Coconut Research Institute Repository

Weerakoon, L.K.

Vidhanaarachchi, V.R.M.

Fernando, S.C.

Fernando, A.

Gamage, C.K.A.

Increasing the efficiency of embryo culture technology to promote coconut germplasm collecting and exchange in Sri Lanka

Peiris, T.S.G.

Effect of temporal scale aggregation on climate change studies

Bandaranayake, C.K.

Importance and current status of coconut germplasm conservation programme in Sri Lanka

Samarajeewa, A.D.

P O T E N T I A L FOR S M A L L 
R U M I N A N T S U N D E R C O C O N U T 
Livestock keeping in coconut lands not 
only gives an additional income for the 
coconut growers but also reduces the 
cost of production by providing manure 
and free weeding in coconut lands. 
Sixty five to seventy percent of the 
cost of production of coconut is used 
for weeding and manuring. It has been 
found that farm animals can reduce 
the cost of weeding by 6 0 % and 
application of animal manure can 
reduce the cost of manuring by 40%. 
Cattle and Buffalo keeping under 
coconut have been the traditional 
systems, but due to the high cost of 
production, lack of free grazing area 
and shortage of feeds in dry periods, 
traditional farmers tend to move out of 
the industry. These conditions are 
prominent in large coconut holdings. In 
addition to these reasons, finding 
labour for livestock keeping has been 
a major issue in large holders. 
Nevertheless, value of farm animals in 
coconut lands for secondary benefits 
(benefits other than milk or meat) is 
well understood. 
A.D. Samarajeewa 
A g r o n o m i s t - C o c o n u t 
Research Inst i tu te of 
Sr i Lanka 
One of the major limitations for 
development of livestock is the poor 
quality of available natural grasses 
under coconut and scarcity of feeds 
during dry periods. In this respect 
small ruminants such as Goats and 
Sheep are ideal for both small and 
large coconut holdings. Advantages of 
rearing small ruminants for small 
holders are less risk, easy to handle, 
and insurance when crop fails. For 
large coconut holders, small ruminants 
are preferred to large ruminants, as 
they require less management 
attention and low labour. 
Goat and Sheep are mainly kept for 
meat in Sri Lanka in addition to milk 
and manure. There is a ready market 
for meat, but market for goat milk is 
not well established, although the price 
of goat milk in urban areas is 6-10 
times higher than cow milk. The 
farmers show low emphasis for milk 
production due to lack of organized 
marketing facilities Goat milk is 
especially recommended for babies 
and those who have digestive 
problems because of higher proportion 
of small fat globules in goat's milk. 
Goats and Sheep have number of 
biological and behavioral 
characteristics that makes them 
preferable to large ruminants in 
coconut lands. Goats are especially 
preferred due to their adaptability to 
wide range of feed sources and for not 
4 
losing weight in adverse conditions as 
other ruminants. Goats can remain for 
several days without drinking water 
and have relatively high degree of 
resistance to number of parasitic 
diseases. Grazing behavior goat is 
remarkably different from other farm 
animals and hence some researchers 
term them as "mixed fanning 
opportunists" to avoid the confusion of 
classifying them either as browsers or 
grazers. One of the unique 
characteristics of goats is their ability 
to digest coarse feeds, various browse 
are plants and weeds that are 
otherwise would not be used. 
Compared to sheep and cattle, goats 
have greater tolerance to greater 
bitterness. Thus they consume shrubs 
and tree leaves, which are normally 
rejected by other animals. Therefore, 
goats can survive and flourish in much 
wider conditions than other ruminants. 
In addition, goats produce more meat 
and milk per unit of feeds than other 
ruminants. However, in case of 
weeding in coconut lands, goats are 
not the best weeders comparing to 
sheep and cattle because of their 
feeding habit. The other disadvantage 
of goats, like cattle and buffaloes are 
that they damage coconut seedlings, 
but proper management could mitigate 
this. 
Sheep are considered as good 
weeders in coconut lands due to their 
unique grazing behavior when 
compared to cattle and goats. They 
graze at very closer to the ground level 
than cattle and also on grasses around 
dung and urine patches, which cattle 
often avoid. This results in uniform 
