Young Oil Palm Research Articles

Domestication of Dyera polyphylla (Miq.) Steenis in peatland agroforestry systems in Jambi, Indonesia

As part of a broader pattern of recovery after decline called forest transition, tree cover and carbon stocks have increased through agroforestry systems in many parts of Indonesia. The associated tree diversity transition implies that only the most useful parts of local tree flora are promoted. Swamp- land jelutong, Dyera polyphylla, has been domesti- cated in peat areas Jambi province, Indonesia. We discuss jelutong domestication in two coastal districts, referring to seven steps in a gradual change from products collected from communal natural forests to specific genotypes managed on private farms. Domes- tication of D. polyphylla in Jambi was in the initial stages three decades ago, when jelutong latex was directly tapped from the trees in its natural habitat of peat swamp forests. Tapping jelutong latex stopped in 2005 following the national regulation taxing forest products. Some farmers then started jelutong cultiva- tion, motivated by the profitability of trading jelutong latex in the past. Our on-farm study showed that jelutong can be planted in various mixed agroforestry systems, with rubber, coffee or oil palm as dominants. Planted jelutong with good farm management showed diameter growth rates of 1.3 to 1.9 cm year -1 . On- farm trials showed that dolomite as soil ameliorant did not affect diameter growth, but had some effect on height. Jelutong planted between young oil palm had the best performance, while jelutong that was under- planted in mature rubber gardens grew slowly. Slow market revival currentlyconstrains further tree domes- tication of jelutong.

Influence of Manure, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizer Application on Growth of One-year-old Oil Palms on Marginal Soil in Jonggol, Bogor, Indonesia

The oil palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) are highlyefcient oil producers. It produces ve to seven timesmore vegetable oil per hectare than soybean, sunower,and rapeseed. The objectives of this research were tostudy the role of organic and N, P, and K fertilizers ongrowth of one-year-old immature oil palm on marginalsoil in Jonggol. The research was conducted at IPBCargill Teaching Farm (ICTF) of Oil Palm, Jonggol,Bogor,West Java from March 2013 to March 2014. Theexperiment was arranged in a factorial experimentfollowing a randomized block design with threereplications. The rst factor was organic fertilizer(manure) consisting of 0 (O), 15 (O1) and 30 (O2) kg pertree per year. The second factor was inorganic fertilizerconsisting of 0 (S0); 0.25 kg N + 0.25 kg P O + 0.39 kg 2 5K O(S ) 0.50 k N+ 0.50 kg P O + 0.78 kg K O(S ) 2 25 2 1and g 2per tree. The results demonstrated that application ofmanure up to 30 kg per tree per year did not affect thegrowth of one-year-old oil palm. Application of 0.50 kg N+ 0.50 kg P O + 0.78 kg K O highest 2 5 2 per tree gave theresult in increasing frond production, stem girth, and leafnutrient concentration. The results of leaf analysis andplant growth responses suggested that the rates ofmanure and inorganic fertilizers applied in this study arenot sufcient to improve young oil palm growth inmarginal soil in Jonggol.Keywords: cow manure, critical nutrient level, inorganicfertilizer, soil fertility, vegetative growth

Effect of Cultivation in Different Age’s Oil Palm Plantation on Selected Chemical Properties of Peat Swamp Soils

Large-scale land conversion of peat for agricultural purposes requires clearance, drainage, fertilizer application, and liming to increase the pH and boost microbial activity. The objective of this present study was to compare the soil chemical properties of oil palm plantation one-three years oil palm planted and mature oil palm that were previously a secondary tropical peat swamp forest. Soil samples were collected randomly at difference age’s oil palm plantation from a Young Oil Palm Plantation (YOPP) in one year period of time at same place and Mature Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) another place from oil palm plantation in Batang Igan, Sibu Sarawak, Malaysia. Approach: Forty eight soil samples were taken using a peat soil auger at 0-15 cm depths in every area. The samples were air dried and then sieved to pass 2 mm sieve. Soil pH in water and KCl, soil CEC, Organic Matter (OM), Organic Carbon (OC), Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorous (TP), Total Potassium (TK), carbon to nitrogen ratio and carbon to phosphorous ratio were determined using standard procedures. Statistical analysis showed that CEC, TC and OM content were statistically similar. Results: The soil pHwater, TN and C/N ration shows highly significant for all difference age's oil palm plantation. Difference with pHKCl and TK content shows no significantly difference between YOPP 2 years and 3 years but both areas significantly higher with MOPP. For TP and C/P ratio content has no significant difference for YOPP (2 years) and MOPP but significantly difference with YOPP (3 years). Conclusion: Regardless of difference age's oil palm plantation, total carbon, organic matter and CEC was statistically similar to different ages of oil palm plantation, but soil acidity, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, C/N and C/P ratio was significantly higher between three areas weather YOPP (2 years), YOPP (3 years) and MOPP.

