coconut, edible fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), a tree of the palm family (Arecaceae). Coconut palms are hard to establish in dry climates, and cannot grow there without frequent irrigation; in drought conditions, the new leaves do not open well, and older leaves may become desiccated; fruit also tends to be shed. [73], The coconut palm is damaged by the larvae of many Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species which feed on it, including the African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) and Batrachedra spp. Coconuts are high in fiber, which helps bulk up your stool and supports bowel regularity, keeping your digestive system healthy ( 6 , 17 ). The 2014 coral atoll origin hypothesis proposed that the coconut had dispersed in an island hopping fashion using the small, sometimes transient, coral atolls. The global virgin coconut oil market captured significant revenue in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of around 11% over the forecast period. [18][49] However, they may have also been partially selected for thicker husks for coir production, which was also important in Austronesian material culture as a source for cordage in building houses and boats. Other cultivars of niu leka may also exist in other islands of the Pacific, and some are probably descendants of advanced crosses between Compact Dwarfs and Southeast Asian Dwarf types.[11][65]. De-husked coconuts are also easier for consumers to open, but have a shorter postharvest storage life of around two to three weeks at temperatures of 12 to 15C (54 to 59F) or up to 2 months at 0 to 1.5C (32.0 to 34.7F). in semiotics from Brown University and completed coursework for an M.A. [6] On fertile soil, a tall coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30. Sweet coconut sap can be made into drinks or fermented into palm wine or coconut vinegar. The word Narali is derived from naral implying "coconut" in Marathi. Training without Reward: Traditional Training of Pig-tailed Macaques as Coconut Harvesters. [58] Coconuts also need high humidity (at least 7080%) for optimum growth, which is why they are rarely seen in areas with low humidity. Nearly one third of the world's population depends on coconut for nutrition and trade. In addition to its economic value as a source of food and materials, the coconut is also an important source of income for many small-scale farmers and communities. Aids in hydration. Easily kills parasites and helps remove them from body. [4], The niu vai form is the domesticated form dominant in the Pacific coconuts. However, they can be eaten anytime after seven months (1, 2). Efficient utilisation of resources: Fruit production allows for more efficient resource utilisation because it is a perennial crop, allowing growers to remain actively involved in farm operations throughout the year and to utilise all available resources and assets such as machinery, labour and land for production purposes throughout the year, as opposed to agronomic crops. Fresh husks contain more tannin than old husks. According to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica, the coconut and African oil palms have important roles in international trade as sources of vegetable oil and fat. Coconut oil is moisturizing and has been used for centuries as a hair tonic and skin care product. It enables toxins to be removed easily from harmful substances. Decayed roots are replaced regularly as the tree grows new ones. Coconut requires low to no inputs within an existing land use area unchanged in 100 years. Australian cities put much effort into de-fruiting decorative coconut trees to ensure that the mature coconuts do not fall and injure people. [146] The sap when fermented can also be made into coconut vinegar or various palm wines (which can be further distilled to make arrack). Nevin KG. Some of the intercrops identified include cassava, bananas, blackpepper and ginger. Her articles have appeared in "Newton Magazine" and she has contributed to myriad popular books, including "Masters of Deception" and "Click: The Ultimate Photography Guide for Generation Now." Bourke, R. Michael and Tracy Harwood (Eds.). IMPORTANCE OF COCONUT Coconut is the environment friendly small-holder palm of the tropical environment Covering 12.28 million hectares in 90 countries with an annual production of 64.3 billion nuts Coconut provides USD$ 7.73 Billion per annum to global coconut small holders [134][135] It can also be diluted into a beverage. Gasa suggested, for lack of paper, delivering by dugout canoe a message inscribed on a husked coconut shell, reading Nauru Isl commander / native knows posit / he can pilot / 11 alive need small boat / Kennedy.[159] This coconut was later kept on the president's desk, and is now in the John F. Kennedy Library. In the 18th century, Belize exported dried coconuts to Britain to produce food . nuciferae. Its development would . They need annual rainfall of at least 120cm, temperatures from 70 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit and sandy, slightly acidic soil with good drainage. [28] In west-central India, numerous fossils of Cocos-like fruits, leaves, and stems have been recovered from the Deccan Traps. While comparable to sports drinks, which can be loaded with added sugars and flavorings, coconut water is low in calories and carbs. Fruit farming is one of the most important and long-standing traditions in India, having been done before the beginning of time. Drift models based on wind and ocean currents have shown that coconuts could not have drifted across the Pacific unaided. Bangalore, Karnataka 560025, Monday to Friday 9:30 AM 5:30 PM Besides, the stem is used for construction of houses and leaves are used for thatching, fencing and making baskets and broomsticks. [118][119] Another method is to shake the coconut. The UAE has, however, imposed strict laws on mature coconut tree imports from other countries to reduce the spread of pests to other native palm trees, as the mixing of date and coconut trees poses a risk of cross-species palm pests, such as rhinoceros beetles and red palm weevils. The study contended that an adaptation to coral atolls would explain the prehistoric and modern distributions of