weeding in coconut lands. Another 
unique feature of sheep is that they do 
not damage coconut seedlings. Sheep 
breeds such as Bikanary and Red 
Madras are recommended for lands in 
the coconut triangle. However, 
unavailability of enough breeding 
stocks is a major constraint for rearing 
sheep under coconut. 
Goats and sheep have higher 
reproductive rates than cattle. Two 
kidding can be expected every year if 
conditions are favorable. According to 
the studies carried out in coconut 
growing areas, rate of kidding was 
reported as three kidding in two years 
in the same study triplet births have 
also occurred apart from the common 
twins. However, keeping small 
ruminant for meat purpose is not 
popular in most of the coconut growing 
areas where majority of the population 
is Buddhists. 
Management s y s t e m s 
Goat management systems under 
coconut can be categorized as 
tethering or extensive grazing and 
intensive stall- feeding. In case of 
extensive grazing under coconut, 
natural herbage is the major source of 
feed. Annual dry matter production of 
natural grasses under coconut is 900-
1000 kg per ha with crude protein 
content approx. 8%. Assuming that 
daily dry matter intake is 3% of the 
body weight (25kg) the equivalent 
carrying capacity is 3-4 animals per 
ha. But in case of goats, extensive 
grazing with improved pasture (Setaria 
sphacelata) with supplementation of 
Gliricidia; the carrying capacity could 
be increased to 15 -20 animals per ha. 
It has been reported that 15- 20 heads 
of sheep per hectare can be kept with 
B. milliformis under coconut. With 
improved pasture, sheep can graze 
together with cattle as sheep graze on 
cattle grazed grasslands. Mixed 
pasturing with sheep and cattle not 
only increase dry matter production of 
grasses, but also help in reducing 
weed growth and worm infections of 
farm animals. 
For intensive stall-feeding cultivated 
grasses, tree fodder or their by 
products can be used. Guinea grass 
{Panicum maximum) is the preferred 
fodder grass but caution must be taken 
to fertilize cultivated grasses as they 
compete for nutrients in the soil with 
coconut. Guinea grasses if not 
properly managed can become a weed 
in the coconut lands. An adequate 
intake of dry matter can also be 
ensured by adding tree leaves in the 
diet. Gliricidia, a promising tree fodder 
in coconut lands can be used as a 
feed supplement for goats. Gliricidia 
could be planted as a fodder bank in a 
separate area in the land or could be 
planted along the fence. On an 
average 5-6 kg of leaf matter/ plant (on 
fresh basis) could be obtained 
annually. Apart from that Erithrina, Ipil-
ipl, Bahunia, Thespesia, Artucapus 
etc. are examples of widely used tree 
fodder for feeding goats. 
Goat a n d sheep manure as a source 
of o rgan ic fert i l izer in c o c o n u t lands 
Organic fertilizer, while providing 
nutrients has a secondary role by way 
of enhancing microbiological activity, 
improvement of water holding 
capacity, cation exchange capacity 
(CEC) and other physical properties of 
the soil. This is more beneficial in 
lateritic and sandy soils. Goat manure 
contains relatively higher content of 
nutrients than other organic manure. 
Researches have shown that Goat 
manure supplemented with inorganic 
fertilizers increased coconut yield 
(nuts/palm/year) by 35 % than palms 
treated solely with inorganic fertilizer. 
Coconut Research Institute 
recommends 25 kg of goat dung (for 
sandy and lateritic soils) supplemented 
with 800 g of Muriate of Potash, for a 
palm per annum. Dung production of a 
mature anima! is approximately 700-
800g per day on fresh basis resulting 
250- 300 kg per annum. Therefore, 13-
16 heads of goats can provide the 
entire manure requirement for 1 ha. 
land of coconut. 
Goat and sheep being small ruminants 
better adapted to wide range of 
conditions with multifarious uses, are 
ideal for coconut lands especially in 
the intermediate and dry zones. Due to 
less attention needed and ability to 
withstand fluctuating feed availability, 
they are superior to other farm animals 
such as cattle and buffaloes. Therefore 
the possibilities of reducing cost of 
production of the coconut while 
ensuring a better land utilization and 
increased productivity, especially in 
large coconut holdings, through 
integrated animal production are 
substantial. 
6 


Potential for small ruminants under coconut

Bandupriya, H.D.D.

