Survey, Identification and Estimation of Damage in Major Diseases of Coconut

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera Linn.) is an important plantation crop in India. It is cultivated for oil and raw materials used in the coir industry. The coconut palm globally cultivated in around 93 countries and in India, it is grown in 2.1 million ha (2015-16, 3rd estimates) with a production of 14,075 million nuts and an average productivity of 6,702 nuts/ha/year (CDB, 2016). Coconut farming and allied activities provide livelihood security to millions of people in India. The every part of a coconut tree has its own use or applications. It is generally called “Tree of Heaven”, „„Tree of Abundance”, “Tree of Life” and “kalpavriksha”. Western literature mentioned the Malayalam name “Tenga” for the coconut palm which related to Tamil „Tennai‟ and believed to have been introduced from Sri Lanka. The coconut is a benevolent crop and a perfect gift to mankind. It has during the span of history represented not only the source of food, beverage, oil seed, fibers, timber and health products but also associated with magic, mystery, medicine and omen in the life of people. The economic importance of this tree crop is evident from the fact that it is grown in more than 90 countries across the world in an area of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 12 (2017) pp. 416-423 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com