©R. Bourdeix, February 2022.
Since 15 years, in the Pacific Region, Dr R. Bourdeix and associated teams have identified about 40 different forms and/or varieties of Compact Red, Orange and Yellow Dwarfs (in Cook, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna). Understanding their genetic structure and their origin is one of the most crucial research questions related to coconut nowadays. Some of these Compact Dwarfs may come from an original hybrid between Malayan Red Dwarf and the Niu Leka Dwarf created in 1928 in Fiji. Some of them may be older traditional varieties. They may be an amazing example of the power of gardeners in varietal creation. When gardeners are numerous and determined they are more efficient than breeders. These Compact Red Dwarf Varieties will serve to create new seed gardens.They will produce new hybrids of the future. Such seedgardens can be managed by the farmers themselves, probably without emasculation. |
Among the Compact Dwarfs, the varieties and form having Red, Orange or Apricot fruits are especially important for the future of coconut breeding and agriculture. There are three main reasons to this:
- - They can be used in seed gardens for producing Dwarf x Tall hybrids, Dwarfs and Talls. It means planting together Compact Red, Orange and apricot Dwarfs and a Tall-type with Green fruits. In this configuration, the seed garden will produce Compact Dwarf (seedlings with red/orange sprout), Green Talls (green sprouting) and their hybrids (Compact Dwarf x Tall, brown sprouting).
- - They can be used in seed gardens for producing Dwarf x Dwarf hybrids and two Dwarf types. It means planting together Compact Red or Orange Dwarfs and Green Dwarfs (Compact or Brazil Green Dwarf for instance). In this configuration, the seed garden will produce Compact Red/Orange Dwarf (seedlings with red/orange sprout), Green Dwarfs (green sprouting) and their hybrids (Compact Dwarf x Green Dwarf, brown sprouting).
- - In traditionnal seed gardens, the autogamous (self pollinating) Dwarf varieties must be emasculated in order to obtain a large amount of hybrid seednuts. performing these emasculations is expensive, time-consuming and labor-intensive. If you do not it, varieties such as Malayan Red Dwarf will give only 5-20% of hybrids and 80-95% of pure Dwarf. It is expected that some of the Compact Red and Orange Dwarfs will have an allogamous reproduction mode. When in seed garden, they may produce 40 to 60% of hybrids without emasculation. This could considerably reduce the production cost of the hybrid seednuts.
Marechal (1928) reported the first coconut-controlled pollination, involving the Malayan Red (MRD) and the Niu Leka (NLAD) Dwarfs (Marechal 1928). Before leaving Fiji in the 1930's, Marechal foresightedly gave the MRD x NLAD hybrid and its progeny to many Fijian gardeners and farmers.
Recent surveys conducted in Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia have shown that the most interesting diversity is more commonly found in gardens than in farms (R. Bourdeix et al., 2020; R. Bourdeix, personal observations).
In many Pacific countries, coconut plantations serve mainly to feed pigs and to get cash when needed. Quite often, farmers does not pay much attention about varieties cultivated in coconut groves. Pacific Islanders pay much more attention to the few coconut palms kept in their gardens and used for daily food and drink. They select these palms very carefully, especially for slow vertical growth, fruit quality and taste.
In this configuration, no coconut breeder can be as efficient as hundreds of these gardeners. Every day, the islanders observe and consume the coconut products from their gardens. When one of these coconut palms is particularly pretty or gives tasty products, it becomes a source of pride shared with their loved ones. They give seednuts to their family and friends. These seednuts are planted. Every eight to ten years the process repeats itself. Seednuts from the best coconut trees are disseminated to family, friends and neighbors. Since the time when the very brilliant and inspired Dr Marechal distributed his hybrids, more than ten generations of selection have been carried out by thousands of Fijian gardeners. The same process seems to have been repeated in some other countries: Cook; Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia, Jamaica, Florida...
