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.

• Use the lower most 10cm segment of tender leaves, from two year old nursery grown coconut seedlings as explant.
• Surface sterilize the tender leaf by dipping in 70% alcohol for 2-3 seconds.
• Cut the sterilized leaf into 5 mm long explants. The entire operation is to be done in surface-sterilized (absolute alcohol) inoculation hood (portable).
• Inoculate these explants on sterile culture medium

• Observe the somatic embryogenesis with an incubation period of 16 weeks.
• Germinated embryos (with two leaves and primary root, almost four months after inoculation) are transferred to liquid rooting medium.
• 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 polyethylene bags for 2-3 weeks and keep them indoor at room temperature with artificial light.
• Supply Hoagland's solution once every 15 days.
• Irrigate to keep potting mixture moist.
• After three weeks, harden the plantlets by gradually perforating the polyethylene bags and remove the bags at night for two weeks.
• After two weeks, remove the polythene bags completely and keep plantlets indoor for one week.
• 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 rapid multiplication of elite genotype and basic studies not only in coconut but also in other palms