Cocos, would have provided the necessary evolutionary pressures, and would account for morphological factors such as a thick husk to protect against ocean degradation and provide a moist medium in which to germinate on sparse atolls. These vary by the taste of the coconut water and color of the fruit, as well as other genetic factors. Man cannot subsist solely on cereal grains. These allow the fruits to be more buoyant and makes it easier for them to lodge into sandy shorelines, making their shape ideal for ocean dispersal. [172] Irrespective of their religious affiliations, fishermen of India often offer it to the rivers and seas in the hopes of having bountiful catches. and early germination on the palm (vivipary) was important. (2009). [134], Newly germinated coconuts contain a spherical edible mass known as the sprouted coconut or coconut sprout. Historical Developments in Biological Control Recent Advances. These varieties were selected for slower growth, sweeter coconut water, and often brightly-colored fruits. [27][29][30] Conran et al. These have much lower fat content and are suitable as milk substitutes. They grow best near sea level, within 15 degrees of the Equator. Various other products made from thickened coconut milk with sugar and/or eggs like coconut jam and coconut custard are also widespread in Southeast Asia. In the Hainuwele myth from Maluku, a girl emerges from the blossom of a coconut tree. 70% of the total coconut production is for domestic consumption in most producing countries making Coconut a critical global food security crop. And no coconut can float over the sea faster than a balsa raft moves with the wind behind it. Because the nuts can fall from a height of 30 yards, in Southern Asia and Australia, monkeys (e.g., Malaya macaques) are trained to harvest them. Additionally, a genetically distinct subpopulation of coconut on the Pacific coast of Latin America has undergone a genetic bottleneck resulting from a founder effect; however, its ancestral population is the Pacific coconut from the Philippines. [74], Brontispa longissima (coconut leaf beetle) feeds on young leaves, and damages both seedlings and mature coconut palms. The meat can be eaten fresh from the coconut but the meat can also be used to make oil, milk, cream and desiccated coconut. Gatchalian et al 1994 developed a sonometry technique for precisely determining the stage of ripeness of young coconuts. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The fruit however was compacted in the fossilization process and it was not possible to determine if it had the diagnostic three pores that characterize members of the tribe Cocoseae. Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Learn how and when to remove this template message, more deaths are caused by falling coconuts than by sharks, Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, "Rise in coconut yield, farming area put India on top", "How Long Does It Take for a Coconut Tree to Get Coconuts? [49][4][48][60], The coconut played a critical role in the migrations of the Austronesian peoples. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the coconut milk extracted from it, form a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. It is used for cooking various dishes. This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 13:03. Since then, numerous other fossils of similar fruits were recovered throughout New Zealand from the Eocene, Oligocene, and possibly the Holocene. The fresh husk of a brown coconut may serve as a dish sponge or body sponge. Only a few of the roots penetrate deep into the soil for stability. The world coir production is 0.282 million tones. (2009), assigned it to Cocos based on the size and the ridged shape of the fruit. Very very educational many thanx for your elaborate description.Raheem, Your email address will not be published. [11] Many modern different varieties are also grown, including the Maypan coconut, King coconut, and Macapuno. In addition to the traditional products of copra, coconut oil and copra meal, coconut has the unique advantage of producing a wide variety of food and environment friendly non-food products which are used both domestically and for a global export market. For for the bucking horse, see. Coconut trunks are used for building small bridges and huts; they are preferred for their straightness, strength, and salt resistance. The evolutionary origin of the coconut is under dispute, with theories stating that it may have evolved in Asia, South America, or on Pacific islands. However, they can be found in humid areas with low annual precipitation such as in Karachi, Pakistan, which receives only about 250mm (9+34in) of rainfall per year, but is consistently warm and humid. Coconut oil, from the seed of the palm coconut, Cocos nucifera, is highly revered in Asia as the "Tree of Life" or as the fruit of the gods. [132] Coconut milk can be diluted to create coconut milk beverages. However, several states like Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh have emerged as non-traditional areas for the cultivation of coconut. The biggest barrier to establishing an investment climate for coconut and an economic alternative to oil palm land area expansion is the critical lack of quality planting materials and coconut investment model. This is in line with our tagline, Office : Female flower Bracteate, ebracteolate, sessile, pistillate, incomplete, trimerous, actinomorphic and hypogynous. Tempurung, as the shell is called in the Malay language, can be used as a soup bowl and if fixed with a handle a ladle. Bertrand, Mireille. Chan, Edward and Craig R. Elevitch. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Economic And Social Department: The Statistical Division. The edible white, fleshy part of the seed (the endosperm) is known as the "coconut meat", "coconut flesh", or "coconut kernel. Coconut oil is a "functional food" that is popular in traditional medicine in Asia and used worldwide to treat a wide variety of health problems from abscesses to upset stomachs. [140][141] It can also be fermented to produce a jelly-like dessert known as nata de coco. Mature Malakatad coconut meat has a tough texture and thus are processed before consumption or made into copra.