Ganga Bondam Dwarf
A dwarf used mainly as the mother parent of hybrids: Keraganga (WCT × GBGD) from Kerala Agricultural University has 100 nuts a year, 201 g of copra and 69% oil. GBGD itself has no published Indian yield.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Coconut
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Starts bearing
- Bears in 4–5 years
- Expected yield
- High (tender)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No disease rating published; reported to tolerate waterlogging
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Ganga Bondam Green Dwarf (GBGD) is a dwarf coconut mostly used as a parent. TNAU lists three hybrids made with it. Keraganga (WCT × GBGD) was released by Kerala Agricultural University in 1988 for commercial cultivation in Kerala. It bears in 4 to 5 years and gives 100 nuts a year, 201 g of copra per nut and 69% oil. The other two are Lakshaganga (LCT × GBGD) and Anandaganga (ADOT × GBGD). An ICAR study in Karnataka's southern dry tract used GBGD as the mother. Three crosses beat the local check: GBGD × LCOT (128.6 nuts), GBGD × PHOT (124.3) and GBGD × FJT (110.3). Their tender-nut water was 326 to 395 ml per nut. Secondary sources say GBGD tolerates waterlogging. GBGD itself has no published Indian yield, and the 250 to 300 nuts claimed by some nurseries has no source.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose a Ganga Bondam hybrid rather than the pure dwarf, which has no published Indian yield. Keraganga (WCT × GBGD) from Kerala Agricultural University bears in 4 to 5 years and gives 100 nuts a palm, a little under the 108 of Kera Sankara and Lakshaganga. The ICAR Karnataka trial found GBGD-mother crosses giving 110.3 to 128.6 nuts, which looks higher, but that was a dry-tract trial and Keraganga's figure is from Kerala, so do not read the gap as a ranking. For a tender-nut dwarf with a CPCRI release and numbers, take Chowghat Orange Dwarf.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant seedlings in Tamil Nadu in June–July or December–January, in Kerala in May with the pre-monsoon rain (September in low-lying areas), and in Karnataka in May–June (TNAU)
- IrrigationFor the first two years, give 45 litres per seedling once in 4 days in the dry months. Summer irrigation raises nut yield (TNAU)
- HarvestingTender nuts at 7–8 months, mature nuts at 12 months. Seed nuts of dwarfs and hybrids should be sown within 10–15 days of harvest (TNAU)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep, well-drained red sandy loam, laterite or alluvial soil, at least 1.5 m deep (1.2 m is the minimum); avoid shallow, hard-rock or waterlogged ground (TNAU)
- pH
- 5.2–8.6
Climate
- Temperature
- 20–32°C; a mean annual temperature of 27°C is best
- Rainfall
- 1000 mm if well spread through the year, up to 3000 mm with good drainage
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A proven mother parent: GBGD hybrids beat the local check by a wide margin in an ICAR study in Karnataka (110.3 to 128.6 nuts a palm a year).
- Keraganga, the Kerala Agricultural University hybrid with GBGD, bears in 4 to 5 years and gives 100 nuts, 201 g of copra and 69% oil.
- Reported to tolerate waterlogging, which can help on poorly drained homestead plots.
Things to consider
- GBGD itself has no published Indian yield. The 110 to 129 nut figures belong to hybrid crosses, and the 250 to 300 nuts claimed by some nurseries has no source. Do not plan on it.
- The ICAR hybrid trial was in Karnataka's southern dry tract, and the Keraganga figures are from Kerala. They may not carry to your district.
- A dwarf lives 40 to 50 years against 80 to 90 for a tall, and is susceptible to drought, per TNAU. Plan to irrigate in summer.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Karnataka
What the ICAR trial tells you, and what it does not
Two sets of numbers circulate for Ganga Bondam. The ICAR study in Karnataka's southern dry tract found crosses with GBGD as the mother gave 128.6, 124.3 and 110.3 nuts per palm per year. Some nurseries claim 250 to 300 nuts for the dwarf itself.
The first is a measured trial, and it is about hybrids, not the pure dwarf. The second has no source. Do not average them. The ICAR figures also line up with TNAU's released hybrids: Keraganga at 100, Lakshaganga at 108, Anandaganga at 95.
