Mature Vs Tender Coconut

[Raj]

All,

Probably a basic question to experts, Can you please share your
thought..

Does the age of the tree in anyway related to how it should be
harvested? (Heard that a newly planted tree is only suitable for
tender nut where as a very old tree is mostly suitable for mature
nuts)

Any difference in quality of Copra from an younger tree compared to an
older tree if both these are of same variety and harvested at same
time?

Thanks

[Severino Magat]

Hi, The answer to your question is understanding the inherent botany and physiology of the coconut palm. It starts to flower 3 to 5 years from field-planting,  depending on the variety, speed of leaf production, plant nutrition and soil fertility and soil structural  conditions (aeration, drainage and availability of water year-round). usually dwarf coconut varieties (green, yellow, red or orange types) flowers 2-3 years earlier than tall varieties.and achieved full bearing stage (coconut crown with many fruit bearing nut bunches (about 12-14), at different stages of development about 3-5 years from initial bearing.  Matured nuts are 11.5 to 12 month old from pollination ( female flowers fertilized with male pollens), while the tender nuts are 7-8 month old nuts from complete pollination stage.Normally matured nuts have firm or hard meat/endosperm (12-15 mm thickness), with 60-55% oil, 47-52 % lauric acid (saturated medium chain fatty acid) as the dominant fatty acid. Usually the water of tender nuts is sweeter than the mature nut but the latter has more coconut cream/milk. Hoping this helps clarify. Cheers, Sev Magat --- On Thu, 6/2/11, Raj <rajesh....@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Hugh Harries]

Raj

Tender coconuts and copra coconuts are both available from any healthy, bearing palm, whether old or young.

But tender nuts cannot be allowed to drop to the ground and therefore they are more easily harvested from younger palms.

Copra nuts can be cut and allowed to drop from any height with little or no damage.

Palms with the wild-type, slow germinating characteristic will allow ripe fruit to drop spontaneously, one at a time, so no cutting is necessary.

Palms with quicker germinating, domestic-type characteristics may retain nuts on the bunch until many germinated seedlings appear amongst the leaves in the crown of the palm.

These differences depend on the origin of the local variety and vary between wet and dry seasons.

To identify what type of palms you have, harvest seednuts manually when the skin of the fruit is changing to dry brown but the calyx still shows the fresh colour and set them in the nursery to germinate. Check them regularly and record how many have germinated at each visit. If less than 25%, 50% and 75% have germinated in 75, 90 and 105 days respectively, your parent palms have the wild-type characteristic. If there is greater germination at each period the parent palms have the domestic-type characteristic. When doing the calculation start counting from the day of harvesting as day zero (to include any storage period or delay before setting in the nursery).

A detailed scientific explanation can be found at <http://cocos.arecaceae.com/germtax.pdf>

Hugh

[Vinay Chand]

Hugh,

 

Over the years I have often heard people extoll the virtues of a particular local variety for suitability as tender drinking nuts. In Vietnam, they were even planting a variety for harvesting drinking nuts. Now there is a difference in taste between different drinking nuts that I have sampled but I mostly ascribe it to the age at which they are harvested rather than varieties that are more suited for drinking.

 

I have always assumed that although there is a difference in sweetness, it is a matter of taste which ones one likes. Is there a significant difference do you think on the basis of variety?

 

Vinay

 

Vinay Chand,
230, Finchley Road,
London NW36DJ,
UK
Tel:020-77945977
Fax: 020-7431 5715
www.ruraldevelopment.info

[Hugh Harries]

Vinay

It is reasonable to suppose that there are varietal differences and equally reasonable to think that people have different personal preferences. In Thailand and Malaysia, and probably Vietnam and elsewhere, there is an "aromatic" flavour which I didn't immediately like but which I learned to appreciate.

But whether it is a "sophisticated" flavour or just simple sugar content, I am certain that the stage of maturity is important - the endosperm must have reached the "jelly" stage but not be too thick or started to become firm.

Another important factor may be temperature. I assume that most people drink bottled or canned water out of the refrigerator but the water in freshly harvested coconuts is warm and gassy.

Then there is the sheer volume of liquid. The quantity in a BGD, for example, will be just enough for one person but a "Niu vai" may contain enough for a small family (which makes it more economic for processing).

Last but not least, the growing conditions will be important. Unfortunately, when I had the opportunity to study many different varieties planted at more than one location in the Jamaican world collection of germplasm our concern was disease resistance, hurricane tolerance and copra production (in that order) Any "drinking" was frowned upon because it would interfere with yield recording in our experiments and trials.

Regards

Hugh