Palm Plantations Research Articles

The Potential Benefits of Palm Oil Waste-Derived Compost in Embracing the Circular Economy

The environmental impact of peat extraction in plant nurseries requires urgent attention due to climate change and habitat destruction. Substituting peat moss with compost derived from palm oil waste in oil palm nurseries presents a viable solution. However, the challenges in its implementation must be considered. This research focuses on optimizing composting conditions for palm oil waste and examines the impact of the compost on soil quality, nutrient availability, and seedling growth. Measurements such as the culling rate, plant height, leaf length, and chlorophyll content were taken to assess seedling growth in nurseries. The compost was also tested as a soil amendment for 5-year-old palm trees, with foliar analysis conducted to evaluate the nutrient assimilation. The results show that optimized compost significantly enhanced the seedling growth by 20–50%, evidenced by the increased plant height, longer leaf length, and higher chlorophyll content. Additionally, the foliar analysis demonstrated an improvement of 5–15% in the nutrient assimilation in the 5-year-old palm trees. This research highlights the potential of optimizing oil palm waste composting for sustainable planting media in nurseries, mitigating environmental impacts and promoting productivity in oil palm plantations. Adopting this circular economy model can address waste management challenges while ensuring a resilient and sustainable approach in the palm oil industry.

Effect of Different Seed Treatment on Germination of Fishtail Palm (Caryota urens) under Naturally Ventilated Poly-house Conditions

An investigation was conducted to study the effect of different seed treatments comprising of mechanical scarification, chemical and plant growth regulator on germination of Fishtail palm (Caryota urens) seeds under naturally ventilated poly-house at sheth D. M. Polytechnic in Horticulture College, Anand Agricultural University, Vadodara during 2021 to 2023. There were total 12 treatments under study which was replicated trice and statistically analysed by completely randomized design at 90 days after sowing. The results revealed that treatment T12 i.e. seeds treated with GA3 1000 ppm for one day recorded significantly lesser days to initiation of germination (46.33 days) along with higher germination percentage (86.67 % and 85.00 %), germination rate index (5.90 %/day and 5.70 %/day) and germination index (255 and 243.67), coefficient of velocity of germination (6.18 and 6.02), timpson’s germination index (1275 and 1218), modified timpson germination index (42.50 and 40.61) and survival percentage (88.33 and 86.67) at 90 days after sowing during first and second year respectively. While, seed without any treatment kept in open condition treatment T1 showed poor performance in germination percentage as well as survival percentage. Thus, Fishtail palm (Caryota urens) seeds soaked in solution of 1000 ppm GA3 along with sowing them in polybags and kept under NVPH condition provides better germination and survival.

New Eco-Friendly Thermal Insulation and Sound Absorption Composite Materials Derived from Waste Black Tea Bags and Date Palm Tree Surface Fibers

A tremendous amount of waste black tea bags (BTBs) and date palm surface fibers (DPSFs), at the end of their life cycle, end up in landfills, leading to increased pollution and an increase in the negative impact on the environment. Therefore, this study aims to utilize these normally wasted materials efficiently by developing new composite materials for thermal insulation and sound absorption. Five insulation composite boards were developed, two were bound (BTB or DPSF with polyvinyl Acetate resin (PVA)) and three were hybrids (BTB, DPSF, and resin). In addition, the loose raw waste materials (BTB and DPSF) were tested separately with no binder. Thermal conductivity and sound absorption coefficients were determined for all boards. Thermal stability analysis was reported for the components of the tea bag (string, label, and bag) and one of the composite hybrid boards. Mechanical properties of the boards such as flexural strain, flexural stress, and flexural elastic modulus were determined for the bound and hybrid composites. The results showed that the thermal conductivity coefficients for all the hybrid composite sample boards are less than 0.07 at the ambient temperature of 24 °C and they were enhanced as the BTB ratio was reduced in the hybrid composite boards. The noise reduction coefficient for bound and all hybrid composite samples is greater than 0.37. The composite samples are thermally stable up to 291 °C. Most composite samples have a high flexure modulus between 4.3 MPa and 10.5 MPa. The tea bag raw materials and the composite samples have a low moisture content below 2.25%. These output results seem promising and encouraging using such developed sample boards as eco-friendly thermal insulation and sound absorption and competing with the synthetic ones developed from petrochemicals in building insulation. Moreover, returning these waste materials to circulation and producing new eco-friendly composites can reduce the number of landfills, the level of environmental pollution, and the use of synthetic materials made from fossil resources.

