School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences - Theses

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    Characterisation, collection and conservation of Cocos nucifera L. in the south Pacific
    Ashburner, Geoffrey Roger ( 1994-08)
    The genetic resources of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) in the south Pacific region were characterised using fruit morphological and molecular characters (RAPD). It was concluded that there was continuous variation in fruit morphology and molecular characters throughout the region. The south Pacific gene pool was considered to be composed of two groups, the first a cline of populations from Papua New Guinea across the central Pacific to the south eastern Pacific thought to represent the original gene pool of the Pacific, and the other was comprised of populations from the south western and south central Pacific and was thought to represent the original gene pool of the Pacific that has been affected by subsequent migration of domesticated types from elsewhere. The populations of Rennell Island, Marquesas Islands and Hawaii were members of this latter group but have diverged. The results of both the molecular and morphological characterisation were used to formulate a collection and conservation strategy for coconut germplasm in the region.