Biochemical analysis of immature inflorescence explants of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) to support in vitro clonal propagation

Wickramananda, I.R.

De Silva, H.P.R.

Rajapakse, R.H.S.

Investigation on some aspects of laboratory rearing and management of coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer.

Ranasinghe, C.S.

Wimalasekara, R.

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES TO ENHANCE 
SHELF LIFE OF TENDER KING 
COCONUT FOR THE EXPORT 
King coconut, commonly known as 
'thembili' is believed to be indigenous 
to Sri Lanka. Tender king coconut 
water is popular in Sri Lanka not only 
as a thirst aid but medicinal properties 
as well. It is now gaining international 
recognition as a natural beverage. 
The pleasant taste of nut water is 
attributed mainly to the sugars and 
mineral components that are present. 
Changes in these parameters occur 
with the stage of maturity and duration 
after harvesting. The ideal stage for 
harvesting king coconut for drinking is 
C S Ranasinghe and R Wimalasekara 2 
1Senior Plant Physiologist 
2Plant Physiologist 
Coconut Research Institute of 
Sri Lanka 
at 7-8 months from pollination. At this 
stage the nut water has the maximum 
concentration of invert sugars (glucose 
and fructose), low concentration of 
sucrose, optimum levels of minerals 
and vitamins and a neutral pH. 
Nutr i t ive value: 
In a 7-8 month-old nut water has a 
total sugar content of 5-6 g / 100 ml 
and of which 95 
sugars. 
97% are invert 
Type and content of suga rs in 
tender k ing coconu t water 
Sugar Amoun t 
type (g per 100 ml) 
Glucose 2.0 - 3.0 
Fructose 2.0 - 3.0 
Sucrose 0.1 - 0.3 
Mineral componen ts in tender k ing 
coconu t water 
Potassium, the most abundant mineral 
accounts for more than 5 0 % of the 
mineral matter in tender king coconut 
water. 
Mineral 
Potassium 
Chloride 
Calcium 
Magnesium 
A m o u n t 
(ppm) 
1900 - 2500 
1200- 1600 
1 0 0 - 200 
45 - 55 
Vitamins (C and B) as well as amino 
acids (mainly arginine and glutamine) 
are also present in small quantities in 
the tender king coconut water. 
7 
E n h a n c i n g shelf - l i fe fo r sea-freight: 
As our main objective is to cater king 
coconuts to the export market, the 
external appearance of the nut before 
harvesting is of utmost importance. 
Therefore, it is important to ensure that 
tender king coconuts are free of insect 
and mechanical damages before being 
sent to the market. Furthermore, king 
coconut palms grown adjacent to the 
water bodies, produce nuts with a 
higher volume of water with lower 
concentration of sugars. Therefore, it 
is also advisable to test the palatability 
of nut water before being collected for 
export. 
In order to satisfy export market 
requirements, the taste of nut water 
and external appearance of the fresh 
nut have to be maintained for duration 
of 3-4 weeks. The Coconut Research 
Institute, Sri Lanka has developed the 
following protocol, to improve shelf life 
of tender king coconuts and keep for a 
period of 28 days. This protocol is 
recommended for both growers and 
exporters. 
1 . Select 7-8 months old tender king 
coconuts. If the leaf canopy of a king 
coconut palm is numbered according 
to the stage of maturity, and if the flag 
leaf is considered for counting as 
number 1, the 7-8 months old bunch is 
attached to the axis of frond number 
