd Annual Meetings of the ADB- and IFAD-fundedProjects 3Progress of ICGs Reviewed 4African Governments Urged to Prioritize Coconut R&Dfor Poor Communities 5ICC Reviews Performance of Coconut Industry Sectors 5

COGENT Steering CommitteeSummary and Recommendations of the 9th SteeringCommittee Meeting 6

Subnetwork ReportsSoutheast and East Asia 7South Asia 7South Pacific 7Africa and the Indian Ocean 8

Latin America and the Caribbean 8National Programme Reports

Coconut Research and Development in Thailand 9National Coconut Programme in Bangladesh 10Coconut Situation in Mozambique 11

Feature ArticlesSouth Pacific Agriculture Directors Present Frameworksof their Coconut Programmes in Apia Meeting 11West African Tall 13‘Unique’ Coconuts of Indonesia 14

Ongoing Projects20 Countries Conserve Coconut Germplasm to EnsureDiversity 16Increase in Yields and High-Value Products to EnhanceFarmer’s Incomes 16

Multilocation Trials to Identify Better Yield Hybridsin Latin America and African Countries 17Improved In Vitro Techniques Benefit Other R&DActivities on Coconut 18

Partner InstitutionsInstitute for Research through Development (IRD) 19

PublicationsCoconut Embryo Culture Network Newsletter 19

COGENT Bulletin BoardCoconut Food Recipes 20Contributions for the Feature Articles Column 20High - ValueCoconut Products 20IPGRI Web News 20

COGENT DevelopsStrategies for

Sustainable ICGsStrategies for sustainable international coconut genebanks(ICGs) are being developed to ensure the sustainability andefficient maintenance of important coconut geneticresources. The strategies’ main objective is to enable thegenebanks to become financially independent and thus canmaintain the genetic diversity and product seednuts andembryos for export to COGENT member countries.

The development of strategies for sustainable ICGs wasrecommended at the International Coconut GenebankWorkshop held on l7-l8 July 2000 in Chennai, India. Thestrategies include the following:1. Enable the host country to maintain conserved

germplasm per memorandum of agreement and the hostgovernment to allow the income generated by the ICGto be plowed back for maintenance cost.

2. Generate income from the ICGs from intercroppingpractice and livestock/fodder production, and plantingadditional areas to high-yielding varieties (HYV) orother crops. Income can also be derived from producinghigh-value products from kernel, husk, shell, wood andcoconut water. The incomes can be put in a trust fundfor the maintenance of the ICG.

3. Superimpose research and training with the generalactivities.

4. Generate financial support from the host stategovernment or province.

A feasibility study on the recommended sustainabilitystrategies will be conducted before the strategies areimplemented.

The establishment of a multi-site International CoconutGenebank was proposed at the first meeting of the COGENT

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Contents

COGENT 2

Lanka, Solomon Islands, Thailand,Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

COGENT emphasized that farmerparticipatory research is conductedbecause farmers’ participation in theresearch process and activities is essentialin supporting the goal of the in situconservation of coconut genetic diversity.The coconut diversity being researchedand maintained is crucial to meet theirincome and food security needs.

The project is making important stridesin helping coconut research programmesaddress farmers’ needs and improve theircoconut genetic resources while keepingthem to maintain sustainable and diversecoconut stands. A key focus of the workhas been to support and add value to themultiple uses of coconut beyond merelycopra and oil production.

“The farmer’s knowledge of coconutcharacteristics, adaptations and multipleuses is in itself a vital resource to conservealong with the genetic diversity,”COGENT stressed.

Assessing and recording the indigenousknowledge and classification systems ofcoconut farmers is the first step indeveloping local varieties adapted tospecific microenvironments, and inidentifying new uses of coconutproducts. Partnerships with farmers willeventually help to define breedingobjectives, conservation needs and thepotential for genetic enhancement, all inthe context of low-input systems.

In the project, participatory ruralappraisal (PRA) was carried out inselected countries on the basis of theirproximity to major coconut researchstations, centers of valuable cultivars orecotypes and/or areas where coconutdiversity is under threat. PRA is aresearch technique used by smallmultidisciplinary teams to generate alarge amount of information in a shorttime, with techniques such as communityand historical mapping; transect walks;ranking, rating and sorting exercises;semi-structured interviews; folktaxonomies; and focus group interviews.

Researchers in the participating countriesasked similar questions in theirinterviews, discussing the varieties ofcoconut grown and their descriptions bythe farmers, their management practices

and major obstacles, home andcommercial uses of the crop, andsuggestions by the farmers on ways toimprove the varieties, conserve geneticdiversity and enhance income.

Groups of interested local farmers listedthe traits of the cultivars and ecotypesused, and ranked their importance on ascale of 1 to 10. Similar ranking exerciseswere performed for the problemsassociated with each variety, and uses ofeach part of the coconut crop.

Discussions were held separately withgroups of men and women to make surethat both perspectives were included,since there was often wide divergencebetween groups. Some teams alsoincluded focus groups with youth andelders in their research methodology.

Interesting insights have emerged fromthe PRA workshops, COGENT reported.

In a participatory study done in Kerala,India, the farmers suggested that thedepartmental nursery programme bedecentralized to the village level, withmother palm material being selectedfrom the best 5-10 percent of palmsavailable in local gardens. This systemwould help prevent the spread ofdiseases such as root wilt and leaf rot.

They requested that researchers focus onvarieties with potential for high toddyyield and strong petioles to make tappingand toddy-based processing moreproductive than nut production. They alsoasked that support should be extended towomen’s groups and cooperatives todevelop coconut products and handicraftssuch as hats, mats and spoons andnetworks of stands to sell sweet drinks

from young, tender coconut. The Indiaproject produced a booklet of the Farmer’sAssessment of Coconut Varieties in Kerala,in both English and Malayalam, theregional language.

At the workshops in Samoa, farmersdiscussed problems on very old coconutstands, pests such as rhinoceros beetle,Batiki grass, late-bearing nuts, immaturenut fall and yellowing leaves. Moreimportant, they identified alternativecoconut high-value products such asbuttons, hair accessories, earrings, ringsand necklaces. They plan to try newmarketing strategies for these products,which would make the continued growthof diverse coconut stands more profitable.

In Fiji, farmers have been hurt by theinstability of international copra prices,and will henceforth focus on entering themarket for tender coconuts, which sell at10 times the price of a mature nut. Theyare experimenting with germplasm ofdwarf varieties of coconut, which wouldease the harvesting of the young nuts.Workshop participants in Vanuatuidentified income instability as well asland shortages as barriers to coconutproduction. Thus, they are exploringdiverse intercropping systems to addressboth problems.

In the Philippines, farmers identifiedLaguna Tall palms with superiorcharacteristics in crown shape, numberof leaves and inflorescences, number ofnuts, copra content, and in the regularityof bearing. Such desirable germplasmcould be used for further multiplicationby research station, the farmersthemselves or by both in groups.Problems for smallholder coconutgrowers are often the lack of finance for

Women’s focus group (discussing coconut seedling). China Sukhania Village, Gazipur, Bangladesh.Dec. 9, 1998.

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COGENT 3

Steering Committee in l992, the yearthe network was formally establishedby the International Plant GeneticResources Institute (IPGRI). Now with37 member countries, COGENT servesas a coordinating mechanism topromote conservation and exchange ofcoconut genetic materials.

A regional genebank is beingestablished in each of the five regions,namely: Southeast and East Asia, SouthAsia, South Pacific, Africa and theIndian Ocean, and Latin America andthe Caribbean. It was agreed thatgermplasm to be conserved in eachregional genebank will be contributedby country members of each region.

Subsequently, consultations, sitesuitability evaluations and past riskassessment were undertaken. Indonesia,India, Papua New Guinea, Côte d’Ivoireand Brazil were initially identified assuitable countries to host the ICG intheir respective regions. Specifically,Indonesia was chosen to host the ICGfor Southeast and East Asia, India forSouth Asia, Papua New Guinea forSouth Pacific, and Côte d’Ivoire forAfrica and the Indian Ocean. Brazil isbeing considered to host the ICG forLatin America and the Caribbean.

As it is, important coconut diversity isbeing conserved in national genebanksto ensure that precious coconut geneticresources will not be lost throughgenetic erosion, natural calamities,pests and diseases, and other factors.These threats could seriously affect theglobal coconut production and,consequently, the livelihood of nearly50 million people who depend on it,either directly or indirectly.

The capabilities of the nationalgenebanks, however, are not fullyassured owing to insufficient financialand technical resources. In addition,germplasm movement and use arelimited owing to the tedious nature ofgermplasm export clearances and lackof disease indexing capability.

Nevertheless, there are strong nationalprogrammes that could serve as thecatalyst to overcome these difficulties.The establishment of the regionalgenebanks to be hosted by thesenational programmes would solvethese problems.

Meetings

3rd AnnualMeetings of theADB- and IFAD-funded Projects

The third annual meetings of theprojects funded by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) and theInternational Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD) were held back-to-back on 26-30 June 2000 in Apia,Samoa, for the l0 participating SouthPacific countries and on l0-l5 July2000 in Manila, Philippines, for thel0 Asian countries.

The meeting of the ADB-fundedproject entitled “Coconut GeneticResources Strengthening in Asia andthe Pacific (Phase 2)” was attendedby project leaders, donors andrepresentatives from IPGRI andpartner institutions.

It reviewed the l999/2000accomplishments and the 2000/200lproposed work plans of the 20participating countries involved incoconut projects. Progress reports onthe human resource developmentcomponent, together with those onthe biotechnology and embryoculture components, were presented.The three host countries of theInternational Coconut Genebank(ICGs), namely: Indonesia, India andPapua New Guinea, presentedreports on the activities of therespective ICG.

Several issues were raised during themeetings. Among them is the use ofembryo culture in collecting strategy,the need to check the purity ofhybrids distributed to farmers, andthe need for member countries toidentify varieties to be conserved inthe ICGs.

inputs, access to funding institutions,limited individual land rights andavailability of quality germplasm.Workshops across countries identifiedlimited access to germplasm of localcultivars as a barrier to coconutproduction. In this case, agriculturalresearch institutions could be of help inproviding access to germplasm of localcultivars, besides their standard hybridofferings. They could also take an activerole in establishing germplasm exchangesystems within the region and beyond.