There is still no official name for these new kinds of varieties but Vijendra Kumar (Fiji) suggested calling them “Super Dwarfs”, as they may bear dwarfism genes from both Malayan-type and Compact Dwarfs. At this stage, We do not have scientific proof that the amazing Compact Red and Yellow Dwarf varieties presently found in Pacific gardens are all progenies of Marechal’s hybrids, carefully selected in the last 80 years by hundreds of Pacific gardeners and farmers. Some of these Dwarfs could be even older traditional varieties.
DNA analysis of these compact Dwarf varieties could help to better understand the full story. Such analysis requires advanced molecular biology techniques based on sequencing. SSR marker kits designed in the 1990s are not powerful and discriminating enough to answer this scientific question.
A larger crucial scientific question is to understand and locate the genes responsible of the two kind of dwarfism (Malayan and Compact) found among coconut varieties. We need a molecular nursery test able to identify within a progeny the individual seedlings that have both the dwarfism genes from Malayan and Compact types. Such a test may be valued at hundreds of thousands dollars. It will fasten and simplify coconut breeding programs.
Here is a first list of Compact Red, Orange and Apricot Dwarfs that we identified in the Pacific region.
Fiji
In 2012 and 2017, about 22 forms and/or varieties of Compact Red and Abricot Dwarfs have been observed by Dr Roland Bourdeix and Vijendra Kumar. Some money was even released to farmers for buying seednuts, as they were very difficult to obtain. Vijendra was in charge of following this project. Some seedlings were planted at a University. Dr Carmel Pilotti from Land Resources Division (SPC) also conducted another project allowing to detect more of these varieties.
French Polynesia
In 2022, none of these varieties is conserved in an ex situ (field) genebank. only less than 4 specimens of each variety have been found in Polynesian gardens.
01. Compact Red Dwarf Maria Moorea
02. Compact Red Dwarf Alfred T
03. Compact Red Dwarf Hôpital Moorea
04. Compact Red Dwarf Afareaitu
05. Compact Apricot Dwarf Hôpital Moorea
06. Compact Apricot Dwarf Maharepa (Requin)
07. Compact Apricot Dwarf Rangiroa
Cook Island
For these forms and varieties, international names and abbreviations have not yet been defined. The names used for the moment are provisional and only make it possible to distinguish the varieties and forms. In 2022, none of these varieties is conserved in an ex situ (field) genebank. only less than 4 specimens of each variety have been found in Polynesian gardens.
Compact Red Dwarf large nipple (seen only in the Cook)
Compact Red Dwarf re-entrant end (probably the ancestor of the Compact Red Dwarf Alfred T from French Polynesia)
Compact red Dwarf Dark colour (this last one seems the more complex to understand from the varietal point of view. The stem and fruits looks similar to Compact Dwarfs; the leaves looks like those flexible and curved leaves of the Papua New Guinea Red Dwarfs).
Kiribati
For these forms and varieties, International Names and Abbreviations have not yet been defined. The names used for the moment are provisional and only make it possible to distinguish the varieties and forms. The form available in Kiribati have a variable degree of fused leaflets and oval shaped fruits. Villagers are probably using both the color of the sprout and the this fused leaflet to select the palm at the nursery stage. Sometimes palms from the same parent show various degree of fused leaflets.
Compact Red Dwarf Fused Leaflets (a very similar form was found in 2019 in Wallis island)
Wallis and Futuna
In 2022, none of these varieties is conserved in an ex situ (field) genebank. only less than 4 specimens of each variety have been found in Polynesian gardens.
Compact Red Dwarf Wallis fused leaflets (similar to a form observed in Kiribati)
Compact Red Dwarf Futuna (updated in September 2022). When he visited Futuna in 2019, Dr Roland Bourdeix did not find any Compact Red Dwarf in the island; when Ms Elodie Tellier collected samples for analysis in 2022, she indicated that a Compact Red Dwarf was found ans sampled in Futuna. It is not the same palm that the one called "Compact Apricot Dwarf" by Dr Roland Bourdeix.
In Wallis Island, it also exists a few palms with characteristics of Compact, but who have measurements too imposing to be classified as Dwarfs. It may be kind of hybrids, or semi-Tall. Only a detailed analysis using powerful and modern molecular tools can help to clarify their nature and history.