<!--
var mess = new Array(
'Monkeys can harvest coconuts much faster and more safely than people can.  In some Asian countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and China, monkeys are taught to follow directions from their owners.  After 2-3 weeks of training, they become adept at climbing coconut trees, choosing the mature nuts and throwing them to the ground for collection.<p><a href="images/coconutmonkeylarge.jpg"><img src="images/coconutmonkey.jpg" border="0" alt="A coconut climbing monkey"></a><br><i>A coconut climbing monkey in Hainan, China. Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge. </i>',

'A thick shelled coconut variety in Sri Lanka known as <i>Pora Pol</i> is used in traditional coconut smashing contests.  A team pitches a nut and the opposing team smashes it with another one.  The team that has the largest pile of intact nuts at the end of the contest wins.  In the Philippines, a local variety known as <i>Tutupaen</i> is used in a similar contest.<p><a href="images/fightingcoconutslarge.jpg"><img src="images/fightingcoconuts.jpg" border="0"></a><br><i>Boys in the Philippines with their "fighting coconuts". Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge. </i>',

'In some parts of Malaysia, tender coconut water is consumed in a special way.  Tender nuts are burnt for about an hour until most of the husk turns black.  The water from the "burnt tender nuts", as they are appropriately called, is drunk when it is lukewarm, sometimes with honey to sweeten the taste.  The drink is said to be good for curing asthma and food poisoning as well as for reducing high blood pressure.<p><a href="images/burnttendernutslarge.jpg"><img src="images/burnttendernuts.jpg" border="0" alt="Burnt tender nut"></a><br><i>A woman in Sabah, Malaysia holding a burnt tender coconut. Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge. </i>',

'Coir fibres are extracted from coconut husks. Made up of cells with thick walls of cellulose that later become hardened with lignin, the fibres are tough and water resistant. Brown coir from mature husks is used primarily in brushes, floor mats, and upholstery padding. White coir from fresh green husks is softer and is usually spun into yarn. The average fibre yield depends on the coconut variety. India and Sri Lanka, where the average yield is 80-90 g fibre per husk, account for around 90% of the coir fibre produced globally each year. <p><a href="images/coirropeslarge.jpg"><img src="images/coirropes.jpg" border="0" alt="Coir ropes"></a><br><i>Ropes made from coir. Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge. </i>',

'Some coconuts have an abnormal endosperm that is soft and jelly-like. It is considered a delicacy and commands a high price. Commonly known as makapuno in the Philippines, these mutant varieties are also known as Kopyor (Indonesia), Maphrao Kathi (Thailand), Thairu Thengai (India), Dikiri Pol (Sri Lanka) and Niu Garuk (Papua New Guinea). The embryo inside the seed cannot metabolize the endosperm and cannot germinate normally. Embryos are “rescued” and placed in artificial media to grow.<p><a href="images/makapunolarge.jpg"><img src="images/makapuno.jpg" border="0" alt="Makapuno"></a><br><i>Semi-soft endosperm of Maphrao Kathi. Photo by Somchai Watanoyothin. Click on photo to enlarge</i>',

'Virgin coconut oil (VCO), a clear oil with a distinctly coconut flavor, is a new high value product from coconut. VCO is produced from freshly grated kernel by several processes, all without the high temperature used in traditional oil extraction from copra. VCO is used as a health food for boosting body energy and promoting weight loss. It is also processed into high quality soaps, shampoos and body lotions.<p><a href="images/vcolarge.jpg"><img src="images/vco.jpg" border="0" alt="Virgin Coconut Oil"></a><br><i>VCO produced in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Nilus Kalito. Click on photo to enlarge</i>',
 
'Geotextiles are woven mats that are used to stabilize the soil and control erosion. Coir geotextiles are increasingly becoming popular because of their durability, ability to retain moisture, and rough texture which help seeds and soil to stay in place. The fibers, unlike nonbiodegradable synthetics, degrade naturally at a rate that allows the colonization of the ground by protective vegetation and eventually disintegrate, leaving nothing behind but humus. <p><a href="images/geotextileslarge.jpg"><img src="images/geotextiles.jpg" border="0" alt="Coir geotextiles"></a><br><i>"Coconet" from the Philippines. Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge. </i>',

