The Olomanu Seed garden and genebank, located in the West part of Upolu island, is the place where coconut germplasm was conserved and where hybrid seednuts were produced. In the years 2010, it was turned to a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre, under the Samoan Ministry of Police and Prisons and with no more link to the Ministry of Agriculture. Most of the accessions of the coconut gene bank have been cut off few years ago.
The old coconut genebank
The following picture was taken during the harvest of Niu Afa palms at Olomanu.
According to the following map (click to enlarge), the varieties that were in the genebank are Rennell Tall (183 palms - P1), Samatau Tall (3 palms – P2), Niu Vai Tall (178 palms – P3), Niu Afa Tall (210 palms – P4), Niu Lea Tall (55 palms – P5), Niu Kogau and Niu Lea (7 palms-P6i), Samoa Local Tall (144 palms – P6ii), Natural Hybrids (82 palms- P6iii), Samoan Local (112 palms – P7), Niu Ati red dwarf (5 palms – P8) and Genetic Trial mixed with different varieties (282 palms – P9).
It appeared that the total number of living palms for Niu Afa was lower than 210 palms. A counting duirng the month of March 2010 gave 178 living palms. We selected visually 52 palms (29%) from the Niu Afa variety, preferring the palms producing large and long fruits. Finally seednuts were harvested only on 46 palms due to lack of fruits at the good stage for 6 palms.
The old seed garden
In this seed garden, Dwarfs varieties have been interplanted with Rennell Island Tall and/or Niu vai Tall. It seems that at a certain perriod, some of the Rennell Tall were replaced by Niu vai Tall, but no detailed record was found.
The old seed garden
In this seed garden, Dwarfs varieties have been interplanted with Rennell Island Tall and/or Niu vai Tall. It seems that at a certain perriod, some of the Rennell Tall were replaced by Niu vai Tall, but no detailed record was found.
The Olomanu
Seed garden was planted mainly with the Malayan Red Dwarf variety, but six
other varieties were also present in small quantities, as indicated in the following
caption. Thus, it will be good to check if it is possible to find again these
varieties, in order to include in the
new genebank. Some document also mention that a “plot 4” was planted with Niu
le’a in 1980, but this will have to be checked again.
ϓ
|
Yellow
Dwarf
|
G
|
Green
Dwarf
|
LR
|
Niu lea Red
Dwarf
|
LG
|
Niu Lea
Green Dwarf
|
Fr
|
Fiji Red Dwarf
|
Na
|
Niu Ati Red
Dwarf
|
All
remaining: Malayan Red Dwarf
|
 |
| Dwarf varieties in the Old Olomanu Seedgarden |