14. 
2. Pick and transport bunches to the 
packing site on- the same day with 
extreme care to minimize fresh 
mechanical damages. 
The following process (steps 3 - 1 0 ) 
should be done within 24-36 hours 
after picking (on the following day). 
3. Separate the nuts from bunch as 
close as possible to the pedicel end 
(blunt end) of the nut using a sharp 
knife disinfected with technical grade 
alcohol. Bruising or crushing of the 
stalk should be avoided. Lesser care 
at this stage may cause early spoilage. 
4. Using a piece of cotton cloth, cotton 
wool or paper tissue, disinfect the 
remaining part of the stalk including 
the cut surface and connecting 
position, perianth area (floral part or 
'theriya') and the outer skin of nut with 
a diluted fungicide solution (0.6g 
Benlate/ 1L water). 
5. Allow the nuts to dry in air for few 
minutes. 
6. Wrap the whole nut with 
polypropylene cling film (food wrapping 
film, GLAD WRAP). It is advisable to 
wrap in such a way that the film 
adheres well to the skin of the nut. A 
piece of cellotape may be used to 
paste the edges of the film. This 
should be done very carefully to avoid 
air spaces in between cling film and 
the nut, which would lead to 
discoloration and shrinking of the skin. 
7. Cover each nut with a net packing 
(McBolon (pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka) to avoid 
mechanical damages during transport. 
8. Pack 6-8 nuts, turning the stalk end 
(pedicel end) of the nut upwards, in a 
7-ply corrugated cartoon with 6 vents. 
8 
9. Immediately after packing, load the 
packed cartoons to a cold reefer truck 
maintained at 13-15 °C temperature, 
for transport. 
10. Transfer the cartoons to a cold 
reefer container maintained at 13-15 
°C temperature and 70% RH, for sea 
freight. 
11. The storage conditions as well as 
temperature and humidity should be 
maintained all throughout sea freight, 
transport from seaport to sales points 
and at the point of sale. After the sea 
freight, if the nuts are exposed to 
higher temperatures such as 25-27 °C, 
the maximum shelf life at that 
particular temperature is only 4 days. 
But if the nuts are continuously stored 
at 13-15 °C the shelf life is 28-30 days 
from the date of picking. 
We would like to advice the exporters 
to prepare a small sticker to be pasted 
on the nut with the following details. 
(a) Date of picking. 
(b) Date of expiry. 
(c) Chemical composition of king 
coconut water. 
(d) Product is free from, 
microorganisms . 
(e) Remaining husk is biodegradable 
Open ing of the nut : 
Traditional method: Use a sharp knife 
to cut the husk from stalk end (4-5 cm 
away from the tip) to slightly expose 
the shell and cut open a small hole in 
the exposed portion of the shell. 
Extract nut water using a straw. 
Punching tool: Use the blade to lift the 
floral part, with the punch turning 
upwards. Make a punch through the 
soft region at the blunt end. Rotate the 
punch while it is inside the nut and pull 
to make a hole. Extract nut water using 
a straw. 
Destroy ing of the husk : 
The remaining part of the used nut, 
mainly the husk, is a fibrous tissue and 
biodegradable. This can be cut in to 
small pieces / chips and used as a 
potting or gardening mixture to retain 
moisture. 
9 


Technical guidelines to enhance shelf life of tender king coconut for the export

Samarajeewa, S.

Gunathilake, H.M.

