THE WORLD FIRST AND ONE OF ITS EVER KIND, ISOLATED COCONUT SEED GARDEN AT AMBAKELLE, IN SRI LANKA CELEBRATED ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE

摘要

In 1954, a protected jungle of about 350ha in Ambakelle was acquired from the forest department by the CRISL and about 100ha of jungle in the middle was cleared to plant seedlings to establish the world's first isolated coconut seed garden. Seedlingsfor the seed garden were raised by artificial pollination between selected mother palms and also by pollen from prepotent palms identified by long term progeny trials. For the superior progeny established at Ambakelle seed garden, valuable genes from about 2000 elite coconut mother palms from fourteen high yielding estates, selected in various parts of the coconut growing areas in Sri Lanka has been contributed.