Application of Date Palm Tree Branch-Based Activated Carbon for Aqueous Toxicity Reduction

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has millions of date palm trees for commercial scale date-fruit production. The respective industry also generates agricultural waste including date palm tree branches. This rich bio-resource can be used for several beneficial applications. The present study therefore investigated the application of granular activated carbon (GAC) produced using date palm tree branches to successfully remove phenol, p-cresol, and copper from synthetic wastewater. The respective adsorption equilibrium results fitted well to the Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm. Furthermore, the pH-dependent adsorption results both for phenol and p-cresol appeared to follow an anionic-type adsorption behavior (i.e., decreasing adsorption with an increase in aqueous phase equilibrium pH). However, the pH-dependent adsorption finding for copper showed a cationic-type adsorption behavior. These adsorption trends were explained employing the pH-dependent speciation of the respective pollutants. In general, findings from the present work indicate that a high-specific-surface-area (SSABET) GAC material from the date palm tree branches can be successfully employed for aqueous phase pollution control.

Influence of Utilization of Natural Waste Fibers Pyrolysis on Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Concrete

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the thermal processing of natural fibers on the strength of what is considered fiber-reinforced concrete. Natural fibers extracted from palm trees and bamboo residues were collected and pyrolyzed. The investigation of the morphological alterations that occur during the pyrolysis of natural fibers at a temperature of 200°C showed the impact of the cementitious environment on this process. In addition, the mechanical characteristics of fiber-reinforced concrete were conducted on different dosages (1, 1.5, 2, and 5% wt.) of treated and untreated palm oil, date kernel, and bamboo fibers. The results demonstrated that the inclusion of fibers up to 1.5% wt. enhanced the concrete mixes mechanical properties, which included pyrolyzed fibers. Analyzes of the concrete microstructure revealed that the treated fibers were not damaged. The 1.5% wt. addition of fibers after pyrolysis process can effectively improve their adhesion to the matrix and reduce the width and number of cracks. The analysis of variance results for flexural strength indicated that all sources had no significant impact on the flexural strength of untreated or pyrolysis treated natural fiber reinforced concrete.

An evaluation rule to manage productivity properties performance of male date palms

ABSTRACT Male palm trees almost prominently display minute morphological variations; however, date palm growers rely on readily available pollen from unproven male genotypes without giving correct type selection any thought, which may result in low productivity and/or poor fruit quality. This study sought to develop an evaluation rule by calculating an evaluation index for managing the productivity characteristics performance of nine male date palms, which were examined for their pollen productivity, nutritional status and morphological traits from their leaves, pinnae and spathes. The findings showed that the evaluation rule for a male date palm should depend on pollen grains productivity and germination percentage traits with a weight of 5, spathe morphological traits with a weight of 4, pinnae morphological traits with a weight of 3, leaf morphological traits with a weight of 2 and leaf nutritional status with a weight of 1. The best productivity characteristics performance of male date palms was male No. 8 ‘M8’ due to its high evaluation index. The proposed evaluation index criterion will contribute to better information and analytical support for management of the date palm industry to maximise the effectiveness of germplasm conservation and exploitation, as well as procedural and methodological aspects of the analysis.

