West Coast Tall
Raised as a seedling from a selected nut, not a field crop. The traditional coastal tall variety — slower to bear, but long-lived, the homestead default.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Coconut
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- Kharif
- Starts bearing
- Bears from year 6–7 (TNAU); a tall palm lives 80–90 years
- Expected yield
- About 80 nuts per palm per year on average (TNAU); 74–90 under normal management
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Disease resistance
- Heavily affected inside Kerala's root (wilt) tract; no exposure outside it. A tall palm lives 80 to 90 years
- Release
- No formal breeding release — a long-naturalised west-coast landrace population, itself used as breeding stock for CPCRI's later hybrids (e.g. Chandra Sankara).
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
West Coast Tall (WCT) is the ordinary tall coconut of India's west coast. It is a long-established landrace, not a bred release, and CPCRI uses it as the base for its hybrids, including Chandra Sankara and Kera Sankara. TNAU lists it for coastal Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Odisha and Tripura. It grows in all soils, especially coastal sand, and tolerates some moisture stress. It bears in 6 to 7 years, gives about 80 nuts per palm per year, and 176 g of copra per nut (135–200 g) with 68% oil. Palms reach 15 to 18 m. The palm also gives toddy when tapped.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose West Coast Tall if you want a palm that lasts 80 to 90 years, grows in nearly any soil and gives the most copra per nut among the tall types here (176 g, 68% oil). It is slow, bearing only from year 6 or 7, at about 80 nuts per palm. If you want income sooner, Kera Sankara (4th year, 108 nuts) or Chandra Sankara (116 nuts) bear earlier. Inside Kerala's root (wilt) tract, look at the CPCRI root-wilt releases instead.
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)
- HarvestingMature (12-month) nuts are cut every 30–45 days for copra; tender nuts at 7–8 months. Tall-palm seed nuts can be stored 2–3 months before sowing (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 long-lived palm, 80 to 90 years, so one planting serves several generations.
- Grows in all soils, including coastal sand, and somewhat tolerates moisture stress, per TNAU.
- Higher copra (176 g per nut) and oil (68%) than East Coast Tall (125 g and 64%).
- Can also be tapped for toddy, per TNAU.
Things to consider
- Root (wilt) disease sits in one tract of about 4.1 lakh hectares across eight southern Kerala districts. Outside it, West Coast Tall never meets the disease. That is escape by geography, not resistance.
- Inside the tract, where West Coast Tall is nearly the only type grown, ordinary palms are heavily affected. An ICAR survey in Indian Horticulture put root-wilt incidence at 24.1% of the roughly 102 million palms surveyed.
- CPCRI's root-wilt releases exist because naturally healthy West Coast Tall mother palms are rare there and sit in a few places such as Chengannur, Thiruvalla, Kottayam and Pavukkara.
- Quoted palm life varies. TNAU says 80 to 90 years, and some sources give up to 100.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
If your farm is inside the root (wilt) tract, start from CPCRI's other releases
West Coast Tall is the default palm of the Kerala coast, and that is exactly where root (wilt) disease sits. The disease is confined to one endemic tract of southern Kerala. Outside it, you do not meet the disease. Inside it, ordinary West Coast Tall palms are heavily affected.
CPCRI has bred and selected palms for that situation. For root (wilt) prevalent areas of Kerala it lists Kalpa Raksha, Kalpa Sree and Kalpa Vajra, and the hybrid Kalpa Sankara. Kalpa Vajra is a tall palm made by crossing healthy, high-yielding West Coast Tall palms in disease hotspots. TNAU also says Chandra Sankara is markedly better than West Coast Tall in root-wilt-affected areas.
So the order of questions is simple. First, is your plot inside the endemic tract? If it is not, West Coast Tall is a safe and long-lived choice. If it is, ask your KVK or CPCRI for planting material of those releases, and do not buy plain West Coast Tall seedlings on the strength of the variety name.
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 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 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 Tallthis page | 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
Is West Coast Tall actually resistant to coconut root (wilt) disease?
No. Root (wilt) disease is confined to one tract of about 4.1 lakh hectares across eight southern Kerala districts. West Coast Tall grown outside it never meets the disease, which is escape by geography and not genetic resistance. Inside the tract, ordinary palms are heavily affected: an ICAR survey in Indian Horticulture put incidence at 24.1% of the palms surveyed. CPCRI's breeding programme exists because healthy mother palms are rare there.
How long does a West Coast Tall palm keep producing?
Sources vary — a commonly repeated figure across multiple sources is 80–90 years of economic life, with some reporting up to 100; one trade page gives a lower ~60 years. Either way it's a multi-generation planting, well beyond a hybrid's shorter productive span.
How many nuts and how much copra does West Coast Tall give?
TNAU gives about 80 nuts per palm per year and 176 g of copra per nut, with a range of 135 to 200 g. That works out to about 14 kg of copra per palm per year, and the oil content is 68%.
How soon does West Coast Tall start bearing?
TNAU says 6 to 7 years for this variety, and 8 to 10 years for tall coconuts in general. Hybrids such as Kera Sankara bear by the 4th year, so a farmer who needs early income should look at those.
When should I plant West Coast Tall?
TNAU advises May in Kerala with the pre-monsoon rain (September in low-lying areas), May to June in Karnataka, and June to July or December to January in Tamil Nadu. Give each seedling 45 litres once in 4 days in the dry months for the first two years.
Which CPCRI palms should I look at inside the root (wilt) tract?
CPCRI lists Kalpa Raksha, Kalpa Sree and Kalpa Vajra, plus the hybrid Kalpa Sankara, for root (wilt) prevalent areas of Kerala. TNAU also says Chandra Sankara is markedly better than West Coast Tall in root-wilt-affected areas.
Sourced from: Coconut Varieties — ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Coconut Varieties — Jay Hind Farm, Knowledge Based Information on Coconut — Coconut Varieties, TNAU Agritech, Analysis of population structure and genetic relatedness among root (wilt) disease resistant and susceptible West Coast Tall coconut palms — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (ICAR ePubs), Coconut varieties tolerant to root (wilt) disease — Indian Horticulture (ICAR ePubs), Varieties and hybrids developed — ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, 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.