PRA was only the first step in the three-year participatory research project. Workis underway to provide a detailedcharacterization of the most valuabletypes identified. This information will becompiled in a database of smallholdercoconut resources, which will be usefulin the identification of types of new usesand cultivars under threat.

To ensure that these genetic resourcesremain in the hands of farmers and thatthey can continue to share in the benefitsfor future improvement, a COGENT taskforce is being formed to provide aframework on intellectual and materialproperty rights, access and benefitsharing to farmers. Quantitativemeasures of genetic characters to assessthe relationship among coconut typeswill also be performed, along withrecords of institutions and socioculturalpractices, choices and values associatedwith coconut diversity.

The final stage of the project will providestrategies to add value to these localvarieties identified and to maintaindiversity within the coconut-basedfarming systems, linking plant geneticresource conservation with research anddevelopment (R&D) and income-generating projects. The country reportshave been extremely encouraging incompiling rich and concrete informationon coconut varieties and uses which hadnot been the focus of coconut R&D in thepast, but which are valuable andappreciated by farmers and researchersalike. A special emphasis should beplaced on returning these research resultsto the communities in which they wereperformed.

Summing up, the participatory researchon coconut diversity promises to be anextremely beneficial partnership for theequitable sharing of knowledge andinsights between farmers and coconutscientists.

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COGENT 4

The meeting of the IFAD-fundedproject entitled “Sustainable Use ofCoconut Genetic Resources forEnhancing the Income and Nutritionof Smallholders in Asia and thePacific” was attended by projectleaders, donors, and representativesfrom IPGRI and partner institutions.

It reviewed the l999/2000accomplishments of the l4 countriesinvolved and the overall performanceof the project, which ends in August2000. Reports on farmer participatoryresearch to promote the multipurposeuses of the coconut and projects forincreasing income from coconut-basedfarming systems were presented anddiscussed. Status of the feasibilitystudies on high-value coconut productswere presented by Bangladesh,Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailandand Vietnam.

Several issues and comments wereraised during the meetings. In hisopening speech at the IFAD-fundedproject meeting for the South Pacificcountries, the Hon. Mafasolia PapuVaai, Minister of Agriculture, Forests,Fisheries and Meteorology of Samoa,emphasized that the involvement ofentrepreneurs and the private sectorwould greatly benefit the coconutindustry as it would enhance theutilization of coconut products.

Other matters raised during themeeting included the possibility ofeach country to develop andimplement a strategy where farmerscan increase their income throughhigh-value products aside fromsupplying raw materials; theconvergence of external andindigenous knowledge; the need forfarmers to benefit from in situconservation; and the need to clarifythe understanding of deployment ofdiversity in comparison todissemination.

Meetings

Participants of the 3rd annual meetings of the ADB- and IFAD-funded projects for the South Pacificcountries held on 26–30 June in Apia, Samoa.

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Progress of ICGs ReviewedThe progress of work on theestablishment of the InternationalCoconut Genebank (ICG) in each ofthe host countries was reviewed atthe ICG workshop held on l7-l8 July2000 in Chennai, India. Theworkshop was hosted by the CentralPlantation Crops Research Institute(CPCRI) of India and funded byIPGRI and the ADB.

The host countries for the ICGs areIndonesia for Southeast and East Asia,India for South Asia, Papua New

Guinea for South Pacific and Coted’Ivoire for Africa and the IndianOcean. Negotiations are underway forBrazil to host the ICG for Latin Americaand the Caribbean.

During the workshop, related ongo-ing research projects and work plansfor the next seven years were alsodiscussed. The meeting likewise ad-dressed urgent constraints and op-portunities, and updated and refinedthe ICG work plans and budgets forsubmission to an appropriate donor.

Participants of the 3rd annual meetings of the ADB- and IFAD-funded projects for the Asian countriesheld on 10–15 July 2000 in Manila, Philippines.

COGENT 5

Meetings

African Governments Urged to Prioritize Coconut R&Dfor Poor Communities

National governments in Africa should consider giving highpriority to coconut research and development (R&D) focusedon the needs of poor farming communities in the coastal areasof tropical countries in the continent. At the same time, thesegovernments should consider forming a national coconut bodymandated to produce action plans and proposals aimed atalleviating constraints and identifying opportunities for thebenefit of these communities.

These are two of the major recommendations made at the“Second International Coconut Workshop: Helping the Coco-nut Farmer in Africa into the 2lst Century” held on 8-l2 May2000 in Mombasa, Kenya. Hosted by the Coastal DevelopmentAuthority of Kenya, the workshop was attended by 7l partici-pants from l4 countries, as well as representatives of regionaland international organizations such as IPGRI/COGENT, theBureau for the Development of Research on Tropical PerennialOil Crops (BUROTROP) of France, the French Centre de Co-operation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour leDeveloppement (CIRAD) and the Association of Oil Palm andCoconut Producers of Africa (AFORDAP).

The workshop reviewed the status of coconut research andidentified research gaps and linkages to address the constraintsand opportunities in the region. The participants discussed agood number of issues that are of national, regional andinternational significance, as follows:

• At the national level, they batted for replanting programmesand the rehabilitation and revitalization of coconutprocessing and marketing to benefit poor communities,particularly women. It was also advocated that countriesshould explore generation of additional incomes from otherparts of the coconut such as husk, shell, water, wood andsap. Moreover, they should generate national resources forcapacity building to be supplemented by external assistance,as needed.

In R&D, coconut-based farming systems research shouldbe developed and where common problems and opportu-nities exist, regional and international collaboration be pur-sued. Control methods of Oryctes sp., particularly in large-scale planting programmes, should be evaluated andadapted. The biology and control of the coconut miteEriophyes guerreronis should also be investigated. Likewise,countries should collaborate to further investigate the epi-demiology, etiology and control of lethal yellowing disease.

• At the regional level, countries in Africa and the IndianOcean should collaborate to establish a regional programmeto focus on promoting collecting, conservation and ex-change of disease-free germplasm; coconut-based farmingsystems; screening for resistance against lethal yellowingdiseases, drought tolerance and other constraints; and tech-nology transfer capacity strengthening of national pro-grammes.

• The workshop further enjoined coconut-growing countriesto consider joining AFORDAP to enhance its effectivenessin promoting the development of coconut in member coun-tries. Moreover, BUROTROP and AFORDAP should de-velop their capacities to respond to requests for informa-tion from national programmes. Another recommendationwas to investigate physiological and biochemical mecha-nisms of drought tolerance and support a regional facilityin Benin for drought tolerance research. A workshop in Af-rica on postharvest technologies applicable to coconut withSouth and Southeast Asian experts invited to share exper-tise was also suggested.

• At the international level, the workshop participants un-derscored the need to support the establishment of a glo-bal coconut research programme to promote all aspects ofcoconut research.

ICC Reviews Performance ofCoconut Industry Sectors

The performances of the various sectors of the coconut industrywere reviewed at the International Coconut Conference heldon 24-28 July 2000 in Chennai, India. Held within the ambit ofthe APCC XXXVII COCOTECH Meeting, the conference washosted by the Government of India through the CoconutDevelopment Board and jointly sponsored by the Asian andPacific Coconut Community (APCC), Bureau for theDevelopment of Research on Tropical Perennial Oil Crops(BUROTROP) and IPGRI-COGENT.

During the review, problems and opportunities to be addressedin the new millennium were identified. The recommendationsof the conference will be used as a guide in developing projectproposals to address priority activities.

Participants of the International Coconut Conference held on 24–28 July2000 in Chennai, India, within the ambit of the APCC XXXVIICOCOTECH Meeting.

COGENT 6

Several recommendations were madeduring the 9th Steering Committeemeeting held on 19 – 21 July 2000 inChennai, India. The meeting was at-tended by the 12 Steering Committeemembers and representatives frompartner institutions. The objectives ofthe meeting were to review the ongo-ing and proposed projects and activitiesof COGENT, assess the constraints andopportunities, review the status ofCOGENT and formulate future direc-tions for enhancing its effectiveness.

An important recommendation wasmade to develop strategies to ensureCOGENT’s sustainability as a network.Thus, strategies to maintain optimumresearch and development activities anda five year forward financial plan wererecommended. Part of the strategyshould be to integrate COGENT’s majoractivities to promote greatercomplementation, synergy and impactwith partner institutions such as APCC,BUROTROP and the SPC. Linkageswith all levels of the Coconut SupportGroup should be strengthened andgreater collaboration in research infor-mation sharing/exchange among mem-ber countries established.

A recommendation was made for theregional subnetworks to assume theroles of IPGRI in COGENT as a way tostrengthen and sustain them. This re-quire commitment from all parties andfurther discussions on funding support,common problems and opportunitiesand how to take advantage of them arerequired. In regions where coconut hasnot been accorded a high researchpriority, subnetworks could try to incor-porate research in thematic-focused or-ganizations. It was recommended todevelop a strategy of strengthening boththe subnetworks in Latin America andthe Caribbean (LAC) and in Africa andthe Indian Ocean (AIO) to effect theneeded balance with Asia Pacific.

The International Coconut Genebanks(ICGs) received due attention with therecommendation to endorse furthernegotiations for Brazil to host the ICG forLAC and for the COGENT Coordinatorto liaise with EMBRAPA on issues re-garding derivatives and current lawsaffecting intellectual property rights. Themembers also approved the recommen-dation that accessions with specific traitssuch as disease resistance, superior ten-der nut qualities, etc, be identified andconserved in the ICGs and the use ofperformance and molecular data be usedto finalize the list of accessions.Germplasm conservation in the ICGsshould include accessions from hostcountry, countries in the region and fromthose outside the region as appropriate.

The Coconut Genetic Resources Data-base (CGRD) now has passport andcharacterization data registered for 1338accessions conserved in 22 countries. TheSC members are urged to encouragemember countries in their respectiveregions to complete characterization ofaccessions in their national genebanksand submit data to the CGRD. Furtherrecommendation was made regardingthe need to survey and monitor theusability of CGRD and identify featuresthat need improvement. The SC alsoneeds to approve an appropriate formator procedure before releasing the CGRDto the public domain, and identify legaland other implications in advance. Acatalogue of conserved germplasm wasalso recommended to be developed anddisseminated.

