EFFECT OF PLANTING DENSITY ON THE YIELD OF COCONUT

An analyses is presented of the yield components of coconut established under densities varying from 128 palms/ha to 239 palms/ha from a spacing trial conducted by the Coconut Research Institute. Analysis of yield data during 1976-1980 from 24 palms from 4 replicates analysed for each density treatment revealed significant differences in nuts/palm and copra/palm for the densities tested. The nuts/palm decreased with increasing density but the yield/ha maximised at a density of 171 palms/ha and decreased beyond 171. Significant differences were absent in yield of copra/nut for the densities tested. The differences in copra/palm were due to the effect of nut number/palm. At a density of 179 palms/ha, copra/ha maximised to 2260 kg and decreased beyond 179. The results of the present analysis indicate that a density ranging from 171-179 palms per hectare is the optimum for planting coconut in dry-intermediate zone where the study was conducted.