So set your own expectation at around 100 to 130 nuts a palm for a good GBGD-parented hybrid under good management, and plan the money on the low end. Then visit a mature palm of the cross you are being sold, count the bunches, and ask how old it is. That visit tells you more than any leaflet.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Coconut variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandra Sankara (Dwarf × Tall hybrid) | The highest-yielding CPCRI hybrid here, for farms that can irrigate in summer | Bears in 3–4 years (TNAU) | 116 nuts per palm per year (range 100–150) | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) | Tender-nut water: an early-flowering orange dwarf for sheltered, irrigated plots | Flowers in 3–4 years | 63–65 nuts per palm per year | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| East Coast Tall | The standard east-coast tall palm, for copra where the soil is deep and well-drained | Bears from year 6–8 (TNAU) | About 70 nuts per palm per year (TNAU) | Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal |
| Ganga Bondam Dwarfthis page | A mother parent for hybrids such as Keraganga, rather than a palm to plant pure | Bears in 4–5 years | High (tender) | Kerala, Karnataka |
| Kera Sankara | An early-bearing tall × dwarf hybrid with heavy nuts, for rainfed or irrigated planting | Bears by the 4th year | 108 nuts per palm per year (range 70–130) | Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Malayan Dwarf | A parent palm for hybrids, not a variety to plant on its own without local advice | Bears in 4–5 years | High (tender) | Kerala |
| West Coast Tall | The long-lived, all-soil tall palm of the west coast, for copra and oil | Bears from year 6–7 (TNAU); a tall palm lives 80–90 years | About 80 nuts per palm per year on average (TNAU); 74–90 under normal management | Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Coconut is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Coconut plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Coconut variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Coconut into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Coconut rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Coconut seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ganga Bondam Dwarf coconut known for?
Waterlogging tolerance and use as a maternal parent in hybrid breeding for eastern and southern India, per corroborated sources.
What hybrids is Ganga Bondam Dwarf used to breed?
GBGD x LCOT, GBGD x PHOT and GBGD x FJT are three documented crosses, all outperforming local checks in an ICAR study on Karnataka's southern dry tract.
What yield do GBGD-parented hybrids give?
110-129 nuts/palm/year across the three trialled crosses (GBGD x LCOT, PHOT, FJT), per an ICAR study — separate nursery/secondary sources claim higher figures (250-300 nuts/palm/year) for GBGD planting material itself, not reconciled with the trial numbers.
Is Ganga Bondam Dwarf disease-resistant?
No disease rating is published for it. What is reported is tolerance of waterlogging, which is a stress trait and not disease resistance. Ask your KVK about disease pressure in your district before planting a large block.
What tender-nut water quality does GBGD give?
Hybrids with GBGD as the maternal parent produced organoleptically "good" tender nut water, 326-395 ml per nut, per an ICAR study.
What hybrids does TNAU list with Ganga Bondam as a parent?
Three: Keraganga (West Coast Tall × GBGD), Lakshaganga (Lakshadweep Ordinary Tall × GBGD) and Anandaganga (ADOT × GBGD). Keraganga is the one with a full TNAU entry: released by Kerala Agricultural University in 1988, 100 nuts a palm a year.
How many nuts do Lakshaganga and Anandaganga give?
TNAU's variety pages list Keraganga at 100 nuts per palm per year, Lakshaganga at 108 and Anandaganga at 95. These are Kerala releases. Use them to compare, since GBGD itself has no published Indian yield.
What did the ICAR study find about GBGD crosses?
For Karnataka's southern dry tract, three crosses with GBGD as the mother, GBGD × LCOT (128.6 nuts), GBGD × PHOT (124.3 nuts) and GBGD × FJT (110.3 nuts), beat the local check. Oil yield ran 11.5 to 13.8 kg a palm a year, and the tender-nut water was 326 to 395 ml per nut.
Should I believe a nursery that promises 250 to 300 nuts from Ganga Bondam?
No. No published Indian trial gives that number. The ICAR hybrids gave 110.3 to 128.6 nuts and the released hybrids 95 to 108. Ask the nursery for the source of its figure, and the nuts per palm of a mature mother palm you can visit.
Sourced from: Potential coconut (Cocos nucifera) hybrids developed using Gangabondam (GBGD) as maternal parent for yield and quality for southern dry tract of Karnataka — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (ICAR ePubs), Coconut varieties — TNAU Agritech Portal, Expert System for Coconut, Planting seasons and climate — TNAU Agritech Portal, Expert System for Coconut, Main field cultivation practices — TNAU Agritech Portal, Expert System for Coconut, Irrigation management — TNAU Agritech Portal, Expert System for Coconut, Harvest and post harvest — TNAU Agritech Portal, Expert System for Coconut. editorial policy.