The SC requested the Chair of theCGIAR Coconut Support Group tocommission a second external reviewof COGENT to assess achievements andmandate coverage in relation to emerg-ing problems and opportunities in thecoconut industry and to assess possi-ble role of COGENT in the proposedcoconut global research initiative usingthe global commodity chain approach.

The SC members agreed that it wasappropriate at the moment to defersigning of MOUs between IPGRI andnational institutions as COGENT activi-ties are receiving full collaboration fromnational partners. This option could bereviewed in the future as appropriate.

During the meeting, several proposalswere recommended to be developed. Anumber of COGENT member countriesare facing climatic change and droughtproblems. Thus, a proposal on breedingfor drought tolerance will be developedfor EU submission, involving India, SriLanka and two European research or-ganizations. Another proposal is on aglobally coordinated coconut breedingto achieve specific breeding objectivesutilizing classical and innovative ap-proaches. Accelerated implementationof a more effective in situ conservationprogramme in coconut in countries in-volved in the IFAD project was alsorecommended. The meeting agreed thatCOGENT and FAO/RAPA cooperate toseek donor and technical support todevelop an integrated climatic surface,soils, topogarphy GIS database for theAsia-Pacific that can be digitally-linkedto crop models. COGENT will also de-velop, among others, proposals for ad-ditional project support from IFAD,ADB, and DFID.

Documentation is an essential compo-nent of the COGENT network. It wasrecommended that technologies relatedto coconut-based farming systems, in-cluding costs and returns, and researchbibliography to be documented in CDROMs and disseminated to membercountries. Consultancy reports on mar-keting high-value products, collectingstrategy and PRA must be made avail-able upon request. A recommendationwas also made for COGENT to jointlydevelop a catalogue of coconut recipesin collaboration with APCC, and an-other on conserved germplasm andfarmers’ coconut varieties.

COGENT Steering Committee

Summary and Recommendations of the 9th SteeringCommittee Meeting

COGENT 7

Subnetwork Reports

Southeast andEast Asia

The Southeast and East Asian region ishome to more than half of the world’scoconut production, with the Philippinesand Indonesia having the largest collectionof coconut populations. Aside from thesetwo countries, composing the Southeastand East Asia subnetwork are Malaysia,Thailand, Vietnam, China and Myanmar.

Coconut is an important oil crop in theregion, grown mostly in smallholdings. Thenational programmes to develop andsustain the growth of the coconut industryare heavily evident in the Philippines andIndonesia, with Vietnam and Thailandshowing similar commitment.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s coconut industry isshowing signs of strain with the loss of 3000palms a year owing to urbanization and oilpalm planting. About 75% of the palmpopulation is senile and if replanting is notaccelerated, Malaysia could face a constantshortage of coconut. In l999, for example,Malaysia had to import coconuts fromneighbouring countries such as Indonesiaand Thailand.

Vietnam and Thailand are developingalternative high-value coconut productssuch as coir fibre and handicrafts fromcoconut shell that could enhance theincome of poor coconut farmers. Coconutin these two countries is grown only insome provinces, but the multiple uses ofcoconut appear to have attracted theattention of coconut entrepreneurs thatcater particularly to export markets.

Coconut in China mainly grows on theisland of Hainan. There are manyinteresting cultivars that can thrive in coolertemperatures. The development of thecoconut industry on the island could proveinteresting with great prospects seen inmarketing the coconut and coconut by-products in mainland China.

Both projects funded by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) and theInternational Fund for AgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD) in COGENT membercountries in the Southeast and East Asia

subnetwork show new prospects in manyaspects such as the discovery of new andinteresting accessions; the multipurposeuses of coconut; the documentation offarmers’ varieties and indigenousknowledge which have remained elusivefor a long time; and the sharing oftechnology among the member countries,such as the processing technology ofcoconut fibre developed by Vietnam.

coconut accessions to the CGRD.

Under the International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD)-fundedproject entitled “Sustainable Use ofCoconut Genetic Resources to EnhanceIncomes and Nutrition of CoconutSmallholders in the Asia-Pacific Region”,India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh conducteda farmer participatory survey to identifycoconut varieties that have the potential formultipurpose uses in their respectivecountry. The findings showed usefulinformation and insight regarding theeconomics of traditional coconut farmingand opportunities available to enhance theincome of coconut farmers.

In India, l8 tender nuts marketing stallswere set up and managed by women andyouth. The nuts sold were mainly of theChowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) varietywhich the customers seemed to prefer.Three women’s groups were also organizedto undertake the processing of coconutwood, shell, kernel and others into value-added products to enhance the income ofthe coconut farmers’ families.

In Sri Lanka, a postharvest technology wasdeveloped to extend the storage period oftender nuts to enable sea shipment tooverseas markets.

In Bangladesh, specific adaptations of localecotypes have been identified; a feasibilitystudy on the use of a decorticating machinefor each processing of husk into fibre hasbeen initiated by a non-governmentorganization (NGO), Banchte Shekha; twostalls selling tender nuts have beenestablished; and data were collected onmarketing of tender nut for cost and returnanalysis.

South AsiaFour countries compose the South Asiasubnetwork, namely: Bangladesh, India,Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In India, 30 accessions have been collectedfrom the Andaman and Nicobar group ofislands. Germplasm prospecting andcollecting were conducted, generating eightaccessions in the form of embryos from theMaldives. Germplasm collecting activity isalso planned for Comoros and Reunion. Asurvey was also undertaken to identify elitepalms in coconut gardens in Kasaragod, inthe Kerala State. Preliminary resultsindicated l2 high-yielding palms.

In Sri Lanka, five new populations werecollected in three districts. One hundredseednuts from each population wereplanted in the nursery to obtain seedlingsfor ex situ conservation. Sixteen accessionsconserved in two ex situ field genebankswere characterized for stem, leaf andinflorescence morphology.

In Bangladesh, seednuts of l2 populationshave been planted in the nursery forgermination. Pre-prospection surveys wereconducted in 30 sampling sites. Eightconserved germplasms were evaluated anddocumented with the characterization dataof seven accessions submitted to theCoconut Genetic Resources Database(CGRD).

In Pakistan, 30 high-yielding populationswere identified for conservation in thegenebank. Ten populations harvested fromthe Garkho forest are being grown in PICGonthombli and hybrids received from SriLanka have been planted with 85%germination for all the entries. Pakistan hassubmitted characterization data for 32

South PacificMention South Pacific and whatinstantaneously comes to one’s mind areidyllic islands, vast seas, azure skies andcoconut trees.

Coconut, indeed, is widely grown in theSouth Pacific, particularly in the eightcountries that compose the South Pacificnetwork, namely: Cook Island, Fiji, Kiribati,

COGENT 8

Subnetwork ReportsPapua New Guinea, Solomon Islands,Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. Coconutproducts such as coconut milk, soap andcopra are widely produced and used inthe region. Coconuts provide substantialenvironmental benefits. They helpreduce soil and beach erosion and soiltemperature, are used in nutrientrecycling, and act as windbreaks.

The coconut industry of the Pacificregion, however, suffered a decline inrecent years owing to low prices of copra,leading to lack of maintenance of coconutplantations and replanting of senilepalms.

The national programmes of the membercountries are being strengthened throughthe COGENT projects funded by ADB andIFAD, in collaboration with BUROTROP,Centre de Cooperation Internationale enRecherche Agronomique pour leDeveloppement (CIRAD) and APCC.Through these projects, funding, trainingand technical assistance have beenprovided to national researchers toundertake research and developmentactivities based on local needs andopportunities. The outputs would formthe basis for the implementation of aviable coconut industry developmentprogramme in the region.

Under both ADB- and IFAD-fundedprojects, coconut germplasms in the eightmember countries were collected andpassport data characterized; promisingcoconut varieties were identified andplanted in the field; a farmer participatorysurvey was conducted and the indigenousknowledge documented; and alternativeuses of the coconut were identified toenhance the income of the coconutfarmers.

The South Pacific subnetwork issustainable because there is a high levelof interest and activities among themember countries, which includeseednut production, local marketing andexport of coconut products; strongsupport from regional organization, suchas the Secretariat of the South PacificCommunity (SPC), that are interested inand committed to strengthening coconutdevelopment activities; and assistancefrom international organizations such asIPGRI, BUROTROP and CIRAD thatshare the same sentiment.

Africa and theIndian Ocean

Coconut is an important subsistence andcash crop in the eight countries thatcompose the Africa and the Indian Oceansubnetwork-Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana,Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Seychellesand Tanzania.

This widely known “tree of life” is mainlycultivated by smallholders in the region. Theaverage coconut yield, however, is quite lowowing to unfavourable weather, lack ofimproved planting materials adapted tolocal conditions, and the presence of seriouspests such as the oryctes beetle.

Several member countries of thesubnetwork are active in research anddevelopment activities in coconut, namely:Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria andTanzania. The oldest research stations in theregion, some more than 50 years old, arelocated in Benin and Côte d’Ivoire. Themain objective of these nationalprogrammes is to promote the productionand utilization of coconuts by addressingthe constraints faced by the coconut farmersin the region.

Ongoing activities in the subnetworkinclude germplasm conservation,characterization and utilization;breeding high-yielding materials;agronomy trials which include coconut-based farming systems; studies ondiseases and ways to combat them;developing effective pest controlstrategies against major pests; andproducing and distributing improvedplanting materials to coconut farmers.

The “2nd International CoconutWorkshop for Africa: Helping the AfricanCoconut Farmers into the 2lst Century”was held on May 8-l2 in Mombasa, Kenya.Organized by BUROTROP in collaborationwith the Coastal Development Authorityof Kenya, the workshop brought togetherCOGENT member countries from theregion to meet and discuss the coconutsituation in the subnetwork. The outputsof the workshop were several recom-mendations aimed at promoting coconutproduction and utilization through R&Dprogrammes at the national, regional andglobal levels.

