Evaluating Oil Palm Cultivation using Geospatial Approach in Kerdau, Temerloh District

Abstract

Oil palm is one of the cultivation that synonyms in Malaysia. Malaysia become one of the biggest palm oil producer globally after Indonesia. In order to achieve successful yield per year, oil palm need constant effort and labor to monitor them accordingly. Manual method in monitoring the palm oil consumes large amount of time and energy. Palm oil comes from the fleshy fruit of oil palms. Unrefined palm oil is sometimes referred to as red palm oil because of its reddish-orange color. Remote sensing technique utilizes usage of satellite imageries to analyzes healthiness and canopy features of palm oil plantation. There are several advantage in determining palm oil condition through multispectral and texture analysis in ERDAS Imagine and Envi. Utilizing Landsat-8 imagery, monitoring palm oil cultivation and yield can be effectively implemented in Malaysia. In this study, we will use three vegetation indices which are Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI). This study will demonstrate that selected satellite-derived vegetation indices can be used to estimate oil palm yields with reliable accuracy. In this work, the ability of selected vegetation indices, derived from a single-date archived high resolution satellite imagery, to estimate oil palm yields at the management block scale was demonstrated. This technique applied to determine the condition of the palm oil tree. Using remote sensing technique, the value of the vegetation indices will be determined and analyzed. Result from this process, palm oil condition can be evaluated. This study provides an important benchmark for applying remote sensing technology in the management of plantation-scale oil palm. Oil palm yield estimation based on empirical models, as described in this work, can be computerized using a simple spreadsheet interface so as to facilitate optimal agronomic intervention, particularly with regard to crop harvesting, crop stress alleviation and input application. However, it’s important to note that palm oil should not be confused with palm kernel oil. While both originate from the same plant, palm kernel oil is extracted from the seed of the fruit. It provides different health benefits.