Effect of Fermentation by Probiotic Bacteria on the Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds from the Fruit of the Juçara Palm (Euterpe edulis Martius)

The underexplored fruit from the juçara palm tree (Euterpe edulis Martius) has bioactive compounds with antioxidant activities, such as phenolic acids and anthocyanins. This fruit’s pulp presents itself as an appropriate fermentation medium for probiotic bacteria growth. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of fermentation by Limosilactobacillus reuteri LR92 (JLR) and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12 (JBB) on the bioactive compound contents of the juçara pulp, before and after a gastrointestinal simulation. The pulp of the juçara fruit showed probiotic counts of 8.70 ± 0.07 log UFC/mL for JLR and 8.44 ± 0.09 log UFC/mL for JBB, after 24 h of fermentation. Fermentation with the strains used modified the proportions of fatty acids (fatty acids esters were quantified using a gas chromatography equipment) and fibers when compared to the non-fermented pulp. The antioxidant capacity determined by DPPH, FRAP and ABTS showed significant reduction after the gastrointestinal simulation for samples. Phenolic compound analysis by UPLC-MS/MS showed, after fermentation, a greater amount of ferulic, protocatechuic and catechin acids in the samples. These results show changes in the bioactive compounds due to the fermentation of the juçara pulp by probiotics. However, these compounds showed bioactive potential and were bioaccessible after the gastrointestinal simulation, with the pulp being a potential means for bacteria growth, which may bring health benefits.

The hindgut microbiota of coconut rhinoceros beetles (Oryctes rhinoceros) in relation to their geographical populations.

The coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB, Oryctes rhinoceros) is a palm tree pest capable of rapidly expanding its population in new territories. Previous studies identified a digestive symbiosis between CRB and its gut microbes. However, no research compared the genetic variation of CRBs with their hindgut microbiota on a global scale. This study aims to investigate the genetic divergence of CRB and the compositional variation of CRB's microbiota across different geographical locations, and explore the association between them and their predicted functional profiles and environmental data. The research reveals a distinct and consistent microbial community within local populations, but it varies across different geographical populations. The microbial functional profiles linked to the production of digestive enzymes, including cellulases and ligninases, are nonetheless globally conserved. This suggests that CRBs employ specific mechanisms to select and maintain microbes with functional benefits, contributing to host adaptability, stress tolerance, and fitness. The CRB microbial communities did not appear to recapitulate the genetic variation of their hosts. Rather than depend on obligate symbionts, CRBs seem to establish similar digestive associations with whatever environmentally acquired microbes are available wherever they are, aiding them in successfully establishing after invading a new location.IMPORTANCECoconut rhinoceros beetles (CRBs) are notorious pests on Arecaceae plants, posing destructive threats to countries highly reliant on coconut, oil palm, and date palm as economic crops. In the last century, CRBs have rapidly expanded their presence to territories that were once free of these beetles. The United States, for instance, has officially designated CRBs as invasive and alien pests. Given their remarkable ability to swiftly adapt to new environments, their gut microbes may play a crucial role in this process. While the microbiota of CRBs vary depending on geographical location, these beetles consistently exhibit a functionally identical digestive association with locally acquired microbes. This underscores the significance of CRB-microbe association in shaping the adaptive strategies of this agricultural pest.

Growth and initiation of third stage of immature oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) by giving oil palm frond compost and paclobutrazol

The third stage of immature oil palm is the phase where the plants enter preparation for flowering, so efforts are needed to initiate flowering, one of which is by using plant growth regulators (PGR) such as paclobutrazol. It is expected that the use of oil palm fronds as compost and application to oil palm plants can support sustainable oil palm management activities. Paclobutrazol, as a growth regulator, plays a role in stimulating the flowering of immature oil palm plants. This research aims to determine the response to the growth and development of immature oil palm plants in the third stage by administering palm frond compost and paclobutrazol at certain doses and concentrations. The experiment was carried out from June to December 2020 at the Ciparanje Experimental Garden, Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University. The experimental design used was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 12 treatments and three replications. The experimental results showed that the application of compost to oil palm fronds and paclobutrazol had a significant effect on plant height and stem girth, but there were no significant differences in the number of fronds, leaf area, chlorophyll index, and flowers. All treatments did not produce flower shoots but showed inhibition of vegetative growth in immature oil palm plants in the third stage. The application of 12.8 kg of oil palm frond compost and 150 ppm paclobutrazol had the best effect on the height and girth of the oil palm stem and had an effect that was not significantly different from other treatments on the parameters of a number of fronds, leaf area, leaf chlorophyll, and flower growth.