Latin America andthe Caribbean

The Latin America and Caribbean Subnetworkhas eight member countries, namely: Brazil,Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Several activities were and are being con-ducted in the subnetwork. The CommonFund for Commodities (CFC)-fundedproject to promote sustainable coconut pro-duction through coconut germplasm utili-zation and conservation was implementedthrough the planting of the multi-locationtrials in Brazil, Jamaica and Mexico. In thetrials, six introduced hybrids from Côted’Ivoire, four local varieties and hybridsproduced through artificial pollination weretested in each participating country.

Lethal yellowing (LY) is a serious problemin Mexico, Honduras and Belize. Severallaboratories in Mexico, Honduras and Cubaare working on the diagnosis of LY bymolecular methods. Cuba is also conduct-ing a survey and sampling of all LY areasin major islands to characterize and iden-tify the phytoplasma present in the coun-try. Cuba is collaborating with Hondurasin developing some aspects of the research.

Cuba and Mexico, in collaboration with theMax Planck Institute, initiated the analysisof biodiversity in coconut plantation byDNA markers. The Brazilian AgriculturalResearch Corporation (EMBRAPA) isconducting a similar activity.

Human resource strengthening was realizedthrough several workshops. Researchersfrom Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico andseveral other Latin American countries havebenefited from the “Workshop on the Ap-plication of Biotechnology to Plant Breed-ing and Crop Protection”, organized by theMax Planck Institute in Meriden, Mexico.Similarly, the 2nd International CoconutEmbryo Culture Workshop was held inMarch 2000 at the Centro de InvestigacionCientifica de Yucatan (CICY) in Mexico withparticipation from l7 countries.

In Brazil, the first coconut farmer association,known as SINDCOCO National Syndicateof Coconut Producers, was established. Itsmain objective is to look after the welfare ofcoconut farmers in the country.

COGENT 9

Coconut is an important subsistent crop inThailand. Over 200 000 farm families aredirectly or partially dependent on the coconutindustry for their livelihood. The total areaunder coconut is about 376 000 hectares, withan average farm size of 1–2 hectares. Thepredominant coconut varieties in Thailandare the local talls even though high yieldingcoconut hybrid varieties have been releasedto farmers since 1982.

Coconut farmers in Thailand do not relyon coconut and its traditional productsalone as they are also engaged in non-farmactivities for additional income. Mixed orintercropping practice is also popular withthe farmers as it has shown to providehigher incomes.

A large portion of the coconut productionis for the domestic consumption with littleused for industrial purposes. Productionis often insufficient as coconuts are usedfor various uses and thus cannot meet thedomestic demand.

In order to solve the shortage of coconut inThailand and increase sustainableproduction, research and developmentactivities have been carried out by theDepartment of Agriculture (DOA). Coconutresearch was first started in 1960 with theestablishment of a research station called SawiHorticultural Experiment Station in AmphoeSawi, Chumphon province. It has since beenrenamed Chumphon Horticultural ResearchCentre (CHRC). CHRC research activities aremainly on coconut, robusta coffee and relatedintercrops, and is regarded as Thailand’s onlymain coconut research centre.

Over 50 coconut accessions were collectedat CHRC, which include local and exoticvarieties.

A project on coconut hybrid research waslaunched in 1974. The first hybrid experi-ment was set up in 1975 and a coconuthybrid seed garden was established simul-taneously in order to keep pace with theplanting material demand. Some hybridsperformed very well under local conditions.The first hybrid, Sawi Hybrid No.1 (Ma-layan Yellow Dwarf x West African Tall),was released to farmers in 1982. Two more

hybrids, Chumphon Hybrid No.60 andChumphon Hybrid No.2, were recom-mended in 1987 and 1995, respectively.Among these three hybrids, copra yield perhectare was found to be similar. However,the copra weight per nut differs.

Chumphon 60, a cross between Thai Tallor Maphrao Yai and West African Tall, hasmedium to big size fruit. Copra per nut isabout 260 – 300 g. Chumphon 2, a crossbetween Malayan Yellow Dwarf andMaphrao Yai, is more precocious thanChumphon 60 and has a medium size fruitwith relative uniformity of fruit size. Copraper nut is relative, about 260 g. Mostfarmers who had planted hybrid varietiesexpressed satisfaction with Chumphon 2.CHRC is also responsible for producing thehybrid seedlings.

The advantages of coconut-based croppingsystems have long been recognized and suchare commonly adopted in the country. In-creased coconut production due tointercropping is attributed to the cultivationand maintenance of intercrops. Experimentson intercropping were conducted and a widerange of suitable crops was found to besuitable. Some example of intercrops includeannuals (sweet corn, cucumber, string bean,groundnut, taro, turmeric), biennials (pine-apple, papaya, banana), and perennials (cof-fee, durian, mangosteen, longkong, jackfruit,pummelo, salak).

Coconut products have benefited from postharvest and processing technology. Atpresent, coconut cream and young tender nuthave become important export products. Thecoconut cream products are packed in avariety of ways using UHT cardboxes, tin-cans and polyethylene bags to ensure theirfreshness. Thailand is one of the largestexporters of coconut cream to the UnitedStates. According to the exporters, the exportvalue of coconut cream reaches over 2000million baht each year.

Young tender nut is another product which isgaining popularity. Studies on the preserva-tion and transportation of young tender nuthave helped expand the business to a largerscale. The quality and shelf life of fresh nutshave been enhanced, ensuring that the nuts re-

National Programme Reports

Coconut Research and Development in ThailandBy Chulapan Petchpiroon1

main in good quality up to 45 days afterprocessing. Proximity or distance is, therefore,no longer a problem for exporters. The youngtender nut is marketed in several variationsincluding fresh nut with partial husk, frozenjuice, pasteurized juice and canned sterilizedjuice. At present, the DOA is particularly fo-cused on young tender nut research comparedto other products. Nevertheless, research ac-tivities on varietal improvement, plant nutri-tion and post harvests are being conducted.

Another promising product is coconutsugar since the demand for this product isexpected to increase significantly in thefuture. The coconut sugar is mainly usedin cooking and desserts and cannot bereplaced by other types of sugar due to itsunique flavour. Inflorescence sap forbottled soft drink is another product thatis gaining its market share. However, morestudies on coconut sugar should beconducted, especially in terms of productquality so as to satisfy the consumers.

Handicraft from coconut shell is alsoanother growing industry. They wereoriginally produced by individual farmersin very limited scale but with support fromgovernment agencies, it looks set tobecome bigger. It now provides the mainincome to some farmers’ groups throughtheir involvement in the Queen’s projectwhich focuses on enhancing incomes of thewomen in Thailand.

In addition to the government’s support tothe coconut industry, foreign assistance hasbeen channeled through the DOA such asfrom the French and British government, andthe FAO/UNDP programme.

In addition to productivity improvement,diversification of coconut products shouldbe given further consideration in order topromote value-added coconut products.Although the coconut industry in Thailandhas achieved considerable success, its pros-perity still requires strong support fromgovernment so as to strengthen the capa-bility of the coconut farmers in improvingtheir livelihood.

1 Coconut Breeder, Chumphon HorticulturalResearch Centre (CHRC), Thailand.

COGENT 10

In the early 90s, CRS’s position wasstrengthened under the name RegionalHorticulture Research Station.Assistance was received from the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) with theprovision of 26 scientists in differentdisciplines and an increased scope ofactivities.

Nuts collected from different selectedmother palms and promising ecotypeswere planted in 11 research stations ofthe Bangladesh Agricultural ResearchInstitute (BARI) and Horticulture Cen-tres of the Department of Agricultureand Extension (DAE). In 1996, BARIhas released and recommended twococonut varieties, the BARI Narikel-1and BARI Narikel-2, for plantingthroughout the country. BARI alsodistributes about 4000 seedlings ofBARI Narikel-1 and BARI Narikel-2annually among the farmers at a sub-sidized rate. On the other hand, qual-ity coconut saplings are also beingdistributed by the Bangladesh Horti-culture Development Corporation(BADC) and DAE through their Hor-ticulture Development Centres andHorticulture Centres, respectively.

In early 80s, a 100-ha isolated coconutgarden was established at Ramu, Cox’sBazar, a coastal district, to producehybrid nuts and saplings for distribu-tion to growers. It was establishedunder the DAE. The garden has a largestand of CRI 60 and Malayan Dwarfcoconut. There is a lack of progress,however, in achieving its goal due tothe lack of fund and trained personnel.

In early 90s, the coconut project wasestablished with 14 centres in differentareas of the country. The purpose wasto raise saplings from selected nutscollected from mother trees anddistribute them to the farmers. Theseactivities are ongoing, providing majorcontribution towards the developmentof coconut industries in Bangladesh. Italso helped develop private

entrepreneurs and nurseries oncoconut. The government-fundednurseries, which are under DAE, havebeen renamed as Horticulture Centres.At present, many private nurseries arealso working side by side with state-owned seed gardens.

The Government has also initiated aproject for afforestation in the coastalbelt, which is prone to the annualcyclones.

Bangladesh joined COGENT as amember country in 1998. Severalactivities have been initiated since early1999, which include collecting and insitu and ex situ evaluation of theavailable germplasm of the country.The ultimate aim is to be able to sharethe coconut genetic resources withother member countries of the network.Researches have been undertaken onthe production and processing of thecoconut and its bio-products for bothfood and non-food items at householdlevels involving women to increase theincome of smallholders.

There is no doubt coconut has a greatpotential in enhancing the income ofthe rural people through increasedproduction and processing of coconut.The step that should be taken wouldbe to strengthen the nationalprogramme for the development of thecoconut industry in the country.Among the activities planned underthis programme include breeding todevelop drought, salinity and swamptolerant hybrids, establishment oflaboratory for embryo culture for quickmultiplication of the selected hybridsand exotic germplasm from abroad,and standardization of coconut-basedfarming systems.

1 Senior Scientific Officer (Fruit), HRC,BARI and Country Coordinator,COGENT, Bangladesh2 Founder Director, Horticulture ResearchCentre, BARI

National Programme Reports

National Coconut Programme in BangladeshBy Md. Nazirul Islam 1 and A. K. M. Amzad Hossain 2

Coconut is an important tree crop inBangladesh. It contributes to thelivelihood of farmers through its manyuses. It has a high utilization potentialfor shelter, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals,energy and environmental protection.Coconut is also noted for its remarkableability to stand against cyclones,sheltering hundreds of homes on thecoastal belt.

