Maypan is an
F1 hybrid
An F1 hybrid (also known as filial 1 hybrid) is the first filial generation of offspring of distinctly different parental types. F1 hybrids are used in genetics, and in selective breeding, where the term F1 crossbreed may be used. The term is some ...
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
that was developed by the Research Department of the Coconut Industry Board of Jamaica to be resistant to
Lethal Yellowing disease. It was created experimentally in 1962 by cross pollinating two varieties of ''Cocos nucifera'' and, after extensive disease exposure and yield performance trials, was named and released in 1974 when a suitable method of mass controlled pollination had been devised. A ''Dwarf''x''Tall'' hybrid,
[P.K. Thampan. 1981. Handbook on Coconut Palm. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co.] the
Malayan Dwarf seed parents, grown in an isolated seed garden and kept constantly emasculated, are regularly pollinated by blowing a mixture of talc and
pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...
collected from selected palms of a variety known locally as
Panama Tall
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by C ...
. This combination gives the Maypan an LY disease resistance approaching that of the Malayan Dwarf and much of the windstorm tolerance of the Panama Tall. It grows to approximately 18 meters in height. The LY resistance of the Maypan, of both of its parents, and of other coconut varieties generally, has been called into question since the 1990s but Maypan, and F1 hybrids using the same types of parents, are still the planting material of choice in the Caribbean and Latin American countries where LY occurs.
References
Coconuts
Tropical agriculture
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