 PACKAGE
OF PRACTICES OF COCONUT
10.Care
of young Palms
The
transplanted seedlings should be shaded and irrigated
adequately during the summer months. Also provide
staking so that winds may not uproot the young
seedlings. For the first two years after planting,
irrigate the seedling twice a week during the
dry summer months. Shading is a must to the transplanted
seedlings.
11.
Manuring
 Regular manuring from the first year of planting is essential
to achieve higher productivity. For coconut 20
- 50kg. organic manure should be applied per palm
per year with the onset of south west monsoon,
when soil moisture content is high. Different
forms of organic manures like compost, farm yard
manure, bone meal, fish meal, blood meal, neem
cake, groundnut cake etc. could be made use for
this purpose. In addition to this the following
Fertilizer Schedule is recommended.
The fertiliser schedule recommended
for the palm at different stages is as follows:-
|
|
Quantity of fertilizer to be applied
(gm) |
| Age of Palm |
Nutrient dosage |
Ammo. Sulphate |
Urea |
Super Phosphate (single) |
or Ultraphos/ Rock Phosphate |
Muriate of Potash |
1. General recommendation:
(a) Average Management: |
| 3
months |
1/10
of full dose |
165 |
75 |
95 |
60 |
115 |
| 1
year |
1/3
of full dose |
550 |
250 |
320 |
200 |
380 |
| 2
year |
2/3
of full dose |
1100 |
500 |
640 |
400 |
760 |
| 3
year onwards |
full
dose |
1650 |
750 |
950 |
600 |
1140 |
| (b) Good management: |
| 3
months |
1/10
of full dose |
250 |
110 |
180 |
115 |
200 |
| 1
year |
1/3
of full dose |
800 |
360 |
590 |
380 |
670 |
| 2
year |
2/3
of full dose |
1675 |
720 |
1180 |
760 |
1340 |
| 3
year onwards |
full
dose |
2000 |
1080 |
1780 |
1140 |
2010 |
2. Hybrid and high yielding palms:
a. Under Irrigated condition: |
| 3
months |
1/10
of full dose |
490 |
220 |
280 |
180 |
335 |
| 1
year |
1/3
of full dose |
1625 |
720 |
930 |
600 |
1110 |
| 2
year |
2/3
of full dose |
3250 |
1450 |
1850 |
1200 |
2220 |
| 3
year onwards |
full
dose |
4880 |
2170 |
2780 |
1800 |
3330 |
(b)
Under rainfed condition:
Same as that of good management under
general recommendation.
The full adult doze recommended for
the rainfed tall is 0.34kg N, 0.17kg
P and 0.68kg K. For the hybrids and
irrigated talls the general recommendation
is 0.5kg N, 0.34kg P and 1.0kg. K subject
to changes in accordance with soil test
and/or foliar analysis data.
In addition to the above dose of fertilizers
two to three kgs. of finally ground
dolomite lime stone or 0.5 kg. Magnesium
sulphate per palm per year is also recommended
for use in acidic soils, light sandy
soils and in root wilt affected tracts
in Kerala. The dolomite may be broadcasted
prior to the onset of monsoon in the
basins and forked in and should not
be applied along with other fertilizers.
There is however no harm in applying
magnesium sulphate along with other
fertilizers. |
12.
Irrigation
Soil
moisture very often limits coconut production
in those areas where long spell of dry weather
prevail or where the rainfall is scanty and
ill-distributed. So irrigate the palms during
summer months in basins around the palm. The
irrigation requirement varies according to the
soil type and climatic condition. Generally,
an adult palm requires 600 to 800 litres of
water once in four to seven days. Irrigate in
basins of 1.8m radius and 10-20 cm depth. In
coastal sandy soils, sea water can be used for
irrigating adult palms. Do not irrigate seedlings
and very young palms upto 2 year with sea water.
In irrigated gardens interruption of irrigation
would lead to serious set-back in yield and
general condition of palms. Hence, when once
started irrigation should be continued regularly
and systematically. Drip irrigation is the best
suited method of irrigation for coconut. It
saves water, labour and energy.
13.
Inter-cultivation
Only
minimum tillage is required for coconut. Inter-cultural
operations are mainly intended to control weeds
and to provide aeration to the soil. If these
objectives are met, any tillage system (ploughing
/ digging, making mounds) is as good as another
and can be followed depending upon the local conditions.
14.
Husk Burial
Burying
fresh or dried coconut husks around the palm is
a very beneficial practice particularly for moisture
retention especially in drought prone areas. The
husk can be buried either in linear trenches taken
3 m away from the trunk between rows of palms
or in circular trenches taken around the palm
at a distance of 2 m from the trunk. The trenches
may be dug at 0.5 m wide and at the same depth.
The husks are to be placed in layers with concave
surface facing upwards and covered with soil.
The beneficial effects of husk burial will last
for about 5-7 years.
15.
Green Manure and Cover Crops
This
will help to increase the organic matter content
of the soil and also will prevent soil erosion
in coconut gardens. The following Green manure
/ cover crops are recommended for cultivation
in coconut gardens.
- Crotalaria juncea (Sunnhemp)
- Tephrosia purpurea
- Gliricidia maculata
- Calapagonium muconoides
- Mimosa invisa
Sow
the green manure / cover crops during April-May
with the onset of pre-monsoon showers. The green
manure crops should be ploughed in and incorporated
in the soil during August-September.
16.
Mixed / Inter / Multi-species Cropping System
in Coconut Garden
 Schedule
for inter-mixed cropping may be drawn up based
on the canopy size and orientation of palms. A
variety of intercrops like pineapple, banana,
elephant-foot yam, groundnut, chillies, sweet
potato, tapioca and different vegetables can be
raised in coconut garden. In older plantation
cocoa, cinnamon, pepper, clove, nutmeg etc. can
be grown as mixed crops.
However, these inter/mixed crops are to be adequately
and separately manured in addition to the manures
applied to the coconut palm
17.
Mixed Farming
Mixed
farming by raising fodder grasses such as Hybrid
Napier or Guinea grass along with leguminous fodder
crops such as Stylosanthes has been found to be
profitable. Raising the above crops in one ha.
of coconut garden can support three to four diary
animals. The animals supply large quantities of
cattle manure which when applied to the soil will
improve its fertility status. This sort of mixed
farming will improve the yield of the palm.
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