In a country with limited land space,coconuts are rarely grown on largeplantations except for a few on thecoastal areas. They are mainly grownon homestead in almost all parts of thecountry. There is a wide variability inthe country’s coconut population.

At present, the coconut yields about 21fruits per tree per year, which is verylow, compared to those of other coco-nut-growing countries. The poor pro-duction is due to the lack of high-yield-ing cultivar, inadequate nourishmentand management practices. However,the yield of coconut would increasewith the use of selected localgermplasm and introduction of high-yielding varieties, and with applicationof appropriate inputs and managementpractices.

The coconut-growing areas inBangladesh are often subject to geneticerosion due to cyclone and many man-made calamities. The Government isvery much concerned about the loss ofgenetic materials, germplasmconservation and improvement ofcoconut production. In the early 1960’s,a Coconut Research Station (CRS) wasestablished at Rahmatpur, Barisal - acoastal district. The CRS aimed toestablish a systematic collecting,evaluation and conservation of coconutgermplasms.

The station has a large collection ofMalaysia and Sri Lanka Typicavarieties, King Coconut and Nanacoconut besides many local ecotypes.

COGENT 11

National Programme Reports

Coconut Situation in MozambiqueBy Agusto Manuel Correia1

Coconut has occupied an important placein the livelihood and culture of the peopleof Mozambique for a long time. Itcontributes directly and indirectly to thesubsistence of a great number ofsmallholders. Coconut has also been anotable cash crop for some plantations.

The coconuts grow along the coastal areasbut the main area dedicated to this cropis between the rivers Zambeze andLigonha where the climate and soils aremore favourable. In the last 20 years,however, coconut plantations and pro-ductions have been decreasing and aresometimes abandoned due to internalproblems. Despite the decrease in pro-duction of its coconut groves, Mozam-bique remains the largest producer ofcopra in Africa. Coconut palms cover anestimated total surface of 100 000 hectareswhich produce an average of 60 to 70tonnes of copra per year.

In the past, the structures of theplantations were based on fourplantations which occupied about 50 000ha. Now there is only one big plantation,the Sociedade Agrícola da Madal, whichhas about 23 000 ha. In the smallholders’plots, the coconuts are harvested asmature nuts and sometimes processed ascopra in kilns.

Almost all the material comes from theMozambique Tall and in the last 20years, grown mainly on plantationssuch as Madal. With the support ofIRHO, hybrids of Mozambique Tall xMalayan Dwarf have been planted,representing 4 to 6 % of the total areaof coconut plantations.

At the time when the private companiesand the National Agriculture System,based on the National Programme forAgrarian Development (PROAGRI),wanted to promote coconut plantations,lethal yellowing disease was detected inthe Zambezia Province. In 1958, CarvalhoMendes reported for the first time theoccurrence of an unknown disease of

coconut in northern Mozambique. In1999, the disease was confined to theCabo Delgado province. With the easyspread of this disease, the production ofcoconut will be seriously limited in thenear future.

With financial support from Portugal,COGENT/IPGRI, Instituto Superior deAgronomia (ISA) (Portugal), CIRAD,Madal and Instituto Nacional deInvestigação Agrária (INIA), Mozam-bique will conduct a multilocation trialof promising hybrids and varieties,which is important for the future of thecountry’s coconut plantation. This trialis already being conducted in six coun-tries; Tanzania, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire,Brazil, Mexico and Jamaica.

Four dwarf x tall (DXT) and two tall xtall (TxT) hybrids, which have beenproven to have a good yield potential inmajor coconut-producing countries,would be used as common multisitecontrols in all participating countries.Four local varieties or improved localhybrids that are likely to contributetowards the increase of tolerance orresistance to biotic and abiotic stresseswould also be included in the trials. Theselocal hybrids will be produced bycrossing locally selected parents.

However, pollen of the male parents SGD(Mozambique Tall), RLT (Rennell Tall)and VTT (Vanuatu Tall) will be suppliedby CNRA Station de Recherche MarcDelorme (a lethal yellowing disease–freelocation) based in Côte d’Ivoire togetherwith the six introduced hybrids for multi-site controls. In order to ensureuniformity of treatments andcomparability of results, the trial wouldfollow COGENT’s STANTECH manual,which will be translated and publishedin Portuguese.

1 Head of Food Science and TropicalAgronomy, Instituto Superior de Agronomia,Mozambique

South PacificAgriculture

Directors PresentFrameworks oftheir CoconutProgrammes inApia Meeting

By Tom Osborn 1

The Directors of Agriculture in SouthPacific subnetwork countriespresented the framework for nationalcoconut programmes in theirrespective countries at the ADB- andIFAD-funded meetings in Apia,Samoa, on 26-30 June 2000.

The meeting was held under theauspices of the project funded by theAsian Development Bank (ADB) andthe International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD). Itprovided the opportunity for theAgriculture officials to gain a betterunderstanding of the international,regional and national activitiesconducted by COGENT.

The framework presented by theagriculture officials focuses on anumber of components whichinclude the importance of pricestability or support and that nationalcommittees should be establishedtogether with the participation of thepublic and private sector to facilitatethe development of the coconutindustry in the South Pacific.

Fiji

Coconuts are grown in 65 000 hectareswith 60% of the area owned bysmallholders. Sixty percent of thepalms are senile. The nationaldevelopment framework for Fiji callsfor reducing the area under coconuts

Feature Articles

(Continued On Page 10)

COGENT 12

Feature Articles

but increasing yields through theprovision of hybrids and selected FijiTall. The Taveuni Coconut Center isspearheading seednut production,whereas the Coconut IndustryDevelopment Authority wasestablished in 1998 for the regulation,development and funding of thecoconut industry. The coconutresearch and extension activities arebeing strengthened. Greater value-adding and increased utilization ofcoconut products and by-productsincluding coconut cream, coco-timber, activated carbon, virgin oil,coconut shell products, desiccatedcoconut and coir products areessential to the development of thecoconut industry. Whole nutprocessing is also being explored.

Samoa

Solid stand of coconuts, coconutsmixed with livestock and coconutfarm with intercrops occupy 36% ofthe arable land of Samoa (80 000hectares). The harvested nuts areprocessed and exported as oil andcoconut cream. There was a massivereplanting scheme in the early 1990safter several devastating cyclones.The national framework includescontinued replanting with selectedSamoan local talls and hybrids;research and promotion of coconut-based farming systems and coconutfibre utilization such as for doormats.Research activities also need tocontinue to identify, characterize andutilize local germplasm as well asadapted hybrids.

Tonga

In the early 1990s, low prices andintroduction of squash and othershort-term crops led to the clearingof coconut land for mechanicalcultivation and milling of coconuttimber. However, coconuts are stillused as mature and green nuts, andas handicrafts. A coconut replantingscheme has been formulated in

recognition of the high priority ofcoconuts. The strategy will includecoconut-based farming systems withroot crops as well as kava and vanilla.Research and development activitieswill be strengthened based on theresults of the ADB- and IFAD-fundedprojects conducted by COGENT. Thefeasibility of various value-addedproducts from coconut fordevelopment in Tonga will also bedetermined. The establishment of acoconut marketing authority isexpected to carry out market researchand marketing of coconut products.

Papua New Guinea

Coconuts are planted in 250 000hectares, mostly by smallholders, andrank fourth in export earnings. Theproposed national development planaims to achieve increased yieldsand income for farmers throughintercropping, improved plantingmaterial, diversification of coconutproducts and improved transportationand infrastructure. Coconutintercropped with cocoa is practicedby 41 000 farmers and research isunderway to increase intercroppingwith other food crops and promotionof pasture and livestock. There is aneed to increase production of hybridseed nuts through the establishmentof seed gardens throughout thecountry. Research and feasibilitystudies need to be undertaken todetermine what new value-addedcoconut products are suitable. A foodtechnologist has been hired for thisarea. Like in Vanuatu, the high costof transportation is a problem that isbeing studied. Improved extensionservices by the Coconut and CocoaExtension Agency in cooperationwith the Coconut and CocoaResearch Institute will be animportant component for thedevelopment of the coconut industry.

Vanuatu

Coconuts are planted in 91 000 hectares,mostly by smallholders, with anaverage area of 3.4 ha. Copra remains

the mainstay of the economy, providing30-50% of the export earnings. Thesuggested national strategy is to makeimproved planting materials availableat an affordable price, which iscurrently hindered by the high cost oftransportation between the islands ofVanuatu. Increased production ofstaple crops for the urban markets isimportant and coconut intercroppingis one of the options. There is a needto determine the feasibility of a varietyof value-added products and promotethe promising ones. These efforts willbe coupled with a strong researchcomponent from the VanuatuAgriculture Research and TrainingCentre (VARTC), which is managedand assisted by Centre de CooperationInternationale en RechercheAgronomique pour le Developpment(CIRAD). Intercropping research isbeing conducted by VARTC toprovide advice to farmers oncoconut-based farming systemsadapted to local conditions.

The atolls of Cook Islands, Kiribati,Marshall Islands and Tuvalu providea challenge for the development of acoconut industry. Coconut replantingschemes are being initiated inKiribati and Tuvalu with selectedlocal talls and hybrids. Traditionalcoconut-based farming systems willbe examined so that innovations canbe considered and productionboosted. The analysis will includelocal varieties and potential exoticvarieties, soils and plant nutrition,drought resistance, other cropsadapted for the system and matchingthe varieties to the use of the coconut.Because of the low overallproduction and distances betweenthe islands and the market, value-adding for household use, importsubstitution and exports such assoap, oil and handicrafts, need to bestudied and promoted.

1 Agriculture Adviser, SPC and COGENTSteering Committee member

(Continued From Page 9)

COGENT 13

brown to brown. Their shape is long,angulated and medium-pointed to oblong.The husk epidermis often bears the typicalfolds or puckers, creating a kind ofequatorial belt around the fruit. Thecoconut inside is oblong, with a solid shelland thick albumen.

Fruit production generally begins six toseven years after planting. The number ofbunches on average ranges from 11 to 14per palm per year with the number of fruitsranging from 40 to 90 per palm per year,depending on the environmental factorsand cultural practices.

