A Detailed Guide to Coconut Cultivation Techniques and Pest and Disease Control Methods
Coconut water and coconut meat contain large amounts of protein, fructose, glucose, sucrose, fat, vitamin B1, vitamin E, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and more. The coconut meat is white as jade, fragrant, smooth, and crisp; the coconut water is cool and sweet. Coconut meat and coconut water are delicious fruits suitable for all ages. Let us take a look together at the cultivation techniques and pest and disease control of coconuts
Growth Habits
Coconuts are most suitable for coastal areas with an annual average temperature of 26-27°C, a small annual temperature difference, annual rainfall of 1300-2300 mm distributed evenly, annual sunlight of more than 2000 hours, and an altitude below 50 m. The coconut is a tropical light-loving crop that grows and develops well under conditions of high temperature, abundant rain, ample sunlight, and sea breezes. Coconuts are suitable for growing in low-altitude areas; the soils most suitable for coconut growth are marine alluvial soil and riverbank alluvial soil, followed by sandy loam soil, then gravelly soil, with clay soil being the worst
Propagation Methods
Seed selection
In production, the yield and quality of coconuts are improved by selecting mother trees and harvesting superior seeds.
(1) Selecting mother trees: choose coconut trees with high individual yield, a spherical or hemispherical crown, more than 28-30 leaves, and 6-8 fruit clusters as seed-collection mother trees.
(2) Selecting fruit seeds: during the coconut maturity season, select fully mature, moderately sized, nearly round fruits, that is, the “dense, heavy, ripe” seed selection method. “Dense” means the plant is relatively short, with many leaves and fruits distributed evenly; “heavy” means the fruit has a high specific gravity, thin skin and thick flesh, and a high germination rate, making it easy to raise strong seedlings; “ripe” means the fruit is mature and makes a clear “sloshing water” sound when shaken. After the seed fruits are harvested, store them in a ventilated, shaded, and dry place, and carry out germination promotion after 1 month.
Seedling raising
The seeds of coconut trees do not germinate at the same speed, and direct sowing for seedling raising easily leads to uneven seedling sizes and missing plants in the coconut grove. Therefore, coconut seedling raising is best done by germination promotion followed by seedling raising. Compared with direct sowing, germination promotion followed by seedling raising saves labor and land, has a high seedling formation rate, wastes fewer seeds, and makes seedling selection easy.
(1) Germination promotion: choose a semi-shaded, ventilated place with good drainage for germination promotion. Clear weeds and tree roots from the site and plow deeply 15-20 cm. Then dig germination promotion trenches; the width of the germination promotion trench should be slightly larger than the transverse diameter of the fruit seed. After digging the germination promotion trenches, place the fruit seeds with the hole (fruit stalk end) facing upward, or arranged diagonally at 45 degrees at the bottom of the trench, cover with wet sand to 1/2-1/3 of the fruit, keep the sandy soil moist, and germination can occur after 60-80 days.
(2) Seedling raising: the nursery land should be sandy soil or loam near a water source with good drainage. Deeply plow 25-30 cm. The bed width can accommodate 3-4 rows, with a row spacing of 40-45 cm. The planting trench is about 20 cm deep, and its width is slightly larger than the transverse diameter of the fruit seed. Apply decomposed organic fertilizer and mix it evenly with the soil, and spread sand to prevent termites. Arrange the germination-promoted fruit seeds diagonally in the trench at a seed spacing of 30-40 cm, keep the seedlings vertical with the sprouts facing the same direction, and cover with soil to half of the fruit seed. Be careful in the operation and do not shake the fruit seeds forcefully. After the seedlings emerge, appropriate mulch should be added, and sufficient water should be given. The nursery land should be managed intensively, with timely weeding and loosening of the soil. During the dry season, water frequently, but the nursery land must not accumulate water; during the rainy season, pay attention to drainage. In spring and summer, mainly use nitrogen fertilizer, and some dilute manure water may be applied; in autumn, apply some potassium fertilizer to enhance the adaptability of the seedlings. After 1 year, when the seedlings have grown to about 1 m, they can be lifted from the nursery for planting.