Nereidid polychaetes (Annelida) inhabiting the inside of decaying fronds of the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans in a tropical estuary in Malaysia, with special reference to the life history of the dominant species, Namalycastis sp

ABSTRACT Since relatively dense assemblages of nereidid worms were discovered from a unique habitat within the decaying fronds of the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans, we conducted a one-year survey from September 2015 to September 2016 at six sites in Setiu Wetlands, Malaysia, to clarify the species composition of the nereidid assemblages and the life history of the dominant species. The majority of specimens collected from the plant body (507 out of a total 678 specimens) belonged to Namalycastis sp. with remaining specimens belonging to Namanereis sp. (n=168), Namalycastis rhodochorde (n=1), and Perinereis aibuhitensis (n=2). Specimens of P. aibuhitensis (n=2) and Dendronereis sp. (n=2) were also collected from sediments around the palm trees. The taxonomic accounts of two Namalycastis spp. and Perinereis aibuhitensis are provided here. The life history of the dominant species Namalycastis sp. is evaluated based on the population characteristics. This species is gonochoric, with the sex ratio close to 1:1. The ovigerous females were found throughout the year, with their body width (BW) ranging from 1.3 to 4.8 mm. The ovigerous rate (no. of ovigerous females/no. of worms larger than the minimum ovigerous female) was lowest in February and March 2016 (8–9%) and highest from July to November 2016 (23–29%), when the ovigerous females had the largest coelomic oocytes of 100–120µm in diameter. Probable epitokes with additional neuropodial sesquigomph spinigers occurred most abundantly in November 2015 (21% of adults), which was also the only month when a mature male with mature spermatozoa appeared. Few juveniles with BW of less than 1.3 mm occurred from February to July, whereas large adults with BW of more than 3.5 mm occurred from May to November. These results suggest semelparous reproduction with peak spawning in November, coinciding with low salinity during the north-east monsoon.

Morphology and Allometry of Juvenile Açaí Palms Under Cultivation Conditions in Central Amazonia

Two Amazonian species of açaí palm trees (Euterpe oleracea and Euterpe precatoria) are exploited in the commercial production of açaí pulp or juice. While E. oleracea benefits from developed cultivation technologies, E. precatoria lacks such advancements. Studies on the morphology and development of açaí palms under cultivation conditions can contribute to increasing the productivity of the species. The aim of this study was to carry out morphological characterization, assess growth and development in the juvenile phase of the plants, and obtain allometric models for E. precatoria and E. oleracea. Evaluations were conducted between 44 and 48 months post-planting. Allometric equations were formulated to accurately estimate leaf area. The results showed that E. oleracea begins reproduction earlier and exhibits greater growth in stem dimensions and leaf areas compared to E. precatoria, indicating that E. precatoria can be cultivated at higher planting densities. Allometric models, based on leaf length and width, effectively predicted individual leaf areas for both species, demonstrating their utility in optimizing cultivation strategies.