Fruits of the WAT in Benin are heavier thanthose found in Côte d’Ivoire (1169 g ascompared to 1040 g in the Côte d’Ivoire’sGermplasm Bank). They also have a higherhusk weight ratio (43% as compared to38%). The weight of copra per fruit is rathersimilar in both countries and ranges from190 g to 245 g. The meat is thick and hasa high dry matter content (55 to 59 %).

WAT is widely used as parent material incoconut breeding programmes. Its hybridswith the Malayan Yellow Dwarf (known asPB121 or Mawa) and the Cameroon RedDwarf (CAMWA) have been diffused world-wide by Côte d’Ivoire. The new tall cultivarshave been systematically crossed with WATand the Rennell Island Tall. The hybrids fromWAT crossed with Malayan Red Dwarf andMaphrao Thailand Tall have been diffusedin Thailand. Meanwhile, the Philippines has

included WAT as a parental material for itscoconut synthetic variety project.

Data from Côte d’Ivoire’s Palmindustrieallowed the comparison of the yield of 4000hectares of WAT with 12 500 hectares ofhybrids (mainly PB121). From 1985 to 1990,the hybrids have produced 2.4 t of copraper hectare per year whereas the WATyielded only 1.5 t.

WAT is more sensitive to drought than thehybrid PB121. WAT is also sensitive to thelethal yellowing diseases (LYD) in Jamaica,Tanzania and Ghana. This cultivar was alsoclassified as sensitive to the coconut foliardecay in Vanuatu. It is susceptible toEriophyes guerreronis K., a mite pest on fruits,and the phytophthora diseases in Côte d’Ivoireand Indonesia. WAT is also sensitive to theleaf blight foliar disease in Brazil.

The WAT fruits are preferred by the coconutexporters for the European markets. Theslow germination of the fruits, and the thickand solid shell reduce the losses caused bypackaging and shipment.

1 Head of Coconut Breeding, Marc DelormeResearch Station, Côte d’Ivoire2 Head of Marc Delorme Research Station, Côted’Ivoire3 Director, Mikocheni Agricultural ResearchInstitute, Tanzania4 Researcher in Plant Breeding, Marc DelormeResearch Station, Côte d’Ivoire5 COGENT Coordinator, IPGRI-APO

The West African Tall (WAT) has gone along way to becoming a part of the WestAfrican landscape since it was introducedby Portuguese travellers from Mozambiqueat the beginning of the l6th century. At theend of the l9th century, it was introducedfrom Benin to Côte d’Ivoire. From 1951 to1954, three main accessions of the WATwere surveyed from two plantations inCôte d’Ivoire and one in Benin. The bestparent palms for copra yield were selectedby the surveyors.

Selected WAT palms are conserved in theMarc Delorme Coconut Research Centre inCôte d’Ivoire. Since 1960, WAT seednutshave been exported to many countries,which include Brazil, India, Indonesia,Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Vanuatu,and to at least 10 germplasm banksworldwide. Twenty-two WAT accessionstotaling more than 3000 palms have beenintegrated into the Coconut GeneticResources Database (CGRD).

The stem of WAT is rather thin for a tallcultivar, and has a thin but sometimes curvedbole. The stem height varies from 4.5 to 6.5m at 10 years old. The leaves are quite shortbut have a high number of broad leaflets.

Inflorescences are medium-size, with ashort female phase beginning after all themale flowers have already dropped. Themode of reproduction is predominantlyallogamous. Fruits are usually green toyellow-green, with the occasional green-

Feature Articles

West African TallBy J.L. Konan1, Y.P. N’Cho2, A. Kullaya3, R. Bourdeix4 and P. Batugal5

Fruits Split fruitsInflorescencePalm

COGENT 14

optimum condition, it can have as many as 100 nuts per bunch.The fruit is medium size with a fresh albumen weight of 400g.

Igoduku TallThis cultivar originallygrew in Kulaba andSulamandaha Villages(Ternate), Awer Village(Halmahera) and AmahaiVillage (Seram Island) inthe Moluccas. The fruithas an oblong shape andmedium size. The lengthof the fruit is 22.9 cm.Igoduku Tall is afavourite among thefarmers because of itsnuts high copra content.

Palapi TallThis cultivar was found inPalapi Village, Moutong District, Central Sulawesi Province. It hasa big size fruit and nut, with more than eight fruits per bunch. Thefruit is green and the nut is round. A unique feature of the Palapi Tallis the large space inside the nut which allows a higher than normalvolume of water. It is suitable as raw material for the production ofnata de coco.

Dobo TallThe Dobo Tall was found in Ngilngof Village, Kei Kecil Island, SouthEast Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, in January 1997. Thiscultivar was also found on Pick Island and, according to the locals,it originated from Australia and New Zealand. The unique char-acteristic of Dobo Tall is its big fruit size with 3.5 kg fruit weight,1.2 kg husk weight, 417 g shell weight, 999 g water weight, 900g kernel weight and 14.70 mm kernel thickness.

Feature Articles

‘Unique’ Coconuts of IndonesiaBy Hengky Novarianto 1 and Miftahorrachman 2

Ever heard of Indonesia’s “unique coconuts”? These are varietiesthat have unusual morphological characters. They are found amongthe local coconuts in small number or individually and are knownto the farmers.

The “unique” coconuts are among 40 accessions identified duringan exploration activity in the Moluccas Islands, East Nusa Tenggara,West Nusa Tenggara and North Sulawesi, which have a largecoconut diversity. Indonesia initiated the systematic exploration,collecting and conservation of coconut germplasm in these areasunder the projects funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), incollaboration with COGENT. It was one of the activities underIndonesia’s coconut breeding programme, whose main goal is theacquisition and development of potential cultivars that can adaptto different growth conditions and suitable for the production ofvarious products.

Thus, a farmer participatory survey is needed to explore and collectIndonesia’s unique coconuts, and data would be gathered throughinterviews with the coconut garden owners, farmers and workers.

Takome Tall

This cultivar, which originated from Takome Village, Ternate, NorthMaluku, was first identified by the Research Institute for Coconutand Palmae (RICP) in 1977. Its unique characteristic is the remarkablenumber of fruits per bunch that reaches up to 100 nuts. The localscalled it ‘Igoratu’, ‘Igo’ for coconut and ‘Ratu’ for hundreds. Thefruit is small and round, and is suitable as a raw material for coconuthandicraft. In Takome Village, only few palms can be found as mostof them have been cut and replaced by other crops.

Santongbolang TallThe Santongbolang Tall was discovered in Santongbolang Village,Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi in 1997. The cultivarhas more than 60 fruits per bunch with long inflorescence. In

Fig. 1. Takome tall with plenty of fruits.

Fig. 2. Split fruit of Igoduku tall.

Fig. 3. Big fruit of Palapi tall.

COGENT 15

Mamuaya TallMamuaya Tall wasdiscovered in Wasian Village,Dimembe District, MinahasaRegency, North SulawesiProvince. ‘Mamuaya’ is thefamily name of the owner.This cultivar is high-yieldingand has unique fruitcomponent qualities. Thefruit is round, with very thinhusk and red. The number ofnuts can reach up to 10 perbunch, with a kernel weightof 600 g and copra weight of 300 g per nut. Mamuaya Tall has thepotential to produce 5-8 t copra/ha per year which is higher thanthe Mapanget Tall with only 3-5 t copra/ha per year.

Shinta Red DwarfShinta Red Dwarf was foundin Lirung and MelongoaneVillage, Sangir TauladRegency, North SulawesiProvince, in May 2000. Itsuniqueness is in the large sizeof the bole which is unusualcompared to other dwarfs.Data collected showed thatthe girth at 20 cm above soillevel is 168 cm, bigger thanthat of the local tall (139 cm).According to the owner, thepalms begin flowering threeyears after planting. The fruit

is small, round and red. Shinta Red Dwarf has potential as anornamental crop.

Pink Husk Coconut

This cultivar got its name from the unique pink colour of the huskat the basal region of the fruits. It can be detected when the calixis removed or the husk at the basal region is sliced. This pink huskcan be found in tall and dwarf types. In Molopatodu Village,Gorontalo Regency, it can be found on the brown dwarf (local nameis Kelapa Kapal); the green tall (local name Si Bibir Merah) in

Melongoane Village, Sangir Taulad; and the green dwarf in TimorIsland, East Nusa Tenggara. Oil and water of the pink husk coconutare mainly used as traditional medicine such as for fever.

Canarium CoconutCanarium coconut can be found in almost all the provinces butwith very few populations. The unique characteristic of this typeis the abnormal structure of the endosperm and the taste. This typeis good for tender nut consumption and fruit cocktail. Most farmersare not keen on this type though because the structure of theendosperm makes it difficult to be processed to copra.

Kopyor Coconut

Kopyor (Makapuno) coconut has long been used in foodpreparation such as cake, ice cream and syrup. This cultivar canbe found in Central Java, Bali Island, and in Kalianda, SouthLampung Regency, Lampung, Sumatera. There are two types ofkopyor coconuts—Kopyor Lilin and Kopyor Biasa.

Suckering CoconutThis type was found in BaboVillage, Santong-bolang Dis-trict, Bolaang MongondowRegency, North SulawesiProvince and Palapi Village,Moutong District, CentralSulawesi in 1999. Its uniquecharacteristic is the suckerswhich grow up from the sur-face near the base of the trunkof the main or mother plant.The first sucker appeared oneyear after planting themother plant. The palm inBabo Village has eight suckers and three of them are producing fruits.The palm in Palapi Village has four suckers and each of them hasproduced fruits after reaching five years old. The suckering coconuthas the potential to increase coconut production in the future eitherby normal plantation or tissue culture propagation to producehomogenous plants on the field.

1 Head of Coconut Breeding, Research Institute for Coconut and Palmae(RICP), Manado, Indonesia2 Researcher in Coconut Breeding, RICP

Feature Articles

Fig. 5. Shinta red dwarf with a bole.

Fig. 4. Fruits of Mamuaya tall.

Fig. 7. Split nut of Kopyor Lilin.

Fig. 6. Kelapa Kapal, a Pink husk coconut from Gorontalo, North Sulawesi.

