If
the Yandina Research Center have been destroyed, at least 80 % of the
coconut palm planted remains alive, and something should be done to recover
this rich heritage. Nowadays, making a similar coconut collection by
importation from other countries would cost several USD millions.
|
In Solomon, Rennell was the only island really
prospected (around 400 palms in Yandina germplasm collected in 1961, 1965, and
1966, and sent later to many countries). All of the other islands need further surveys prospection, because the germplasm is insufficiently characterized and because,
it is threatened by different factors (see rising for atolls, beetle, diseases and globalization).
Extracts
from the Annual Report February 1963-August 1964, British Solomon Island
Protectorate Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Lever’s Pacific
Plantations PTY LTD Join Coconut Research Scheme
Chapter E: introduced varieties
Rotuma. 90
seedlings from the 100 nuts received in November 1960 were planted out just
west of plot 3 of JAC/2 on 22nd
May 1961 , but 24 did not survive. 50 became well established and
the remainders are doing poorly due to patches of stony soil in the area where
they were planted. These palms have received the same fertilisers as the Markham Valley palms and are recorded in the
same way.
Gilbert. 49
nuts were collected near the Government Station on Betio, Tarawa
atoll in July 1962) They germinated very slowly indeed, but 36 had reached a
stage suitable for planting out in June 1963. These seedlings were planted
adjacent to plots 24 and 40, on the western side of the Replanting Cultivation
Experiment at Banika. They have grown slowly and have suffered severe leaf
damage from a fungal organism, probably a Helminthosporium species. The
seedlings have been sprayed regularly each fortnight with a copper fungicide
but the spread of the organism has not been fully arrested. The soil where
these palms are planted is heavy clay and the lack of vigour of the seedlings
probably indicates that they are not adapted to this soil type.
Rangiroa. 95
nuts were received from the IRHO Research Station at Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Archipelago in March 1963. These were open
pollinated seed from 15 selected mother palms, which produced nuts of high
copra content. These nuts were planted out into Banika Field 10 on October 16, 1963 . Each
seedling is marked with a dropper bearing the number of the mother palm. These
palms have also been attacked by a Helminthosporium fungus, which
produces necrotic spots on the leaves. These spots enlarge rapidly and a leaf
can be entirely destroyed in a few weeks. Experience with control measures has
been similar to that with the Gilbertese seedlings. Once again the soil is
heavy clay and it seems that poor palm health is related to adaptation.
Seedlings of the Rennell variety planted in an adjacent area, and which are of
about the same age, show little or no evidence of fungus attack. 118 nuts from
the same mother palms were received in March 1964. They have germinated
satisfactorily and are ready for planting out at the time of writings. They will
be planted on a sandy coralline soil in the Lever Point area and it is hoped
they will do better than those planted on clay soil.
Spicata (Ngohara Tapala). This is the Roviana language name for palms which bear spicata
bunches, i.e. bunches, on which the central stem is unbranched and the female
flowers are all borne along this one stem. Few male flowers are all borne along
this one stem. Few male flowers are present. 5 nuts were collected from such a
palm at Munda, in April 1963, and the seedlings planted out on 6th April 1964 , on the east
side of the Replanting Cultivation Experiment adjacent to plot 17. The
germination and early growth was very slow but all five seedlings are now
growing well.
Niu Leka. 204 nuts of this variety were received from Fiji in September
1963. They germinated well and 135 were planted in Banika N°. 10, west of the
Fiji Hybrid Dwarf palms on 11/6/64 .
25 further seedlings were planted adjacent to plots 3 and 5 of JAS/1 in the
Loavie New Development area on 11/8/64 .
Malayan Dwarf.
(a) 211 nuts of this variety were received
from Fiji
in September 1963. These and the Niu Leka seed came from Mua estate on Taveuni.
Germination of the Malayan Dwarf was very poor indeed and no satisfactory
explanation for this can be arrived at. Only a small percentage of those that
failed to germinate had begun to do so and subsequently died. 40 % of all the
nuts had gone rotten. Since these nuts were harvested from the palms, under the
supervision of staff from the Fiji Department of Agriculture, they have left Fiji in good
condition. The delay from time of harvesting to arrival in the Solomons was
less than a month. Perhaps these buts succumbed to a too high temperature on
board ship.