Variation in Morphological Characteristic and Growth Rate of Isolated Dikaryotic Ganoderma boninense Mycelia on Nutrient Medium and Rubberwood Block: A Cue for Their Virulency

Undeniably, the formation of new Ganoderma variants within the plantation rapidly declines the life expectancy of oil palm trees. The produced variants induce severe infection on the palm, largely impeding disease management approaches to prevent infection. Selection of the high virulent of Ganoderma spp. affiliated with stem rot disease is crucial for assessing the planting material to identify either resistant or tolerant oil palm cultivars and optimise treatment strategies in line with species varieties. So far, the genetic diversity and virulency of these Ganoderma species in the IOI Group estate have not yet been explored. About seven basidocarps were collected from Ganoderma-infected palms and identified as Ganoderma boninense. The cultural traits of these nine isolates, including P4.1E and PER71 showed distinct phenotypical variations on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Though sequence analysis revealed four PM09C isolates were 100 per cent identical, incompatible reactions were observed among isolates, similar to other isolates from different fields. The mycelia rate expansion on the nutrient medium had a significantly correlated relationship to the disease incidence (DI) (r = 0.750), disease severity index (DSI) (r = 0.690) and death rate (DR) (r = 0.732). Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of Ganoderma species in the estate and provide valuable insights for developing targeted management strategies in evaluating tolerant planting material for future replanting. Keywords: Ganoderma, oil palm, basal stem rot, genetic diversity, virulency.

Study on the Effects of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Hygroscopic Properties of Palm Leaf Manuscripts

Study on the Effects of Temperature and Relative Humidity on the Hygroscopic Properties of Palm Leaf Manuscripts

Performance enhancement of galloping wind energy harvesting via bio-inspired V-shaped blade

ABSTRACT Galloping wind energy harvesting has promising applications in future distributed self-powered low-power devices. A novel V-shaped blade is figured out from Palm leaf galloping. The enhancement of galloping oscillation from the bio-inspired V-shaped blade is evaluated. The galloping wind energy harvester (WEH) with a V-shaped blade is developed by electro-mechanical modeling, finite element simulation, ground vibration tests, and wind tunnel tests. It is found that the structural damping, effective electro-mechanical coupling coefficient, and V-shape included angle have big effects on the harvesting performance. The cut-in wind speed of WEH is below 3 m/s. With an included angle of 115° and a wind speed of 6.5 m/s, the output voltage is 4.48 V and the power density is 90.00 μW/cm3. The V-shaped blade harvester exhibits a 151.69% increase in output voltage and a 575.00% increase in power density compared to the traditional brick blade (square cross-section) harvester. Tests indicate that the output frequency remains stable at the structural resonant despite increasing wind speed. This study provides insights into enhancing galloping oscillation and wind energy harvesting efficiency by optimizing the aerodynamic shape of vortex shedding bluffs.

Enhanced Removal of Chlorpyrifos, Cu(II), Pb(II), and Iodine from Aqueous Solutions Using Ficus Nitida and Date Palm Biochars

This study explores the adsorption efficiency of biochar derived from palm trees and Ficus nitida for the removal of various contaminants, including Cu(II), Pb(II), iodine, and chlorpyrifos from aqueous solutions. Biochar was prepared using a two-step pyrolysis process for date palm biochar and single-step pyrolysis for Ficus nitida biochar. Characterization techniques such as SEM, EDX, and FTIR revealed a significant surface area and a variety of functional groups in both types of biochar, essential for effective adsorption. The date palm biochar exhibited superior adsorption capacities for Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions, achieving efficiencies up to 99.9% and 100%, respectively, due to its high content of oxygen-containing functional groups that facilitated strong complexation and ion exchange mechanisms. Conversely, Ficus nitida biochar demonstrated a higher adsorption capacity for iodine, reaching 68% adsorption compared to 39.7% for date palm biochar, owing to its greater surface area and microporosity. In the case of chlorpyrifos, Ficus nitida biochar again outperformed date palm biochar, achieving a maximum adsorption efficiency of 87% after 24 h of incubation, compared to 50.8% for date palm biochar. The study also examines the effect of incubation time on adsorption efficiency, showing that the adsorption of chlorpyrifos by date palm biochar increased significantly with time, reaching a maximum of 62.9% after 48 h, with no further improvement beyond 12 h. These results highlight the importance of biochar characteristics, such as surface area, pore structure, and functional groups, in determining adsorption efficiency. The findings suggest that optimizing pyrolysis conditions and surface modifications could further enhance the performance of biochar as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for water purification and environmental remediation.