CONSUMER DEMAND FOR 
COCONUT OIL 
C o c o n u t and C o c o n u t Oil 
C o n s u m p t i o n 
Coconut and coconut oil 
are important constituents in the Sri 
Lankan diet for many years as 
essential ingredients of many food 
recipes. Coconuts provide about 10-
2 0 % of the total calories in the average 
Sri Lankan diet and is second only to 
rice in terms of contribution to 
consumption of energy. Coconut and 
coconut oil are the main source of 
dietary fat mainly for low-income 
groups in the country. Annually about 
1,900 million coconuts are consumed 
locally as fresh nuts, oil, beverages 
and other forms. 
Coconut oil is an important 
commercial product of the coconut 
palm obtained by direct processing of 
wet kernel or by crushing good quality 
copra. This colorless to pale brownish 
yellow oil is used primarily as a 
household-cooking ingredient. In 
common with other edible fats and oils, 
it is a mixture of chemical compounds 
known as glycerides. In major coconut 
growing countries, coconut oil is 
preferred for consumption due to its 
unique qualities such as taste, stability, 
long shelf life and functionality. 
Commercially, coconut oil is used in 
manufacture of soap, margarine, 
biscuits and confectionery products. 
Statistics have shown that per 
capita consumption of oils and fats 
during the last 15 years nearly doubled 
from 6.5 kg to 11 kg per year in the 
Asian region. But, on the basis of 
S Samarajeewa1 and H M Gunathilake2 
'Agricultural Economist, Coconut Research 
Institute of Sri Lanka 
Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, 
University of Peradeniya of Sri Lanka 
various consumer finance surveys, the 
per capita consumption of coconuts 
and coconut oil shows significant 
differences among different income 
categories. According to the consumer 
finance survey conducted by the 
Central Bank of Sri Lanka in the year 
1996/97, an average Sri Lankan 
consumer spends 7.3% of his food 
expenditure on fresh coconuts and 
1.6% on coconut oil. The survey also 
revealed that there are notable 
differences in the amount of 
expenditure on coconut oil and other 
cooking oils and fats among different 
sectors (see Table 1 and 2). Especially 
in the urban sector, there is an 
increasing trend for consumption of 
other edible oils. 
Coconut oi l and the heart d isease 
Many people are of the view 
that consumption of coconut oil and 
kernel elevates serum cholesterol and 
thus promotes coronary heart 
diseases. The basis of this belief is 
that coconut oil contains more of 
saturated fats and the view held since 
1950's that all saturated fats increase 
blood cholesterol. Supported by this 
view, there is a million-dollar 
advertising campaign waged by 
various multinational companies to 
promote the sale of other vegetable 
oils by exaggerating the health 
hazards of coconut oil. 
10 
Table 1 . Expenditure on coconut oil and other cooking oils and fats by different 
income groups (as a percentage of monthly total food expenditure) 
Income group (Monthly % expenditure % expenditure % expenditure on 
income in Rs) on coconut on coconut oil other cooking oils & 
fats 
0-600 7.57 1.33 0.48 
601-1800 8.45 2.13 0.16 
1801-3000 8.71 2.17 0.08 
3001-6000 8.08 1.95 0.08 
6001-9000 7.43 1.72 0.20 
9001-15000 6.94 1.50 0.42 
15001-30000 5.97 1.17 0.80 
> 30000 4.97 0.84 1.31 
Source: Consumer Finance & Socio Economic Survey 1996/97 
Table 2. Average monthly expenditure on coconut oil and other cooking oils by 
sectors (as a percentage of total food expenditure per person) 
% expenditure per person 
Urban Rural Estate 
Coconut oil 1.3 1.7 2.2 
Other cooking oils 0.9 0.2 0.1 
Source: Consumer Finance and Socio-economic Survey 1996/97 
The link of coconut oil industry 
in anyway with coronary heart 
diseases is unfortunate as it adversely 
affected the consumer demand for 
coconut oil. This indirect affirmation 
can possibly lead to eventual loss of a 
major part of the market share for 
coconut oil globally and domestically. 
At the same time the situation was 
further aggravated by flooding 
international markets with other edible 
oils such as Palm and Palm kernel oil, 
Sunflower, Soy, Corn oil etc. under 
reduced tariff. 
Impor t of vegetable o i ls to Sri Lanka 
The importation of various 
edible oils to Sri Lanka during the last 
two decades has been increased 
tremendously due to progressive 
removal of trade barriers under the 
open economic system. Palm oil and 
Palm kernel oil are major imports in 
terms of quantity (see Fig.1) and 
higher volumes of edible oil imports 
were associated with rising domestic 
coconut oil prices, relative to world oil 
prices. Consequently, many 
industrialists have now shifted to use 
more of other vegetable oils in their 
industries instead of coconut oil. The 
local consumer demand for coconut oil 
is very likely to be affected by the 
presence of these substitute vegetable 
oils, added by the fear for proneness 
to heart diseases even though it has 
used in Sri Lanka for over thousand 
years. 
Fig 1. Availability of vegetable oils in the local market 
jjg 40000 
g 30000 
o Palm oil —&—Palm kernal oil —B—Coconut oil 
Market Demand for coconut oil 
Market demand for a particular 
product depends on a multitude of 
factors such as price of the 
commodity, consumer income and 
taste and the price and availability of 
substitutes. In general, when the price 
of a commodity rises people tend to 
buy less and when consumer income 
rises they tend to buy more of that 
commodity. Thus, the demand for a 
good or a service has a negative 
relationship with its own price and a 
positive relationship with consumers' 
income. 
In this context, the pattern of 
demand for coconut oil in Sri Lanka 
was evaluated using twenty years data 
from 1978 to 1997, on coconut oil 
consumption. The results of this study 
revealed that, when the consumers' 
income increases, they tend to reduce 
coconut oil consumption. For most 
products, rising incomes lead 
consumers to buy more of that 
product. For some relatively 
undesirable products, rising incomes 
reduce demand by enabling 
consumers to switch to higher quality 
products. This hints that the coconut 
oil is an inferior commodity to the 
consumers. With rising living 
standards and increase in per capita 
income people may consider coconut 
oil to be an inferior commodity for their 
consumption. 
This is a negative market signal 
for the domestic coconut oil industry, 
which has already been affected by 
the tariff concessions given for other 
imported edible oils. Therefore, there 
is a timely need for a counter 
campaign to promote coconut oil 
consumption substantiated by 
scientific facts on beneficial effects of 
coconut oil against other vegetable 
oils, for the betterment of the industry. 
In the mean time, measures should 
also be taken to increase the 
competitiveness of the industry by 
reducing the cost of production. 
12 


