Abstract
Coconut is the most widespread plantation crop in Sri Lanka. Characterisation of conserved coconut germplasm has been undertaken globally for identification of important features of different accessions for them to be effectively used in coconut breeding. The current study aimed at characterizing conserved coconut germplasm in Sri Lanka for quantitative traits with morphological descriptors pertaining to stem, leaf and inflorescence characters. Twelve coconut accessions belonging to variety Typica (Tall) conserved ex-situ gene bank in Pallama, Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka were used for recording morphological data. A total of 19 descriptors listed by Bioversity International for stem, leaf and Inflorescence morphology were recorded. Results analysis was performed in SAS v8 and Minitab v14. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences for 13 traits and Principal Component Analysis revealed the traits which contributed in higher magnitudes for the observed variation. Results revealed morphologically diverse accessions among the studied germplasm and provided evidence for the morphological variation among the different accessions having different origins although all the accessions were primarily of the same coconut variety. This indicates the effectiveness of sampling in the conservation process. Furthermore, the information derived in the present study will be useful in coconut breeding for desirable traits and also in formulating further conservation strategies.
Highlights
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a perennial palm offering a multitude of uses for the mankind and is important for many in the Asia and Pacific region
Twelve coconut accessions belonging to the variety Typica (Tall) conserved ex-situ, in Pallama gene bank of the Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka were used for collection of morphological data
All the accessions evaluated in the present study were of the same variety, namely Sri Lanka Tall
Summary
Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is a perennial palm offering a multitude of uses for the mankind and is important for many in the Asia and Pacific region. This crop provides food and beverage and numerous other raw materials to coconut based industries. The coconut palm has about 60 years of economic life span and has been recognized as a crop with tremendous potential for alleviating poverty in the third world (Everard et al, 2000). Coconut is the most widespread plantation crop in Sri Lanka. The first systematic classification of coconut germplasm in Sri Lanka was reported in 1958 (Liyanage, 1958). According to the traditional classification, coconut varieties are basically divided as Tall (typica), Dwarf
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