Investigating the Impact of Palm Leaf Fibers onthe Crack Resistance of Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Investigating the Impact of Palm Leaf Fibers onthe Crack Resistance of Hot Asphalt Mixtures

Optimized pyrolytic synthesis and physicochemical characterization of date palm seed biochar: unveiling a sustainable adsorbent for environmental remediation applications.

This study focuses on the optimization and comprehensive characterization of biochar synthesized from date palm seeds (DPS), a prevalent agricultural waste in arid regions. Using response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD), we optimized the pyrolysis process by investigating the effects of time (1-3 h) and temperature (600-900 °C) on critical properties such as specific surface area, pore volume, and yield. The optimized biochar, produced at 828 °C for 1.7 h, demonstrated a high specific surface area of 654.8 m2/g and well-developed microporosity. Characterization techniques, including XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDS, and BET analyses, revealed an amorphous carbon structure with graphitic domains, diverse surface functionalities, and a heterogeneous porous microstructure. The biochar's point of zero charge at pH 7.58 indicates its potential for selective adsorption of charged contaminants. The close agreement between RSM-predicted and experimental values for specific surface area (652.1 m2/g vs. 654.8 m2/g) and micropore volume (0.191 cm3/g vs. 0.190 cm3/g) validates the effectiveness of the model in optimizing biochar properties. This research highlights the potential of DPS-derived biochar as a sustainable adsorbent for environmental remediation, opening avenues for valorizing agricultural wastes and contributing to circular economy principles.

Relationship analysis between Ganoderma boninense-derived Basal Stem Rot disease severity with multiple leaf physiology parameters in mature oil palm tree responses toward water use efficiency (WUE)

Relationship analysis between Ganoderma boninense-derived Basal Stem Rot disease severity with multiple leaf physiology parameters in mature oil palm tree responses toward water use efficiency (WUE)

Co-pyrolysis of biomass/polyurethane foam waste: Thermodynamic study using Aspen Plus

Due to the varieties and identical feature of solid waste, this research aims to consider the use of various feedstocks in pyrolysis process for liquid fuel production. The feedstock considered covers woody and non-woody biomass and plastic waste which are represented by sawdust (SD), palm leaf (PL) and polyurethane foam (PU) waste. In this research, both pure solid waste and the co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic wastes were determined based on thermodynamics study. The model of pyrolysis process developed through Aspen Plus simulator was implemented to study the product yield, higher heating value (HHV) and energy consumption with a wider range of pyrolysis temperature and blending weight ratio. The simulation results clearly showed the use of pure PU waste can provide the highest oil yield (∼44%wt.) which is corresponded to highest HHV (∼28 MJ/kg). The pyrolysis, operating at 400oC, can provide the most significant quantity of oil. For the co-pyrolysis, the results revealed that more PU waste blended in both biomasses can improve both oil yield and HHV while the energy consumption is lower. From the simulation results, the optimal blending weight ratio of biomass and PU waste at 25:75 can provide suitable oil yield (∼43%wt.), HHV (∼26 MJ/kg) and energy consumption (243kW).

Enhancing Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Resilience: Strategies Against Bayoud Spread in Moroccan Oases

Abstract “Bayoud”, a vascular disease caused by the soilborne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis (Foa), is the principal enemy of palm trees that puts at stake the future of the date palm industry in Morocco. The parasite attacks the palms through the roots and colonizes the entire vascular system, leading to wilt and ultimately palm death. Effective disease management is a major step towards the success of all sustainable development projects in the oasis. This review delineates diverse strategies for managing Bayoud disease, including prophylactic measures, chemical and cultural controls, genetic selection for resistant varieties, and exploration of biochemical and molecular markers. An integrated management approach was proposed that underscores early detection, sustainable agricultural practices, genetic resistance, biological control, community involvement, and continuous research and development. To contain the disease in already-infested areas and prevent its spread to new date palm plantations in oases.