Consumer demand for coconut oil

USE OF GLIRICIDIA AS AN ANIMAL 
FEED IN COCONUT LANDS 
A.D Samarajeewa 
Agronomist - Coconut Research Institute of 
Sri Lanka 
One of the major limitations for 
improvement of dairy under coconut is 
the poor quality of available natural 
grasses under coconut and the 
fluctuating feed supply due to bi-modal 
rainfall pattern. Feeding concentrates 
has become unprofitable due to the 
low farm gate price of milk in 
comparison to the cost of production. 
Therefore, emphasis should be given 
for low cost feeding systems with 
locally available feeds. The value of 
Gliricidia as an animal feed is 
important in the effort to develop low 
cost feeding systems. 
Gliricidia sepium, commonly known as 
Wetahiriya or Ginisiriya is a deep 
rooting medium sized multipurpose 
perennial which has the ability to fix 
atmospheric nitrogen, 
tolerate shade, and 
withstand repeated 
pruning. Gliricidia is well 
adapted to adverse 
conditions and grow well 
in wet as well as dry 
areas of the coconut 
triangle. It can also 
tolerate prolonged dry 
conditions and can 
withstand low fertile 
acidic and lateritic soils. 
Leaves, tender sterns 
J H and bark of Gliricidia are 
^ ' i i i ' ^ ^ g consumed by ruminants. 
As a result 77% of the 
biomass is edible leaving only 2 3 % 
matured stem inedible by ruminants. 
Gliricidia is such a useful source of 
feed, which can be effectively used to 
enhance the quality of the ration of 
farm animals. In order to discuss the 
possible ways of incorporating the 
quality of the manipulating low quality 
feeds with Gliricidia, it is important to 
have a clear idea about the digestion 
of fibrous feed in ruminant. 
D igest ion of f i b rous feeds in 
ruminan ts 
The digestion of fibrous feeds take 
place in the fore-stomach of the 
ruminants aided by microbes 
inhabiting the rumen. Thus the 
ruminants are able to convert 
roughage materials such as grass. 
19 
leaves of tree fodder into invaluable 
final products such as meat and milk 
with the help of microbes. Efficiency of 
digestion in the rumen depends on the 
level of activity of the microbes. The 
feed consumed therefore has to be 
nutrient rich for microbial growth. One 
of the factors that influence microbial 
activity in the rumen is rumen 
ammonia nitrogen concentration. 
When the animal eats more of poor 
quality feeds low in rumen degradable 
protein, rumen nitrogen concentration 
goes down and slows down the 
digestion making feeds remain for 
longer periods in the rumen. But, if 
feeds of poor quality can be 
supplemented with feedstuff rich in 
protein enhance the efficient the 
changes efficiency of digestion. 
Gliricidia is high quality forage, which 
meet the above requirement. 
Nutr i t ive va lue of Gliricidia 
Gliricidia has been identified as an 
excellent quality forage in many 
tropical countries due to its' nutritive 
value and chemical composition. 
Important characteristic of Gliricidia is 
the higher content of crude protein 
(20- 25%) that readily digests in the 
rumen. Gliricidia supplements the 
protein requirement of ruminants to a 
great extent. Further it is a good 
substitute for expensive protein 
supplements such as coconut meal, 
Soya bean meal etc. Dry matter and 
other nutrient digestibilities are higher 
in Gliricidia compared to other 
common tree fodders. But many 
farmers believe that feeding of 
Gliricidia results in "thin milk" or 
"watery milk". Thick or thinness of milk 
is decided by the amount of total solid 
in the milk, which depends on non-fat 
