Estimating the

Yield of Coconuts

Edgar T. Bahala
Officer-in-Charge
Philippine Coconut Authority
Coconut Extension Training Center
Bago-Oshiro, Davao City

April 2012 Based on Estimating coconut Yield by Dr. Severino S. Magat, PCA-RDEB
Yield or productivity of coconuts >
quantity of nuts or copra (dry coconut meat)
produced / palm / hectare for a certain
period of time, e.g. per year.

Production of coconuts > volume (kg

or metric ton) produced by a farm, an
area, a locality or province, even by a
country or region, regardless of the
productivity
 Purpose

• To determine baseline or benchmark yield data

• To measure response of coconuts to applied
technologies and experimental treatments.

Needed

 field notebook
 handy calculator
 tape measure (with mm units)
 Steps
1 Select Sample / Observation Palms

 Random (within the area) > at least 15 normal

palms
 Identify the three (3) oldest bunches of each
sample palm
 Count the nuts of reference bunches
2

 Count the nuts from each 3 oldest

bunches (per sample palm) and record the
data for each palm

 Compute mean or average nut count per

palm (total nuts, all bunches divided by the
number of sample palms used, e.g. 15.
 Mean (Average) Nut Count/palm/ Bunch (ANCT.3B)

Nut Count
Sample Bunch 1 Bunch 2 Bunch 3 Total
palm

1 4 5 6
2 7 8 9
3 6 5 4
4 9 8 7
5 10 11 12
6 12 11 10
7 13 14 15
8 15 14 12
9 10 11 12
10 12 11 10
 Mean (Average) Nut Count/palm/ Bunch (ANCT.3B)

Nut Count
Sample Total
Tree Bunch 1 Bunch 2 Bunch 3

11 9 8 7
12 7 8 9
13 9 8 7
14 7 8 9
15 6 5 4
Total
Average
 Mean (Average) Nut Count/palm/ Bunch (ANCT.3B)

Nut Count
Sample Bunch 1 Bunch 2 Bunch 3 Total
palm

1 4 5 6 15
2 7 8 9 24
3 6 5 4 15
4 9 8 7 24
5 10 11 12 33
6 12 11 10 33
7 13 14 15 42
8 15 14 12 41
9 10 11 12 33
10 12 11 10 33
 Mean (Average) Nut Count/palm/ Bunch (ANCT.3B)

Nut Count
Sample Bunch 1 Bunch 2 Bunch 3 Total
Tree

11 9 8 7 24
12 7 8 9 24
13 9 8 7 24
14 7 8 9 24
15 6 5 4 15
Total 428
Average 28
3 Sample the nuts for meat thickness

 Harvest & split at least 3 nuts; discard

coco water

 Measure meat thickness (in mm) – at

thickest portion of the pairs of split
nuts. Calculate mean meat thickness.
Mean (Average) Meat Thickness/Nut
Sample Meat Thickness
Split- (mm) Total Mean
Nut 1st Half 2nd Half

1 13 15 28 14.0
2 14 13 27 13.5
3 12 13 25 12.5
Average 13.3
Determine > Nut to Copra Conversion
Factor or NCCF (nuts/kg copra)
A Guide on Estimation of Nut to Copra Conversion
Factor or NCCF (Nuts/kg Copra)
Nut Size Freshmeat NCCF g
Thickness (nut/kg Copra) Copra/Nut
> 15mm 3.00-2.50 330-400
Large 13-14 mm 3.50-3.25 305-260
12-13 mm 4.00-3.75 285-250
< 11 mm 4.25-4.50 235-220
> 15mm 3.25-3.00 305-330
Medium 13-14 mm 3.75-3.50 265-285
12-13 mm 4.50-4.00 250-220
< 11 mm 4.75-5.00 210-200
> 15mm 3.75-4.00 265-250
Small 13-14 mm 4.75-4.50 210-220
12-13 mm 5.50-5.00 200-180
< 11 mm 6.00-7.00 165-140
 4 Estimate the Nut Yield (per palm & per ha)

 Convert mean nut yield/palm of the 3

most matured bunches (ANCT.3B) to
mean nut yield/palm/ year (NPT/year), by
following the formula as follows:

Work Assumptions
1.Production Projection Factor (PPF)=4
(PPF from 3 mos. Harvests to 12 mos. Or 1
yr, obtained by dividing 12 mos. by 3 mos.)
2. Bunch Factor (BF), bunches produced/month
BF-Tall Variety (BFT) = 1.0
BF-Hybrid (BFH) = 1.2

NPT/Yr-Tall (NPTT) = ANCT.3B x BF x PPF

= ANCT.3B x 1.0 x 4
= ANCT.3B x 4

NPT/Yr-Hybrid (NPTH)= ANCT.3B x BF x PPF

= ANCT.3B x 1.2 x4
= ANCT.3B x 4.8
Bunch Prodn & Bunch Factor (BF) of Some Tall Varieties &
Hybrids (PCA-B & G/ZRC Data 1984-1994)

Material Total Bunch Factor

Bunches/Year* Bunches/month
Range Mean
Talls
Tagnanan 10.0-12.3 11.7
San Ramon 10.8-14.3 12.8
Mean – TALLS 12.2 = 1.0
HYBRIDS (Dwarf x Tall) 13.8 – 14.7
Cat x Lag (PCA 15-1) 15.8 14.3
Cat x Tag (PCA 15-4) 12.8-15.5 13.4
Cat x BaO (PCA 15-5) 10.8-14.8 14.1
MYD x WAT “MAWA) 12.2-14.3

Mean – HYBRIDS 14.1 = 1.2

Eg. : Given a mean nut count/tree/3 bunches (ANCT.3B) = 28
nuts

Per tree
NPTT = ANCT.3B x 4
= 28 nuts x 4 = 112 nuts/tree/year
NPTH = ACNT.3B x 4.8
= 28 nuts x 4.8 = 134 nuts/tree/year
Per Hectare
NPHT = 112 nuts x 117 trees/ha = 13, 104 nuts/ha
NPHH = 134 nuts x 117 trees/ha = 15, 678 nuts/ha
5 Estimate Copra Yield (per tree or per ha)

 Determine the adjusted planting density (trees/ha) to

5 % less or 95 % of the computed value, i.e at 9m x
9m square system (123 palms/ha)

 The adjusted value then is 117 trees/ha. This

reduction covers > dead palm or vacant areas due to
pests and diseases, lighting damages, and other
uncontrolled losses of palms under field condition.
5 Estimation of Copra Yield (per tree or per ha)

 Using the NPT/yr estimate and the NCCF (steps 4

and 3), estimate the copra yield or CPH, following the
formula:

CPH-Talls (CPHT) = (NPTT) x Adjusted Planting

Density (APD)/ NCCF

CPH-Hybrids (CPHH) = (NPTH) x Adjusted

Planting Density (APD)/NCCF
Example

NPTT = 112 nuts/tree/yr

NPTH = 134 nuts/tree/yr
NCCF.T (Tall) = 3.5 (large nut size)
NCCF. H (Hybrid) = 4.0 (medium nut size
APD = 117 trees/ha

CPH-Talls = 112 x 117 = 3.74 tons copra/ha/yr

(CPHT) 3.5

CPH-Hybrid = 134 x 117 = 3.92 tons copra/ha/yr

(CPHH) 4.0