54 Malayan Dwarfs were planted out in
Banika N° 10 between lines of Niu Leka Palms and 28 were planted in Loavie New
Development adjacent to plots 2 and 4 of JAS/1.
Malayan Dwarfs
(b) Negotiations are in hand at the present
time to import 1000 Malayan Dwarf seeds from Malaya
itself. These will be received towards the end of 1964 and will consist of 50 %
red, 25 % yellow and 25 % green dwarf nuts. The nuts will come by sea being
trans-shipped in Sydney .
Malayan Dwarfs
(c) A number of palms that appear to be
true Red Malayan Dwarfs have been located in the Solomons. Nuts are being
collected from these palms and all which breed true to the red colour, as
observed in the nursery, will be planted out for comparison with the imported
dwarf material. It is anticipated that Malayan dwarfs will play an important
part in the future breeding program to provide improved planting material.
Extracts
from the Annual Report August 1964-July 1965, British Solomon Island
Protectorate Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Lever’s Pacific
Plantations PTY LTD Join Coconut Research Scheme
Page 24:
In
Banika n°10, Niu Leka Green and Malayan Dwarf from Nua Estate , Fiji .
Page 25, Point B: Introduced varieties
Some of the Rotuman palms (see page 25 of
the last report) had begun flowering before they were 4 years in the field.
None of the Markham
Valley palms has flowered
yet.
SPICATA Nuts were collected from four palms
with the "Spicata" flower character on Rennell Island
in October 1964. About 25 palms from these have been established on the east
side of plots 17 and 32 of the Replanting Cultivation Experiment at Banika, and
in the Genealogical Block 1 on Yandina Estate.
VANIKORO. Some palms on Vanikoro Island ,
in the Eastern Solomons, bear a large number of small nuts, which are reported
to have high copra content for their size. 30 nuts were collected from there in
October 1964 and 20 seedlings from these have been established adjacent to plot
16 of the Replanting Cultivation Experiment.
MALAYAN DWARFS. 1. Two shipments of nuts
from dwarf palms on Torkington Estate, Sabak Bernam, Malaya ,
were imported in early 1965. In all, 538 nuts were obtained; these coming from
selected high yielding green, yellow and red dwarf palms. The germination from
the first group, which took 74 days to reach here from Malaya ,
has been about 50 %. The second group, which are still germinating, was 47 days
on the way, and already over 60 % have germinated. Further shipments of nuts
are planned, to bring the total number imported up to 1000. Shipment via Sydney can be made only
during the Australian summer.
2. Groves of Malayan dwarf palms from seed
imported from Fiji
were established on two plantations on San Cristoval Island before the Pacific
war. About 200 nuts from these palms were obtained in January 1965. 100
seedlings have now been established inter-planted with some Rennell palms in
Banika Field 10, and in the Genealogical Block at Yandina, for observation.
3. There is a small number of young Malayan
Dwarf type palms at the Agricultural
Training College
near Honiara . A
group of seedlings has been established in the Genealogical Block from seed of
these palms.
4. About 30 old palms bearing small red
fruit and with a somewhat dwarfish habit are growing on Faiami Estate in the Russell Islands . A small group of seedlings
exhibiting the red colour factor, from nuts of these palms, has also been
established in the Genealogical Block.
Extracts
from the Annual Report August 1970-July 1971, British Solomon Island
Protectorate Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Lever’s Pacific Plantations
PTY LTD Join Coconut Research Scheme
Page 3:
In October 1970, The laboratory of Yandina was destroyed by fire...Duplicates of records
have been obtained in part from various sources but detail has been
sacrificed... a considerable loss of valuable research materials was inevitably
sustained in the fire.
Page 25:
Crosses Niu Leka x Malayan Dwarf made by
Marechal in Fiji
in 1926. 315 palms reputed F3 generations were planted in Banika Plot 10 during
March 1956. 150 palms were poisoned off and replacement (F4) planted during
1966. F4 was obtained from the 12 highest yielding palms of the original
introduction. Used from 1965 to 1971 to produce hybrids with local tall by
assisted pollination.
Page 27:
54 palms of Bellona Island
planted in Banika 10 in 1957. Are said to be similar to RIT. Planting of
Rennell Tall in 1961.
