Abstract:
The seedling vigour in the dioecious palmyrah palm is determined by many factors beginning
from pollination. The fruit that abscise from the palm forms the source of seed for propagating
the palm. The effect of the habitat of palms growing in five localities in Jaffna (The North of Sri
Lanka) on tuber was compared. Length and weight of tubers revealed that the Delft seeds
tuberized comparatively better than the remaining sources tested. The percentage tuberization in
Delft seeds was also found to be higher compared to the other sources. Considering the seed size,
where the external length and breadth of the seeds were measured and multiplied, there was no
significant variation in seed size of Delft, Kayts and Mamunai. Seeds from Delft and Kayts
produced better tubers compared to the seeds of Ariyalai, Mamunai and Punnalaikadduvan.