solubles such as lactose and casine. 
But according to research evidence, 
feeding of Gliricidia 0-100% in the 
ration of cattle does not alter the 
amount of butter fat or solid non-fat in 
milk. 
Gliricidia is low in sapponin and 
doesn't cause bloat in animals even an 
excessive amounts are fed. Research 
have shown that feeding of Gliricidia in 
higher proportion in the diet even at 
100% show no toxic effects. But there 
is evidence that inclusion of Gliricidia 
more than 50% in the ration results in 
"tainted" milk and therefore adding 
Gliricidia up to 5 0 % is safe and cause 
no adverse effects. 
Enhanc ing qual i ty of ra t ion w i t h 
supp lementa t ion of Gliricidia 
• Paddy straw (Preferably 
chopped) mixed with Gliricidia 
in 2:1 ratio on weight basis 
increases the feed intake 
forming a good dry season 
feed. 
• Mixing 4 % urea treated straw 
(e.g. dissolve 40g of urea in one 
liter of water) with Gliricidia 
lopping at the ratio of 3:1 on 
weight basis, is another good 
dry season feed. 
• Gliricidia foliage either mixed 
with Brachiria miliiformis / B. 
brizantha or natural grasses at 
the ratio of 1:1 (on weight basis) 
also enhances quality of the 
ration and increases the feed 
intake 
Estab l ishment of Gliricidia in 
c o c o n u t lands 
Coconut Research Institute has 
demonstrated the value of Gliricidia as 
an animal feed and how Gliricidia can 
be established in coconut lands 
without having adverse effect on 
coconut. Gliricidia can be planted in 
between coconut in double rows at the 
20 
s p a c i n g of 2m x 1m (2500 ha" 1 ) as a 
f o d d e r bank and along the fences. For 
smal lho ld ings it can be planted along 
t h e fences in 1m apart. It can be 
es tab l ished from seedlings or cuttings. 
I n intermediate and dry zones Gliricidia 
i s preferably establish from seedlings 
p lan ted in polythene bags after 
col lect ing seed. Planting should be 
commenced with the on set of rain and 
initial pruning should start at 1-1.5 m 
height. On an average 5-6 kg of leaf 
biomass (on fresh basis) could be 
obtained per plant per year. The study 
carried out in the Pannala AGA 
division revealed that planting Gliricidia 
in the fences of individual land 
holdings, 2m apart, and by using them 
as animal feed the milk production can 
be increased by 50%. 
DIKIRIPOL FOR YOUR LAND 
Dikiri pol is one of the special 
variet ies of coconut found in Sri Lanka. 
T h e nuts are generally heavy. When 
tapped on the nut, dikiri gives a low 
dul l thud. The kernel of the dikiri nut is 
thicker than that of a normal nut. It is 
soft and is a jelly like mass, filling 
almost the entire cavity of the nut. The 
kernel is suitable for production of 
various sweets. The nut water is thick 
and is an oily substance. Due to its 
special characteristics and scarcity, 
dikiri nuts are expensive. 
Dikiri is mainly found in the Southern 
Province of the island especially in the 
Denipitiya and Weligama areas. The 
production is limited to 1-2 dikiri nuts 
per bunch per palm. Furthermore, 
under natural condition dikiri nuts do 
not germinate. Hence, propagation of 
dikiri is difficult. 
Therefore, Coconut Research Institute 
has launched a programme for a 
mass-production of dikiri plants using 
the embryo culture technology. The 
plants will be ready for distribution in 1-
2 years. However, a few dikiri 
seedlings have already been sold at a 
cost of Rs. 125.00 per seedling. 
Further information can be obtained 
from Director, Coconut Research 
Institute, Lunuwila. 
21 