Rotuman: 100 seednuts received in November
1960 and 90 Seedlings planted in Block 15, Banika Estate during May 1961.
Page 19:
Spicata Dwarf Seednuts received in 1968
from New Guinea
and planted in 1969 in GB1 (genealogical block 1, Yandina Estate).
Extracts
from the Annual Report August 1970-July 1971, British Solomon Island
Protectorate Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Lever’s Pacific
Plantations PTY LTD Join Coconut Research Scheme
Chapter 8: Seed Supply and Breeding Programme
….
The Lingatu/Ilua area of FMS palms actually
contains, on count, FMS/LT hybrids to the extent of 8.1%. There is some
evidence and enough to justify the attempt to increase the hybrid proportion,
that the FMS/LT hybrid is higher yielding and more precocious than either
parent is. (Section 10).
The practice of selecting the 30% largest
nuts ensured, to a large extent, that most of the seed parents would be FMS.
Because the size of the block (1,146 acres) limits the possible outcrossing
with LT, the progenies would, therefore, contain only slightly over the
original 8.1% hybrids.
Random-gathered seed from the Lingatu/Ilua
area shows, at least, 28.8% hybrid progenies. As the hybrid material is shown
to outyield the parent FMS, seed is now being collected on a random basis.
Open pollinated seed are also being
collected from an individually recorded experimental block, planted with size
unselected seed from Lingatu/Ilua. This block, of course, contains FMS and
FMS/LT. Seed are only being collected from what are, visually, pure FMS. As the
block is surrounded by LT, the collected seed will contain FMS/FMS, FMS/LT and
FMS/hybrid. The hybrid proportion in this seed should increase to 40-45% as
opposed to the 8-10% from size-selected seed and 28-30% from size unselected
seed from Lingatu/Ilua. It would, of course, be possible to the FMS palms, but
this approach is not being used as the palms are in an established experiment,
and there is insufficient knowledge of the effects of emasculation on yield.
This is being studied. Collection from this source commenced in September 1965,
and when the block is in full production, some 32,000-36,000 seed will become
available annually.
There is, also, a small block of NL/MD
palms. This young block, as it stood, average just on 14 cwt. dry copra in its
8th year. The worst 50% of these palms were poisoned, the best palms being kept
for the very long-term programme and progeny testing; 149 very high yielding
palms became available as seed parents. These are being emasculated, thus
forcing outcrossing with LT and R (a few of which are in the vicinity). This
programme was started at the end of June 1965, and the first of this seed has
been collected. It has been found, that though one worker could control.
…/…
Seed blocks, using yellow MD (Note:
corrected manually by de NucĂ© de Lamothe: “No,
RED”) as the seed parents are being established under LT, FMS and R. palms.
The yellow MD was chosen because a source of supply is available in the
protectorate at Kira Kira on San
Cristobal , and we had decided not to import from other
parts. (Section 5). A colour marker gene is also present, thus enabling the
hybrids to be identified in the nursery. The hybrid R.LT would also be
available from the first of the seed blocks planted. (See below).
Each of these Blocks is designed to supply
the total requirements of the scheme, and when the best cross, for local
conditions, has been found, the remaining blocks will be returned to Estate
production. In effect, they will be considered as part of the LPPPL replanting
programme.
There was insufficient Rennell Talls at
Yandina for the establishment of the R/MD seed block. Consequently, 6,000 seed
were obtained directly from Rennell
Island at the end of
April 1965. This R/MD block cuts back from the seashore into an old stand of
LT. A band of, at least, 5 rows wide of R has been planted around the 90 acre
(approx.) block, and in most places, is much wider where extra palms have been
planted to fit in with roads, cattle fences etc.... A total of 3,425 R palms
were planted.
The first consignment of yellow MD was
received at the end of November 1965, with a second in February 1966.
Extracts
from the Review of the breeding programme 1971-1974, British Solomon Island
Protectorate Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Lever’s Pacific
Plantations PTY LTD Join Coconut Research Scheme
Chapter F p 26: MALAYAN DWARF
Introduction
Both seednuts and pollen of CV MD have been
introduced from time to time. All three colour forms, viz. red (nana
form regia), yellow (nana form eburnea) and green (nana
form pumila). (Manthriratna 1973), are represented.
