Family: Palmaceae

Comparatively little is known about the origin and early distribution of the coconut palm, probably because it was so widely spread throughout the tropical areas of the world so many years ago. It has variously been thought to be native to the Malay Archipelago, the South Pacific and tropical America.

The coconut is widespread throughout the tropics, typically being found along sandy shorelines. It has been spread largely by man but also by natural means. The fruit can float for long distance and still germinate to form new trees after being washed ashore. Commercial plantings are confined to the tropical lowlands, but it will also fruit in a few warmer subtropical areas.

The meat of immature coconuts can be eaten with a spoon or be scooped out and made into ice cream. Coconut milk, abundant in unripe nuts, is a refreshing and nutritious drink. The most important economic product is obtained by drying the meat into copra which is pressed to produce coconut oil, primarily used in making soap. Coconut oil is also used for cooking and making margarine. The husk fiber is combed out and sold as coir, a material for making rope and coconut matting. The trunks may be used for building timbers and the leaves used for house thatching. The coconut palm has little commercial importance in Florida but is highly valued as an ornamental. It gives a tropical effect to the Florida landscape and provides fruit for home use.

• Embryo extraction: The embryos were extracted with the help of a cork borer from the large soft eye of the split opened nut.
• Surface sterilize the extracted embryos with 50% chlorine water (20 minutes)
• Wash the embryos thoroughly in sterile water 4-5 times and inoculate individually into screw-cap bottles containing 2-5 ml sterile water (pH 5.7).The entire operation is to be done in surface-sterilized (alcohol) inoculation hood (portable).
• For the 8 months old nuts, embryos being small in size (1.5 to 4 mm), surface sterilization to be done for 10 minutes.

Y3 medium + 60g/L sucrose + NAA(0.5 mg/L) + BAP (0.5 mg/L) + 2.5 g/1 charcoal for embryos dwarf types.

Y3 + 30g/L sucrose + NAA[Ippm] + IBA [5ppm] + 1 g/1 charcoal for embryos of tall types.

• Inoculate the embryos in solid retrieval medium (Y3 medium + 60g/L sucrose + NAA (0.5 mg/L) + BAP (0.5 mg/L) and incubate in the dark till germination (average germination time of mature embryos is 20-25 days for dwarfs and 35- 40 days for talls)
• Transfer to light with 16 hours photoperiod (Temperature 27-29°C, Relative Humidity 65-70%)
• Subculture every 4-5 weeks. Reduce the sucrose concentration to 30g/l

• Germinated embryos (with two leaves and primary root, almost four months after inoculation) are transferred to liquid rooting medium (Y3 + 30g/L sucrose + NAA[Ippm] + IBA[5ppm])
• Subculture on same medium every 4-5 weeks. Transfer to wide-mouth and longer tubes whenever necessary
• Plantlets with well-developed secondary and tertiary root and shoot system (3-4 leaves, 20-25 cm height, 5-6 ml root volume) are ready for transfer to small pots
• Potting mixture consists of autoclave-sterilized soil: sand: decomposed coir dust (1:1:1)
• Pre-treat the plantlets with Carbendazim (Ig/L) and IBA(1000 ppm) for 1 hour each and transfer to the pots.

• Cover the plantlets with polythene bags for 2-3 weeks and keep them indoor at room temperature with artificial light
• After two weeks, harden the plantlets by gradually perforating the polyethene bags to reduce humidity.
• After two weeks, remove the polythene bags completely and keep plantlets indoor for one week.
• Irrigate to keep potting mixture moist
• Transfer plantlets to bigger pots and keep them in net house with 50% shade
• After 3-4 months, transfer the plantlets to big polythene bags containing soil and organic manure and keep them in a net house with 50% shade. (Total duration from pot to polybag is 5-6 months). Irrigate regularly and apply recommended dose of fertilizer whenever necessary
• After 4-5 months, plantlets can be transferred to the field

This protocol could be applied for collection, short form conservation and safe movement of coconut gerplasm exchange and their retrieval and field establishment.