Use of Gliricidia as an animal feed in coconut lands

present in the sample. The quality of* 
fermented sap can vary depending on 
the microorganisms active in the pot 
and the climatic factors. Further, the 
microorganisms have the potential of 
producing many chemical compounds 
in addition to Ethanol. Therefore, 
there is a tendency of giving various 
colours such as reddish purple and 
light blue with the presence of 
amylopectins and amyloses, 
respectively. Light blue colour of the 
above toddy samples was solely due 
to the presence of microorganisms 
introduced from the environment. The 
samples were further tested 
microscopically to confirm the results. 
Following addition of i 2/KI reagent, the 
above toddy (genuine) samples were 
diluted, mounted on a microscopic 
slide and photographed using a light 
microscope with a camera attachment. 
It was observed that yeast cells were 
present in the solution and their walls 
were stained blue due to the presence 
of cell wall polysaccharides. Hence it 
can be concluded that an adulterated 
toddy sample gives a deep blue colour 
with b/KI reagent due to the presence 
of starch and it is detectable in the 
spectrophotometer whilst a genuine 
toddy sample gives a light blue or gray 
colour due to the presence of micro­
organisms (wild yeast). 
LEAF ROT DISEASE IN SOUTHERN PROVICE 
Leaf rot disease was reported in 
Wel igama, Kaburugamuwa, Sulthanagoda 
and Hambantota areas. The Coconut 
Research Institute has implemented 
several control programmes in 
collaboration with the Coconut Cultivation 
Board. 
Etiology of Damage 
Several fungi have been isolated from 
diseased lesions f rom the spindle. Most 
common of them isolated from the yellow 
spots are Gleosporium sp., Exserohilum 
sp., Gliocladium sp., Rhizoctonia sp., 
Chalaropsis sp., Pestalotiopsis sp., 
Chalaropsis sp., and Fusarium sp., 
Several fungal species and their fast 
spreading habits during rainy season 
cause severe damage to coconut 
plantations. The diseased palms show 
symptoms of reduction of photosynthetic 
area of tender leaves, reduction in root 
numbers and causes reduction in nut 
production. 
Disease Management 
Remove the affected fronds and tender 
leaves. Also apply balanced fertilizer and 
improve the drainage condit ions, which 
will help to improve the vigor of plants. 
Drenching of Fungicides 
Drench one of the fungicides as per 
recommendation. 
1. Drench 1 liter of 1 % copper fungicide 
solution 
2. Tr idemorph (Calixin) solution (10 ml/l) 
3. Tebuconazol (Folicur) (4 ml/l) 
23 


Leaf rot disease in southern provice

National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka

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