Cultivation Techniques
Planting
Planting is generally carried out in the rainy season, at a spacing of 6 m × 9 m or 7 m × 8 m, with 165-180 plants per hectare. The planting hole is 60 cm × 70 cm × 80 cm. Apply 20-40 kg of organic fertilizer into the hole. Leaves may also be burned inside the hole to scorch the edges of the hole, and sand should be filled in to prevent ants. When lifting seedlings, the fruit seed should be kept, more soil should be retained, and roots should be damaged as little as possible; dig and plant as you go. The planting depth of coconut seedlings should be such that the rooting part at the base of the seedling can all be buried in the soil, achieving “deep planting and shallow earthing up”; avoid getting soil into the leaf axils. Coconuts planted appropriately deeply grow better than those planted shallowly, have higher yields than shallow-planted ones, and are also more wind-resistant than shallow-planted ones.
Management
(1) Protecting and replanting seedlings: strengthen management after planting. In the early stage after planting, provide appropriate shade and irrigate to retain moisture; replant missing plants promptly.
(2) Cultivation, earthing up, and intercropping: cultivate twice a year, that is, cultivate once in November-December together with fertilization, and cultivate again in August-September. As the plants grow, a large number of aerial roots grow from the base of the trunk, so earth up to reinforce the tree body. Short-term crops such as peanuts and beans can be intercropped in the coconut grove, serving as living mulch and increasing humidity in the grove, which is beneficial to the growth of young trees.
(3) Fertilization: coconut trees need complete fertilizer, with potassium fertilizer the most, followed by nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorine fertilizers, but attention must be paid to balanced fertilization. When coconut trees lack potassium, the trunk is thin, the leaves are short and small, the leaves in the middle of the crown wilt first, the upper leaves extend downward in clusters, and the lower leaves dry up and hang down from the trunk; when nitrogen is lacking, young leaves lose greenness and luster, old leaves show varying degrees of yellowing, fruit number decreases, and copra yield decreases; phosphorus deficiency causes poor root development and fruit rot; chlorine deficiency affects coconut fruit size, copra yield, nitrogen absorption, and the plant's use of water. Therefore, when fertilizing, organic fertilizer should be the main type, supplemented by chemical fertilizer, and some table salt should also be applied. Fertilization can be carried out each year in April-May and November-December. Digging a fertilization trench 1.5-2 m from the base of the tree gives better results. If the broadcast application method is used, weed and loosen the soil thoroughly before fertilizing.
Pest and Disease Control
Coconut bleeding disease is a common disease in coconut-producing areas. Symptoms: cracks appear on the trunk, exuding dark brown sticky liquid, which turns black after drying, and the tissue in the cracks rots. Control methods include chiseling out the diseased tissue and applying 10% Bordeaux mixture or coal tar.
The red palm weevil larvae bore into the trunk and can cause coconut trees to die. For control, seal wounds with pitch or mud; in severe cases, cut down and burn the trees to prevent spread.
Adult and nymph coconut scale insects suck sap on the undersides of leaves and on the fruit surface. For control, spray pesticides such as ammonium sulfamate, malathion, and dibrom; in addition, natural enemies can be protected for control.
The coconut rhinoceros beetle, mainly the two-spotted rhinoceros beetle, is harmful; after the leaves unfold they appear fan-shaped or with wavy notches, and it bites the growing point, causing the plant to die. For control, before March each year, clear organic matter inside and outside the coconut grove, as well as breeding sites such as compost piles and manure piles; use cow dung or rotting coconut trunks to attract adults to lay eggs for concentrated killing; natural enemies such as Scoliid wasps and Metarhizium anisopliae can also be used to control rhinoceros beetle larvae.