Summary
Further data confirm that the direction of leaf spirals inCocos nucifera is non-inherited. In all probability it is also not genetically determined.
Fresh data on the frequency of Lefts and Rights from India as well as 27 other countries are reported. A slight excess of Lefts is noticed in most populations, but on the totals, the two groups do not differ significantly. However, in the case of a few countries, abnormal figures were received which show significant differences between the Lefts and Rights.
The Lefts give 20·9 percent excess yield of nuts over their counterpart, although it is based on a non-inherited character, and that is quite inexplicable. Among diseased palms also the difference is in the positive direction, but not significant by itself. The number of the leaves of the Lefts is slightly greater, and this may account, in part, for the increased yield of nuts of the Lefts. It is not known whether the increase in the number of nuts of the Lefts is associated with a proportionate increase in the weight of copra.
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Davis, T.A. The dependence of yield on asymmetry in coconut palms. J Genet 58, 186–215 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02986139
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02986139