'The fruit of the coconut is not a nut. It is technically a large, dry drupe.  It is composed of a thin outer layer (exocarp), a thick, fibrous middle layer (mesocarp), and a hard inner layer (endocarp) that surrounds a large seed.  Coconut is unique in having liquid endosperm, which becomes solid as the seed matures.<p><a href="images/coconutfruitlarge.jpg"><img src="images/coconutfruit.jpg" border="0" alt="Coconut"></a><br><i>Public domain image from Koehler Medicinal-Plants 1887. Click photo to enlarge.</i>',

'Lethal yellowing is a devastating phytoplasma disease that affects more than 38 species of palms. In coconut, the first symptom of the disease is premature fruit drop, and then the leaves turn yellow. Eventually all the leaves turn brown and within six months, the whole crown dies, leaving a bare trunk or "telephone pole". The disease has wiped out millions of palms in the Caribbean and the Atlantic coasts of Central and South America, and in West and East Africa, destroying the livelihoods of many coconut farmers.<p><a href="images/lylarge.jpg"><img src="images/ly.jpg" border="0" alt="Lethal Yellowing"></a><br><i>Dead coconut trees are a conspicuous part of the landscape in Ghana. Photo by MLGeorge. Click photo to enlarge. To find out more, go to <a href="http://www.cicy.mx/dir_acad/cicly/">www.cicy.mx/dir_acad/cicly/</a></i>',

'The Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD) is the most widely distributed dwarf cultivar in the world. Other yellow dwarf cultivars are similar to the MYD, such as the Sri Lanka YD, Nias YD in Indonesia, Chowgat YD in India and Pemba YD in Tanzania. The cross Malayan Yellow Dwarf x West African Tall, commonly known as MAWA and developed by CIRAD in Cote d lvoire in the 1960s, is planted wordwide.<p><a href="images/mydlarge.jpg"><img src="images/myd.jpg" border="0" alt="Malayan Yellow Dwarf"></a><br><i>Information and picture from R. Bourdiex. Click photo to enlarge.</i>',

'<i>In vitro</i> culture techniques enable the production of whole plantlets from coconut embryos in artificial media. Embryo culture is particularly useful for facilitating the collection and safe exchange of coconut germplasm because seed nuts are bulky and heavy, and thus costly to transport. Embryo culture was successfully used for the first time in the international exchange of a coconut variety when the Madang Brown Dwarf, originally from Papua New Guinea, was introduced to Thailand from Cote d’Ivoire.<p><a href="images/embculturelarge.jpg"><img src="images/embculture.jpg" border="0" alt="Embryo Culture"></a><br><i>Information and photo from COGENT. Click photo to enlarge.</i>',

'In India, the coconut is one of the most common offerings in a Hindu temple. It is offered during religious ceremonies and when celebrating weddings, festivals, and special events. People bring a coconut to the temple, break the fruit in front of the god, and distribute the pieces to the congregation as a gift. No auspicious occasion happens without the breaking of a coconut; breaking it into 2 equal halves with one strike is considered a good sign. <i>Information from P. Rethinam</i><p><a href="images/hinduofferinglarge.jpg"><img src="images/hinduoffering.jpg" border="0" alt="Coconut Offerings"></a><br><i>Coconut offerings being sold in a stall near a Hindu temple in India. Photo by ML George. Click photo to enlarge.</i>',

'A pest with Papua New Guinea and Indonesian origins is destroying coconut palms in many countries of Asia and the Pacific. The coconut hispine beetle (<i>Brontispa longissima</i>) feeds on the developing leaves of the coconut palm, damaging the leaves and causing significant yield loss. Control of the pest and its spread is done with the help of one of its natural enemies, a tiny parasitic wasp that attacks the larvae of the beetle.<p><a href="images/coconutpestlarge.jpg"><img src="imaged/coconutpest.jpg" border="0" alt="Coconut Pest"></a><br><i>Biocontrol with the parasitoid, Asecodes hispinarum, in Thailand. Photo by MLGeorge. Click photo to enlarge.</i>');
var max = mess.length;
var num = Math.floor((Math.random() * max));
document.writeln(mess[num]);
//-->



