COCONUT

Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L) belong to the family Arecaceae and it is the only extant species
in the genus Cocos. Coconut palms are grown in more than 90 countries of the world, yielding a
total production of 61 million tons of coconuts per year (Zuraida et al.2017). The total area of
coconut is estimated at 10.6 million hectares and 93% is located in the Asia Pacific region,
including Malaysia. Indonesia is the most widely planted oil with an area of more than 3.8 million
hectares, followed by the Philippines with an area of 3.6 million hectares. Malaysia sit 10th in
world oil producer with a capacity of 505,613.8 tons per year with the palm plantation area of
82,000.5 hectares (Industrial crops statistics Malaysia 2015). The main areas of oil is on the
western shore of Peninsular Malaysia such as Perak, Selangor and Johor and Sabah and Sarawak.
Looking at this situation shows that the oil is very significant to the island surrounded by the sea.
Palm plantations are classified as versatile or 'Tree of Life' because all the components of the oil
can be used. Malaysia's per capita consumption of oil in about 17-18 seeds a year in which local
oil supply is not adequate for factory use. Malaysia imports about 85 million coconuts a year from
neighboring countries.
Table 2: Planted Area and Production of Coconut by Type of Management and State, Malaysia,
2015

Source MOA 2015

Characteristics of coconut

Coconut trees have stems and grow singly. Tree height can reach 6-30 meters. At the end of the
stem there is a stem at various stages of growth. At the top of the tree there are young tissues that
will form into leaves, flowers or fruit. The Root System for coconut trees has a fibrous system.
The coconut tree does not have hair roots and in certain circumstances, the main roots can produce
branched edges root called absorbent roots. At the end of this absorbent root there is (root cap) that
can penetrate the soil. The soft part behind the root cap works to absorb soil nutrients by 5 cm. At
the root surface there is a small, sharp white tissue structure (pneumatophores) that serves as a
respiratory structure. This structure will enable coconut trees to adjust life in stagnant water.
Coconut trees produce 1,500 - 1,800 root veins that grow horizontally over 5 to 25 meters around
the tree. There is also a growing root that leads to the groundwater layer and can grow up to 25
meters into the ground.

Part Leaf Oil is an important component of a palm tree. Mature coconut trees have 30-40 stems.
Long fronds can reach 5 meters and it has two rows of small leaves (binate) measuring 1 - 1.5
meters long. Each frond estimated 200 small leaves. For a fertile subject, new fronds published
every 3-4 weeks. The life expectancy of start rises up to sense is between two and a half to three
years. Flowers oil has WIIFM flowers or clusters formed in the sheath of thick, strong and sharp.
Buds open measuring 1.0 to 1.2 meters in length and form some children Spica length 14 -16 cm.
Flowers monoecious palm manifold. In each coconut clusters, there are between 8.000 to 10,000
male flowers and 10-50 female flowers. Male flowers have six thin slices of yellow stigma and
included six stamens. In the middle there are three flower nectar glands that serve to attract insect
pollinators. The flower will open and remove the pollen - pollen yellow. The pollen live for 2-9
days. Female flowers globose, contains six stigma and pistil is white. Female flowers begin to
flower in 18 -21 days after the sheath is open. 1- Receptive period is 3 days.

Pollination of flowers and coconuts often involves agents of pollination. Wind and insect
pollination of flowers is an agent for oil. Bees, flies, beetles and wasps are insects that pollinate
most important oil. The number of successful female flowers form fruit until it reaches the stage
of maturity is about 25-40%. For most types of oil prices, the method of pollination is the
autogamous (direct self-pollinating) or self-pollination. For oil type high-pollination for
allogamous (cross-pollinating) or cross-pollination. For some types of oil palm hybrids and low
pollination method is for both of them allogamous and autogamous.

Coconut is a fruit that will be produced after the process of fertilization of the flowers will become
fruit in the next 12-14 months. In general, ripe fruit contains 35% fiber, 12% shell, 28% and 25%
water content. This composition varies according to the cultivar. Size, color and shape of the palm
fruit also varies according to the type of oil. Coconut Nutrient Content diverse as oil saturated
coconut oil contains a high of about 91%. Dried coconut husk is a by-product of processing oil
and used as animal feed. Grated coconut oil is a fine cut and dried at the level of moisture content
of 2.5%. The value of dried coconut diet is excellent for export products. Oil-based products has
grown by about 15-20 mills are mostly active oil importing palm oil from Indonesia old seed. This
is because the local oil supply is insufficient for processing for domestic use.

Type of the coconut

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) has 3 types according to categories OIL HIGH, PALM shrubs and
PALM HYBRID, Coconut Palm tree crop of the family are also important crops in several
countries, including Malaysia.