The first seednuts (RMD) were introduced
before the Pacific War and planted at Kira Kira, San Cristobal Island (KK). No
details of the block are available but presumably they were introduced with a
view to improving commercial copra production.
A second group was found growing at Kukum
(K) on Guadalcanal
Island . Again, virtually
nothing is known about these palms. Kukum was, however, an agricultural centre
and it is possible that the seednuts were collected from Kira Kira and planted
for observation.
In 1964 and 1965, RMD, GMD and YMD seednuts
were imported from Malaya . The mother palms
were selected on Torkington Estate. In 1965 a consignment of RMD was received
from Fiji
(JCRS 1967-8 ).
Seednuts from a spicata form of RMD were
imported from Papua New
Guinea in 1969 (JCRS 1969).
Spicata form: In 1969, 82 spicata dwarfs
were imported from Papua New
Guinea (JCRS 1969). In a later list these
are separated into spicata dwarfs and spicata hybrids, with 49 of the former
and 23 of the latter having been planted (M.J. Todd unpublished report
1971.. No further information is
available on the hybrids.
In 1974, 33 of the 34 survivors were
showing spicata form.
Chapter
F p 29: MARKHAM VALLEY
Sixty-four seednuts of CV MV were imported
from Papua New Guinea
in November 1960.
Chapter
G p 30: ROTUMAN
One hundred Rotuman seednuts were imported
from IRHO in November 1960
H. GILBERTESE
Seednuts were collected from Tall palms
growing on Tarawa atoll (Gilbert and Ellice Islands ) in 1963.
I. RANGIROA
Two consignments of RAN seednuts were
received from the IRHO Research Station Rangiroa. They were the open pollinated
seed of 15 selected palms.
Ninety-five nuts were imported in 1963 and
118 in 1964. Two populations were established. (JCRS 1964/5).
J. NIU LEKA
In 1963 seednuts of this Fiji dwarf palm
were received from Nua Estate (Fiji ).
Over 200 seednuts were imported and from these 135 palms were established in
Block B10 and 23 near experiment JAS1. The latter group has not been recorded.
K. CHRISTMAS ISLAND
Two hundred and thirty seednuts were
imported from Christmas Island (Line Islands group) in 1965.
L. CEYLON TALL
Sixty seednuts of CV C were received from
Letchemy Estate Ceylon
(Sri Lanka )
in 1964. Fifty-three seedlings were established in three small plots.
From Joint Coconut Research Scheme, review
of breeding programme 1971-1974 .
Spicata Form: In 1964 5 palms were
established in B9 (Banika Estate) from local tall found at Munda in the western
Solomons. By 1974 1 palm died and 3 were showing spicata habit.
Page 21: The discovery of the large fruited
Rennell cultivar was probably the most significant in the plant breeding work
at Yandina. The first palms of this type were taken to Yandina from Bellona in
1957. There is no evidence that palms grown from seednuts from Bellona differ
significantly from those grown from seednuts from Rennell Island .
True Rennell are however regarded as that growing inland on Rennell island.
True Rennell were introduced and planted in
B10 (207 palms planted 1961, 180 remaining in 1974., and Lever Point (1965 and
1966, 263 palms planted and alive in 1974. and also in GB1 (158 palms planted
in 1968). There are also planted in variety trials JAS1, JRS4 and JRS6.
Page 22: Spicata form: 17 palms established
in B9 during 1964, from Spicata Rennell Palms (??????). In 1974 6 shows the
spicata habit. 26 other palms established in GB1 in 1965, 5 remaining showing
spicata habit in 1974.
Vanikoro: 30 nuts collected from the island
in October 1964. 20 palms planted in B9, 17 alive in 1974.
Samoan Tall and FMS (Federated Malayan
States) said to be introduced before the war. 95 FMS planted in 1965 in LP, 71
in 1967 in GB1, 1536 in 1961 in JAS2.
From AA list of
the experiments conducted in Russell
Islands , British Solomon
Island Protectorate, by what is now the Joint Coconut research Scheme In:
Coconut Research in the South Pacific Region, 1960-1965 ,
Technical information Paper n°4.
- There is FMS (Federated Malayan States
Tall) planted in 1924 at 69 per acre in Lingatu block 4, Russell Islands .
Faiami estate: Solomon Island Tall planted
about 1915 at 69 per acre.