Fig. 8. Suckering coconut found inNorth Sulawesi.

COGENT 16

produce a variety of products and itsresilient and hardy nature set it apartfrom other crops, making it worthyof an international rehabilitationeffort.

The 20 participating countries havecollected and conserved coconutgermplasm, and have submitted 1338passport and characterization data tothe Coconut Genetic ResourcesDatabase (CGRD). Five countrieshave conducted hybrid/varietaltrials and two have establishedmolecular markers to characterizetheir germplasm collections.Fourteen countries have conductedfarmer participatory surveys toidentify farmer ’s varieties andmultipurpose uses of the coconut.

Human resources strengthening wasachieved through several workshopsand training courses. Among themare the technical writing and publicawareness, and data analysis coursefor 13 countries; in-country farmerparticipatory research course held inBangladesh and Solomon Island; a

Ongoing Projects

20 Countries Conserve Coconut Germplasm to Ensure DiversityADB-funded Project: Coconut Genetic Resources Network and Human Resources Strengthening in Asia and the

Pacific (Phase II)

Twenty countries are currentlyinvolved in several activities aimedat developing a sound environmentalmanagement of coconut geneticresources through sustainableconservation and utilization of thecoconut.

The countries are China, Vietnam,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia,Philippines, Bangladesh, India,Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Samoa,Papua New Guinea, SolomonIslands, Tonga, Vanuatu, CookIslands, Kiribati, Tuvalu and theMarshall Islands. They are involvedin the Asian Development Bank(ADB)-funded project to strengthencoconut genetic resources networkand human resources in Asia and thePacific region.

The rationale behind the project isthat the disappearance of coconutgenetic diversity would lead to theuntimely loss of an important cashcrop that has been the source ofincome for millions of poor coconutfarmers worldwide. Its ability to

standardized research techniques indata analysis course for the fourPacific island member countries,Cook Island, Kiribati, MarshallIsland and Tuvalu; and embryoculture training for participants fromIndonesia and Papua New Guinea.

During the third annual meetings ofthe ADB-funded project in Apia,Samoa and Manila, Philippines, theproject leaders came up with severalrecommendations to further enhancethe results of the project’s activities.They recommended the establishmentof country networks for lowtemperature tolerant varietiesinvolving China, Bangladesh,Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka;identification of the exact location ofthe varieties to be conserved, andnumber of plants to be considered forin situ conservation. They alsoproposed that forthcoming funds tosupport the national programmesshould be tied with availablepermanent staff to ensure theproject’s sustainability even after theexternal funding is terminated.

Increase in Yields and High-Value Products to EnhanceFarmer’s Incomes

IFAD-funded Project: Sustainable Use of Coconut Genetic Resources to Enhance Incomes and Nutrition ofCoconut Smallholders in the Asia-Pacific Region

Fourteen countries are participatingin the International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project that aims to promotegenetic resources conservation anduse through increase in yields andenhance smallholders’ incomethrough high-value products. Thecountries are China, Vietnam,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia,Philippines, Bangladesh, India, SriLanka, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands,Tonga and Vanuatu.

Farmer participatory surveys havebeen conducted in each participatingcountry to document farmer ’svarieties and multipurpose uses ofthe coconut. A major finding of thesurvey is that the lack of knowledgeof local farmers, especially the youngones, could lead to genetic erosion asthey abandon the crop for moreprofitable ventures.

The Asian and Pacific CoconutCommission (APCC), the Bureau for

the Development of Research onTropical Perennial Oil Crops(BUROTROP) and COGENT havecollaborated to evaluate theperformance of 10-30year-oldpreviously introduced hybrids andvarieties at the farm level in 18coconut-producing countries underdifferent agro-climatic conditions.Their aim is to help nationalprogrammes identify high-yieldingand adapted varieties.

COGENT 17

Eight countries have undertakenresearch on the production of high-value products and identification ofsuitable varieties and hybrids. Theyinclude research on coconut palmsugar production, young tendercoconut water and its by-products,and others which include rope/geotextiles, coconut shell handicraftand nata de coco. In India, forexample, a coconut farmer could earnabout US$1978 per hectare per yearfrom the sale of tender nut, eighttimes the income from traditionalcopra product. In Thailand, anupgraded sugar productiontechnology was packaged andintroduced in three pilot sugar-making demonstration units incoconut farming communities.

The IFAD-funded project also looksat coconut-based farming systems asa way to increase farmers’ incomes.Intercropping and animal grazingactivities are being conducted by thePhilippine Coconut Authority (PCA)

Ongoing Projects

to determine their financial andtechnical viability as a strategy tosupport the maintenance of a coconutgenebank. Malaysia, China, Samoaand Tonga are also conductingsimilar activities.

Several recommendations were madeduring the third annual meeting forthe IFAD-funded project held in Apia(Samoa) and in Manila (Philippines).The project leaders recommendedthat the technology generated fromthe IFAD-funded project should bedisseminated not only to the farmersand growers but also to the tradersor exporters, and to establishlinkages with them; and that thevariety to be distributed must be theimproved ones to solve the seasonallow production of the existingcoconut.

The representative from Indiaspecifically recommended that thecoconut nursery programme in the

country should be continued withfocus on varieties such as Jappanan,Komadan, King Coconut and theElite Tall, which are regarded by thelocal farmers as superior in nut yield,toddy yield and in tender nutproduction. He further reported thatone production cum training unit incoconut-based food processing andone design cum training unit forhandicrafts are to be organized tobenefit the women in the coconutsector. Further, the project on tendernut marketing, which was proven tobe effective in providing regularemployment to the youth andwomen, will expand its target to 12stalls per year.

So far, the technologies derived andthe success achieved by the IFAD-funded project have been providinga viable and sustainable means ofhelping the coconut farmers toenhance their income and the qualityof life of their family.

Multilocation Trials to Identify Better Yield Hybrids inLatin America and African Countries

CFC-funded Project: Coconut Germplasm Utilization and Conservation to Promote Sustainable Coconut Productionin Selected South American and African Countries

The five-year project funded by theCommon Fund for Commoditiesinvolves three countries in Africa(Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tanzania)and three in Latin America and theCaribbean (Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico). Itaims to assist the six countries inidentifying hybrids or varieties withbetter yields through multilocationtrials.

The project consists of three compo-nents: 1) multilocation trials to identifysuitable hybrids and varieties for Af-rica, Latin America and the Caribbean;2) technology transfer to upgrade thecapability of national coconut geneticresearch programmes; and 3) projectcoordination, management, supervi-sion and evaluation.

The multilocation trial activities see thetransfer of seednuts of six selectedhybrids produced by the Marc DelormeStation in Côte d’Ivoire to the sixparticipating countries. The selectedTall x Dwarf hybrids are MalayanYellow Dwarf (MYD) x West AfricanTall (WAT), Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD)x Vanuatu Tall (VTT), Cameroon RedDwarf (CRD) x Rennell Island Tall(RIT), and MRD x Tagnanan Tall (MRDx TAGT). The Tall x Tall hybrids areVTT x TAGT and Sri Lanka Tall (SLT)x TAGT. The countries have been urgedto repeat the production and plantingof seednuts in their respective fields toobtain an adequate number of betterquality seedlings and ensure morereliable results of the trials.

The technology transfer componentwas initiated through training courseson standard research techniques on co-conut breeding (“STANTECH”) inwhich 15 researchers from 15 countriesparticipated; on collecting and conser-vation, involving 11 participants fromseven countries; and on embryo cul-ture, involving 14 participants fromeight countries. The first project work-shop was also conducted involvingnine participants from nine countries.

The third component oversees,among other things, the signing ofthe Project Agreement between CFCand IPGRI, and the Memorandum ofUnderstanding between IPGRI andthe six participating countries.

COGENT 18

The two-year project funded by theDepartment for InternationalDevelopment (DFID) of the UnitedKingdom involves 13 laboratories in 11countries. It aims to refine the coconutembryo culture and acclimatizationtechnology. The participating countriesare Brazil, China, Cuba, France, India,Indonesia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.All, except for France, Brazil andMexico, are funded by DFID.

Coconut production is decreasingworldwide owing to declining farmproductivity which is caused by ageingof palms; natural calamities instigatedby pests, diseases, typhoons anddrought; lack of high-yielding andadapted varieties; and genetic erosion.The sustainability of coconutproduction depends on the availabilityof and access to coconut geneticdiversity by coconut breeders andfarmers to overcome some of the abovemajor problems and to meet the variousneeds of the resource-poor coconutfarmers. Sustainable development isbeing promoted through several R &D activities which use the results of thecurrent DFID-funded project.

One of these activities is thecollecting and conservation ofcoconut germplasm being conductedin 20 countries in the Asia-Pacificregion through the financial supportof the Asian Development Bank(ADB) and the coordinating efforts ofIPGRI and COGENT. Similarinitiatives are being planned for theAfrica and Latin America regions.The constraints in this ADB-funded

Ongoing Projects

activity are the difficulty in collectinggermplasm from distant and isolatedislands, the bulky nature of thecoconut and the high transportationexpenses. Embryo culture offers asolution as it would allow the cheaptransport of non-bulky embryoswhich could be grown into seedlingsfor transplanting on the field. ThePhilippines and Indonesia, forexample, are already using thisimproved method to collect germplasmfrom their isolated islands.

Results of the DFID-funded project arealso being used in the conservation andsafe exchange of germplasm activitywhich is being realized through theestablishment of the multi-site Interna-tional Coconut Genebank (ICG). TheICGs’ host countries will conserveduplicates of important coconutgermplasm for each region and sharethem with member countries for theirbreeding and/or replanting pro-grammes. However, safe movement ofgermplasm to the ICGs and nationalprogrammes worldwide is constrainedby quarantine restrictions on the trans-port of coconut seednuts or seedlingswhich are essential to curb the spreadof new diseases. Embryo culture, as amethod of propagation and exchange,could prevent the introduction of newdiseases as disease transmissionthrough embryo has not been reportedor proven. Thus, serious diseases suchas the Lethal Yellowing disease causedby phytoplasma found in many coun-tries in Africa and the Latin Americaregions could be prevented fromspreading through germplasm move-ment using the embryo.