Tree coconut high type (Tall Variety) is a type of palm most widely cultivated since ancient times
because it is durable, long life and give satisfactory results with relatively low management costs.
Malaysia high coconut is a tall coconut originating in Malaysia and is widely grown in coastal
areas. This type can live for 80 to 90 years. Large and tall trees. The height can reach 15 - 18
meters. This kind of species has a vibrant growth and can grow in a variety of soil types (DOA
Malaysia, 2009). It is capable of producing between 6.000 to 7.000 coconuts per hectare if properly
maintained. High palm fruit is usually round or oval-shaped oval with the husk is thick or
moderately thick. This allows old coconuts that fall or fall from a high place will not break. The
tall variety coconut in our country as Malayan Tall, Tagnanan , West African Tall, Rennel Tall
Green, Rennel Tall Orange, Rennel Tall Gold, West Africal Tall and several more. In other
countries there are many varieties of high oil such as Samoan Tall and so on.

Oil Type Shrubs (Dwarf variety) is a type of oil that is low with less than 25 meters in height.
Malaya Dwarf Coconut comes from Malaysia. There are three types of Malaya Dwarf Coconut
which are yellow, red and green based on the color of the fruit. Malaya Low Coconut is a small
coconut tree and its height can reach up to six meters. The size of the fruit is small while the
number of fruits can reach up to 15 or more seeds. Currently, the Malaya Dwarf Coconut tree is
not commercially grown and is only used as a decorative tree and a main tree in the production of
coconut hybrid seeds such as MAWA and MATA (DOA Malaysia, 2009). Distance cultivation is
high with folded arms against the palm of around 6.5 meters x 6 meters to provide a density of
about 270 trees per hectare. Palm trees shrubs are also often used as a landscape plant area parks,
along the main road, the area surrounding the home and public areas. Size smaller than the size of
the palm of his height but it is easy to harvest because the plants are not high. The fruit is round or
oval round with relatively thin fibers and the content of the medium thickness. Shrubs oil
production rate depending on crop management and varieties but also environmentally 7.000 to
8.000 grain per hectare. Yields this much because of the number of coconut trees shrubs planted
in a hectare is more than high oil. Among the several varieties of palm shrubs are available in our
country as Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD), Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD), Malayan Green Dwarf
(MGD), Malayan Brown Dwarf (MBD), Oil Tacunan and the most popular ones are Coconut
Pandan. Fragrant Wangi coconut is a low-grade coconut that was introduced from Thailand in
1971. In Thailand this coconut is called "Makprow Nam Horm" and is internationally known as
"aromatic dwarf". The specialty of the coconut cultivar is the content and the fruit is smelling
fragrant pandanus and is suitable for drinking and fresh intake. Tree height can reach 6 meters.
Bunches and fruits are green and the little ones are round-shaped. The number of fruits is between
10 - 22 seeds. Fragrant coconut trees can be identified by pandanus at the ends of the crushed roots.
The cultivation of this coconut can be carried out in high density with a plant distance of 6 m x 6
m (DOA Malaysia, 2009)

Palm Hybrid (Hybrid coconut) also is a kind of cross between coconut oil is high in coconut oil or
low shrubs. This hybrid process is done manually or natural hybrid will produce seed that have a
combination of both characteristics that are required parent. Among these features as it will quickly
bear fruit, large fruit size and many, fill fruit quality, resistance to diseases and so on. Although
there are studies on the cross between high with tall coconut palms and other shrubs with palm
shrubs after another but the focus is high among the coconut palm shrubs. Preparation of hybrid
coconut seed oil is quite complicated because hybrid cross' which will produce hybrid coconut.
Typically, hybrid coconut is very responsive to fertilization, agronomic practices and so on.
Among some coconut hybrids are available in Malaysia such as PalmTag (Tag Green - CN13,
Orange tag - CN14 and tag Gold - CN15) and coconut MAWA, Perren, Sungai Gulang-Gulang
(CN-16) and some more. Coconut hybrid varieties still carried out the study to produce the best
hybrids in the future. Coconut Mawa is a hybrid coconut produced from cross-pollination of
Kelapa Rendah Malaya and Kelapa Tinggi West Africa (DOA Malaysia 2009). Tree height can
reach up to 15 meters. The color of the leaves, flowers and fruits are as green or pale orange
depending on the main tree (Malaysian Dwarf Coconut).The number of fruits is 14 - 16 seeds.
MATAG Coconut is the hybrid coconut produced from the cross-pollination of Kelapa Rendah
Malaya and Kelapa Tagnanan (DOA Malaysia 2009). MATAG tree height can reach 15 meters.
Its leaves, flowers and fruit are either green or pale orange, depending on the type of tree of the
Malaya Dwarf Coconut tree. The average number of coconut and copra varieties is higher than the
MAWA hybrid.

Reference

1. Callus Induction from Zygotic Embryos of Coconut MATAG F2A. R. Zuraida1*, G.

Sentoor Kumaran2, N. Ahmad2, M. S. Syahirah Farhanah1 and O. Ayu Nazreena1
2. Industrial crops statistics Malaysia 2015 statistik tanaman industri Jabatan Pertanian
Department of Agriculture Putrajaya, Malaysia.
3. Profil kelapa , Jabatan Pertanian Department of Agriculture Putrajaya, Malaysia