Agro-management practices for sustainable coconut production

Abstract

Improved agro-techniques have been standardized, through research conducted over several decades, to achieve sustainable productivity and profitability in coconut farming. Adoption of refined nursery techniques enables production of quality planting material. Poly bag nursery technique with bio-priming of biofertilizer formulations helps in production of superior quality seedlings. The good management practices validated to improve the productivity in adult coconut palms include integrated nutrient management, green manuring/cover cropping, soil and water conservation measures, weed management, irrigation, fertigation and cropping/ farming system approach. Fertigation helps to increase the fertilizer use efficiency, saves fertilizer costs, reduces labour requirement and ensures continuous nutrient supply in tune with crop requirement. Sustainable cropping system models are evolved to optimize utilization of natural resources and to enhance the economic viability. Integrated farming involving cultivation of fodder grass in the interspaces of coconut and integration of animal husbandry enterprises offer significant ecological and economic benefits. Effective formulations of agriculturally important microorganisms such as nitrogen fixers, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi have been developed as valuable inputs for sustainable crop production. Lignocellulosic residues from coconut plantations can be con- verted into brown, granular vermicastings using earthworms. Organic farming practices with focus on building soil biological fertility foundations through integrated application of organic and bio-inputs including recycling of waste biomass, in situ cultivation and incorporation of leguminous cover crops and biofertilizers of Azospirillum and Bacillus and other cultural practices are combined with micro-irrigation techniques to obviate moisture stress and enable sustainable coconut production, in an environment-friendly way.