Poverty alleviation is one ofCOGENT’s main thrusts as most of thecoconut farmers are smallholders withvery low income. A good example ofhow improved embryo culturetechnology can help alleviate povertyis through the Makapuno industry inthe Philippines. Makapuno is a specialtype of coconut characterized by a soft,jelly-like endosperm rather than thenormal solid endosperm (kernel) ofother coconut varieties, and commandthree to five times the price of a normalcoconut. Makapuno coconuts,nevertheless, are quite rare owing to thelack of true-to-type planting materials.It does not germinate in situ because ofthe abnormal composition of theendosperm. However, the Makapunoembryo could germinate and grownormally in vitro before transplantingto the nursery to produce the seedlings.An interesting advantage is that theseembryo-derived Makapuno plantsproduce 100% Makapuno fruitscompared to 14% from traditionalpalms. The Makapuno embryo cultureprotocol is being disseminated to 12COGENT member countries.

Improved coconut embryo culturetechnology also benefits the IFAD-funded project in identifying andpromoting suitable varieties for highvalue products. Products such aspalm sugar, young tender coconutsand coir geotextile could increase theincomes of coconut farmers by threeto four times. The embryo culturetechnology could help promote theexchange of promising germplasmamong coconut-producing countries.

Improved In Vitro Techniques Benefit Other R&DActivities on Coconut

DFID-funded project: Improvement of in vitro techniques for collecting and exchange of coconut(Cocos nucifera L.) germplasm

COGENT 19

conservation of coconut germplasm.They are conducted in collaborationwith some genetic improvementprogrammes developed by CIRADand CNRA (ex-IDEFOR) at the MarcDelorme Station in Côte d’Ivoire.

Coconut cloneIn vitro vegetative multiplication ofhigh performing individual palmsremains the only short - and medium-term hope for the production ofhomogenous planting material and fora substantial improvement in theproductivity of plantations. Cloningalso allows rapid multiplication ofselected individuals that exhibitresistance or tolerance to importantdiseases and adverse growingconditions. Unfortunately, coconut is ahighly recalcitrant species as far astissue culture is concerned.

In 1982, IRD and CIRAD began theirresearch activities, which wasorientated towards somaticembryogenesis, which appeared to bethe more promising technique forclonal propagation of the coconut.Different approaches are currentlybeing developed to overcome therecalcitrant character of the palminvolving phytohormones analyses inmedia culture and in tissue, use ofhistology, search for early proteinmarkers, and study of the nutritionstatus of the seed during germination.

One of IRD’s missions is to developresearch programmes underinternational collaboration. Relatedto this, IRD established facilities totrain collaborating researchers ontechniques developed by the IRD-CIRAD effort. In the past four years,10 persons from PCA-Philippines,CICY-Mexico, CRI-Sri Lanka, andCNRA-Côte d’Ivoire have receivedtraining from IRD-CIRAD.

The Institute for Research throughDevelopment (IRD), formerly knownas ORSTOM, is a public-ownedscientific and technology researchestablishment based in Montpellier,France. It undertakes researchactivities in the Africa and IndianOcean, Latin America and Pacificregions. It has 35 offices orestablishments in 26 countrieslocated primarily in the tropical zone.The IRD conducts research activitiesin collaboration with institutions ofhigher learning, other French andinternational research institutions,and in projects supported by theEuropean Union and otherinternational scientific programmes.

Coconut Tissue CultureProgramme – An IRD and CIRADCollaborationThe IRD and the Centre de CooperationInternationale en RechercheAgronomique pour le Developpement(CIRAD) are two science andtechnology research agencies withthree basic missions: research,consultancy and training. These arefulfilled by conducting scientificprogrammes focused on therelationship between humankind andthe environment. The aim of all theseprogrammes is to contribute to thecountry’s sustainable development. Inthis context, since 1982, the twoinstitutes have been supporting aprogramme on coconut biotechnology.

Embryo rescueThe coconut in vitro cultureprogramme is led by an IRD-CIRADteam under the joined authority ofboth institutes. Researches areorientated towards two mainobjectives: mastering coconutmicropropagation through somaticembryogenesis; and the use ofembryo rescue for solving problemsencountered by the exchange and

Partner Institutions

Institute for Research throughDevelopment (IRD)

CoconutEmbryo Culture

NetworkNewsletter

The Coconut Embryo CultureNetwork Newsletter is a bi-annualpublication of the Coconut EmbryoCulture Network, which wasestablished in October 1997through funding from CGIAR-IPGRI, and COGENT. TheNewsletter desk is headed by Ms.Erlinda Rillo and is based at thePhilippine Coconut Authority-Albay Research Centre, Banao,Guinobatan, Albay, Philippines.

The third issue of the newsletterwas published in June 2000. Theissue highlights the reports ofnetwork members during the 2nd

International Coconut EmbryoCulture Workshop held at theCentro de Investigacion Cientificade Yucatan (CICY), in Merida City,Mexico on 14-18 March 2000. A‘how to’ technoguide on coconutembryo culture will be publishedbased on the results of theworkshop for use by COGENTmember countries in collecting,conservation and exchange ofcoconut germplasm.

For copies of the newsletter,please contact:

Erlinda P. RilloScientist/Division Chief III

Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)Agricultural Research & Dev’t

BranchAlbay Research Center

Banao, GuinobatanAlbay 4305Philippines

Tel: 63-52-4846685/484-6615/484-6685 –7

Fax: 63-52-484-6687Email: eprillo@globalink.net.ph

Publications

COGENT 20

COGENT Bulletin Board

Coconut FoodRecipes

Coconut is used in food preparationsworldwide. In the South Asian countries,coconut is used daily in making curries andother delicacies. In Malaysia, a meal wouldnot be complete without sweets or dessertsusing coconut.

COGENT is currently documentingcoconut recipes from its 37 membercountries that are used daily in the lives ofthe local communities. These recipes willbe published as a Catalogue of CoconutFood Recipes.

You are welcome to submit yourcontribution of coconut food recipes toCOGENT. The food items should be easyto make and the ingredients readilyavailable. When sending your contribution,please include a good 3R photo of thefinished product. Please submit themtogether with your full name, address,institute/organization, designation,telephone and fax number, and emailaddress.

Contributions for theFeature Articles

ColumnThe Feature Article column in the COGENTNewsletter highlights issues concerning thevarious sectors of the coconut industry. Thearticles include a comprehensive coverageof important coconut varieties, high-valuecoconut products and technologies toenhance the income of poor coconutfarmers.

You are invited to contribute articles for theFeature Column of the COGENTNewsletter. The articles should touch onissues concerning the coconut industry,either at the national, regional orinternational levels. COGENT reserves theright to edit the articles for content andlength. The articles should be 1500 – 2000words, and, if possible, together with agood 3R picture related to the topic of thearticle. Please submit them together withyour full name, address, institute/organization, designation, telephone andfax number, and email address.

IPGRI Web News

Plant Genetic Resources in EuropeAn information platform about PlantGenetic Resources in EUROPE has beenlaunched on IPGRI web site. This platformcovers various areas: information onNational Programmes, Contacts, crops &species databases, Policy and Research,networks, publications, and external links...and is located @http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/regions/europe/home.htm

Geneflow 1999 in SpanishElectronic versions of Geneflow 1999, apublication about the earth’s plant geneticresources are now available in 3 languageson IPGRI web site. Articles may beconsulted individually in English, Frenchor Spanish, and searched by keyword.Access electronic versions of Geneflow 1999@: http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/system/page.asp?frame=geneflow/geneflow.asp

Pgr Bulletin 3 - December 2000IPGRI pgr bulletin, a quarterly news sheetproviding up-to-date information on IPGRIactivities to donors and policy makers isprovided online. For the last issue inelectronic format visit IPGRI Web site @ :w w w. i p g r i . c g i a r . o r g / s y s t e m /page.asp?frame=pgr/pgr.asp?nb=3

Bibliographic ReferencesEUFORGEN Bibliographic Database is nowonline. This database contains bibliographicreferences provided by Network membersand that relate to the species covered by theNetworks themselves. It currently offersalmost 1000 references on gray literaturerelated to the conservation and use of ForestGenetic Resources. To search a referencevisit: www.ipgri.cgiar.org/networks/euforgen/Biblio/select.asp

What’s New @w w w. i p g r i . c g i a r . o r g / s y s t e m /page.asp?frame=institute/whatsnew.htmIPGRI Vacancies:w w w. i p g r i . c g i a r . o r g / s y s t e m /page.asp?frame=vacancies/vacancies.aspLinks Directory:w w w. i p g r i . c g i a r . o r g / s y s t e m /page.asp?frame=links/select.asp

High - ValueCoconut Products

To enhance the income of poor coconutfarmers, alternative high-value products areneeded to complement the traditionalproducts such as copra that are losing theirniche in the international market.

COGENT engaged a consultant to conducta market survey to identify marketablealternative high-value products and to helpidentify suitable varieties based onassessment of their suitability for efficientprocessing of promising products. Thetechnologies to produce the products arebeing documented and will be shared withmember countries. Feasibility studies arenow being conducted in Bangladesh,Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and thePhilippines to introduce and test the viabilityof producing high-value products from thecoconut husk (ropes, geotextiles, doormats,cocopeat, etc.) with the assistance ofVietnam, which has the experience in thefabrication of equipment and in theproduction and marketing of these products.These products will be documented as aCatalogue of High-Value Products.

You are welcome to submit your ideas con-cerning this activity and suggestions onhigh-value coconut products. If possible,please submit a good 3R picture togetherwith the suggestions. Please submit themtogether with your full name, address, in-stitute/organization, designation, telephoneand fax number, and email address.

This newsletter is published twice ayear by the International Coconut

Genetic Resources Network(COGENT).

For more information or orderrequests, please contact:

International Coconut GeneticResources Network (COGENT)

International Plant Genetic ResourcesInstitute (IPGRI)

Regional Office for Asia,the Pacific and Oceania

P.O Box 236, UPM Post OfficeSerdang, 43400

MalaysiaTel: (603) 8942 3891Fax: (603) 8948 7655

Email: ipgri-apo@cgiar.org

The views and opinions expressed inthe publication do not necessarily

reflect those of COGENT.

Articles may be reproduced with priorpermission from COGENT.