Kera Sankara
A West Coast Tall × Chowghat Orange Dwarf hybrid released by CPCRI in 1991. It bears by the 4th year, gives 108 nuts a year and 187 g of copra per nut, and suits rainfed and irrigated planting.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Coconut
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Kharif
- Starts bearing
- Bears by the 4th year
- Expected yield
- 108 nuts per palm per year (range 70–130)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No disease rating published; suits rainfed and irrigated planting (TNAU)
- Release
- Released by ICAR-CPCRI in 1991, for Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Maharashtra — per corroborated secondary sources
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Kera Sankara is a Tall × Dwarf coconut hybrid, West Coast Tall (WCT) as the mother and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD) as the father, released by ICAR-CPCRI in 1991. CPCRI recommends it for large-scale cultivation in Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Maharashtra. TNAU lists it for Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It bears by the 4th year, gives a mean of 108 nuts per palm per year (range 70 to 130), and 187 g of copra per nut with 68% oil. TNAU says it is precocious, more productive than its parents, and suited to both rainfed and irrigated conditions.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kera Sankara if you want a hybrid that does well rainfed as well as irrigated, and you will buy certified seedlings each time. At 108 nuts a palm it beats every pure palm listed here that publishes a yield: West Coast Tall at about 80, East Coast Tall at about 70 and Chowghat Orange Dwarf at 63 to 65. It also bears by the 4th year, against year 6 or 7 for West Coast Tall. Chandra Sankara gives a little more (116 nuts) but needs summer irrigation, so Kera Sankara is the safer pick where you cannot water in the dry months. West Coast Tall's one advantage is that you can raise your own seed, which a hybrid's nuts will not let you do.
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)
- HarvestingComes to bearing by the 4th year. Mature nuts are cut every 30–45 days; seed nuts of 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
- Combines COD's early bearing with WCT's larger nut size and vigour, giving heavier copra (187 g/nut) than either parent alone typically gives
- A proven, decades-old release (1991) with a defined multi-state recommended zone (Kerala, coastal AP, coastal Maharashtra)
Things to consider
- It is a hybrid, so seed nuts from a Kera Sankara palm do not give the same palm. Buy certified hybrid seedlings from CPCRI or a recognised nursery each time.
- CPCRI recommends it for Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal Maharashtra, while TNAU lists Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Check which list your district is on.
- A hybrid lives shorter than a tall palm. TNAU gives 80 to 90 years for talls and 40 to 50 for dwarfs; hybrids sit in between, but it publishes no figure for Kera Sankara.
- Like all hybrids, it responds to good management: manure, irrigation in dry months and nutrient care.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Andhra Pradesh
- Maharashtra
Read the parent order on the label before you pay
Two CPCRI hybrids use the same two parents. Kera Sankara is West Coast Tall × Chowghat Orange Dwarf. Chandra Sankara is the reverse: Chowghat Orange Dwarf × West Coast Tall. Nurseries sometimes sell them under shortened names.
The difference matters. CPCRI gives Kera Sankara 108 nuts a year and 187 g of copra per nut, about 20.2 kg of copra a palm. Chandra Sankara gives 116 nuts and 160 to 230 g, about 18.6 to 26.7 kg a palm, but CPCRI says it is susceptible to drought and needs irrigation in summer.
So ask the nursery two things: which parent is the mother, and whether the seedlings were raised from seed nuts of an identified cross. Insist on the palm name and the cross written on the bill. If you cannot irrigate in summer, Kera Sankara is the safer of the two.
Where the planting material comes from
This is a hybrid, so seed kept from your own harvest will not breed true. The next crop comes up uneven in height, maturity and yield. Buy fresh certified seed every season and keep the bag tag until harvest.
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 Dwarf | 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 Sankarathis page | 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.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- 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 CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Coconut in your state.
- 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 the parentage of Kera Sankara coconut?
A cross of West Coast Tall (WCT) and Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD), released by ICAR-CPCRI in 1991.
How many nuts does Kera Sankara give per year?
A mean of 108 nuts per palm annually, ranging 70-130, with copra content of 187 g/nut.
When does Kera Sankara start bearing?
By the fourth year of planting, per corroborated secondary sources.
Which states is Kera Sankara recommended for?
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, per the sourced ICAR-CPCRI release zone.
Why choose Kera Sankara over its parent varieties?
It combines COD's early bearing (by year 4) with WCT's larger nut size, giving heavier copra per nut than either parent alone typically gives.
Kera Sankara or Chandra Sankara: what is the difference?
They use the same two parents, in opposite order. Kera Sankara is West Coast Tall × Chowghat Orange Dwarf, with the tall as mother. Chandra Sankara is COD × WCT, with the dwarf as mother. Kera Sankara gives 108 nuts and 187 g of copra; Chandra Sankara gives 116 nuts and 160 to 230 g, but is drought-susceptible and needs summer irrigation.
How much copra does a Kera Sankara palm give?
At the mean of 108 nuts a year and 187 g of copra per nut, that is about 20.2 kg of copra per palm per year. The range of 70 to 130 nuts gives about 13.1 to 24.3 kg.
Can I raise my own Kera Sankara seedlings from its nuts?
No. It is a hybrid, so nuts from a Kera Sankara palm do not give the same palm. Buy certified hybrid seedlings. TNAU adds that seed nuts of dwarfs and hybrids should be sown within 10 to 15 days of harvest, so a nursery should have fresh stock.
Does Kera Sankara need irrigation?
TNAU says it is recommended for general cultivation under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Irrigation in the dry months still raises nut yield for any coconut, so water it in summer if you can. TNAU gives 45 litres per seedling once in 4 days for the first two years in dry months.
Sourced from: Varieties and hybrids developed — ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, 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.