Nursery Practices for Production of Superior Oil Palm Planting Materials

Abstract

The early bearing and high yields of oil palm plantings are very much dependent on the production of uniformly good and healthy seedlings from a nursery and this can be achieved with good nursery management. Good nursery management covers from nursery site selection right up to the palm selection process just prior to field planting. This paper details all the requirements for the setting up and management of an oil palm nursery for the production of superior oil palm planting materials. A double stage nursery is advocated for and is the only type described here. Emphasis is also given to having a good irrigation system providing clean water to all seedlings in the nursery the whole year round. Pest and disease control should also be done judiciously and not rely on a prophylactic system. As the field planted palms would be required to have an economic life-span of more than 20 years, strict culling should be done at the designated times to ensure a full productive stand in the field. Finally, all operations in the nursery should be closely supervised to ensure that they are correctly implemented and done on time to avoid any costly mistakes which might be difficult to undo. Keywords: Oil palm, nursery, management, seedlings, planting materials.