A comparative assessment of fruit components of recommended coconut (cocos nucifera l.) cultivars in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is one of the major plantation crops in Sri Lanka, which contributes to both local consumption and export income generation. The recommended coconut cultivars (RCC) play a major role in that, providing higher nut production. The absence of information on dry matter (DM), crude fat (CF) of the kernels, coconut milk yield (CMY), and total solids of coconut milk (TS) in the RCC has created a knowledge gap in identifying specific cultivars for better end use. Therefore, the objectives of the current study were to conduct a comparative fruit component analysis that measures all of the above parameters. The studied materials were CRIC60, CRIC65, CRISL98, CRISL2004, CRISL2012, CRISL2013, and CRISL2020. Six fully matured nuts were collected from six palms of each variety at the Raddegoda Estate, Kurunegala, Intermediate zone. Measurement included weights of the fresh nuts (FNW), de-husked nuts (DNW), husk (HW), shell (SW), kernel (KW), nut water (WW), DM, and CF content of the kernel. After that, CMY content per nut and unit fresh weight of kernel were assessed and followed by the measurement of TS. Experiments were arranged in a CRD with one-way ANOVA. Means were compared using Tukey’s test at α = 0.05. The highest FNW, DNW, SW, and KW were observed in CRISL98. There was no significant difference for the DM%, CF%, CMY per unit fresh kernel weight, and TS% in CM. CRISL98 stands out with the highest CMY per nut. Overall, the results indicate that CRISL98 is the best option in terms of per-nut value. However, as there are no significant differences in unit weight or percentage values of DM, CF, CMY per unit fresh kernel weight and TS, each cultivar has equal potential to use in any end use. This is the first study to report all these components in RCC in Sri Lanka.