Nipa (Nypa fruticans Wurmb) Sap Collection in Southern Thailand II. Biomass and Soil Properties

Nipa (Nypa fruticans Wurmb) frond biomass is the cruicial factor for sap/sugar production. An allometric equation was firstly formulated for estimating frond biomass from the length (L) and the diameter at breast height (DBH) of a frond. And subsequently the L-DBH relationship was applied for L estimation at five nipa farms. As a result, the allometric equation was expressed as Log DW = 0.85 x Log D2L + 1.54 (r2 = 0.94). The highest above-ground biomass was 83 t/ha, whereas the average biomass in other farms was 32 t/ha, which was almost the same as that in young oil palm plantation. The physical and chemical properties of soils in the nipa farms were analyzed using 80 soil samples to elucidate the factors determining nipa soil properties by principle component analysis (PCA). Consequently, organic matter, salt content and brackish water were considered to be the key factors determining nipa soil properties. Daily sap production (ml/day) (DSP) was well explained by frond biomass and above-ground biomass with the equations: DSP = 17.6 x frond biomass (kg) + 256.1 (r2 = 0.48) and DSP = 11.4 x above-ground biomass (t/ha) + 263.4 (r2 = 0.57), respectively. When soil properties are included, sap production is better explained, as shown by multivariate analysis followed by PCA with the equation, DSP = 609.7 – 92.9 x PC1 – 58.5 x PC2 (r2 = 0.93). As PC1 and PC2 correspond to the organic matter factor and the salt content factor, sap production would be controlled by the nipa growth and the amount of Na in soil.

Land cover change interacts with drought severity to change fire regimes in Western Amazonia.

Fire is becoming a pervasive driver of environmental change in Amazonia and is expected to intensify, given projected reductions in precipitation and forest cover. Understanding of the influence of post-deforestation land cover change on fires in Amazonia is limited, even though fires in cleared lands constitute a threat for ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. We used MODIS satellite data to map burned areas annually between 2001 and 2010. We then combined these maps with land cover and climate information to understand the influence of land cover change in cleared lands and dry-season severity on fire occurrence and spread in a focus area in the Peruvian Amazon. Fire occurrence, quantified as the probability of burning of individual 232-m spatial resolution MODIS pixels, was modeled as a function of the area of land cover types within each pixel, drought severity, and distance to roads. Fire spread, quantified as the number of pixels burned in 3 × 3 pixel windows around each focal burned pixel, was modeled as a function of land cover configuration and area, dry-season severity, and distance to roads. We found that vegetation regrowth and oil palm expansion are significantly correlated with fire occurrence, but that the magnitude and sign of the correlation depend on drought severity, successional stage of regrowing vegetation, and oil palm age. Burning probability increased with the area of nondegraded pastures, fallow, and young oil palm and decreased with larger extents of degraded pastures, secondary forests, and adult oil palm plantations. Drought severity had the strongest influence on fire occurrence, overriding the effectiveness of secondary forests, but not of adult plantations, to reduce fire occurrence in severely dry years. Overall, irregular and scattered land cover patches reduced fire spread but irregular and dispersed fallows and secondary forests increased fire spread during dry years. Results underscore the importance of land cover management for reducing fire proliferation in this landscape. Incentives for promoting natural regeneration and perennial crops in cleared lands might help to reduce fire risk if those areas are protected against burning in early stages of development and during severely dry years.

Influence of watershed‐climate interactions on stream temperature, sediment yield, and metabolism along a land use intensity gradient in Indonesian Borneo

AbstractOil palm plantation expansion into tropical forests may alter physical and biogeochemical inputs to streams, thereby changing hydrological function. In West Kalimantan, Indonesia, we assessed streams draining watersheds characterized by five land uses: intact forest, logged forest, mixed agroforest, and young (<3 years) and mature (>10 years) oil palm plantation. We quantified suspended sediments, stream temperature, and metabolism using high‐frequency submersible sonde measurements during month‐long intervals between 2009 and 2012. Streams draining oil palm plantations had markedly higher sediment concentrations and yields, and stream temperatures, compared to other streams. Mean sediment concentrations were fourfold to 550‐fold greater in young oil palm than in all other streams and remained elevated even under base flow conditions. After controlling for precipitation, the mature oil palm stream exhibited significantly greater sediment yield than other streams. Young and mature oil palm streams were 3.9°C and 3.0°C warmer than the intact forest stream (25°C). Across all streams, base flow periods were significantly warmer than times of stormflow, and these differences were especially large in oil palm catchments. Ecosystem respiration rates were also influenced by low precipitation. During an El Niño–Southern Oscillation‐associated drought, the mature oil palm stream consumed a maximum 21 g O2 m−2 d−1 in ecosystem respiration, in contrast with 2.8 ± 3.1 g O2 m−2 d−1 during nondrought sampling. Given that 23% of Kalimantan's land area is occupied by watersheds similar to those studied here, our findings inform potential hydrologic outcomes of regional periodic drought coupled with continued oil palm plantation expansion.

Capability of integrated MODIS imagery and ALOS for oil palm, rubber and forest areas mapping in tropical forest regions.

Various classification methods have been applied for low resolution of the entire Earth's surface from recorded satellite images, but insufficient study has determined which method, for which satellite data, is economically viable for tropical forest land use mapping. This study employed Iterative Self Organizing Data Analysis Techniques (ISODATA) and K-Means classification techniques to classified Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Surface Reflectance satellite image into forests, oil palm groves, rubber plantations, mixed horticulture, mixed oil palm and rubber and mixed forest and rubber. Even though frequent cloud cover has been a challenge for mapping tropical forests, our MODIS land use classification map found that 2008 ISODATA-1 performed well with overall accuracy of 94%, with the highest Producer's Accuracy of Forest with 86%, and were consistent with MODIS Land Cover 2008 (MOD12Q1), respectively. The MODIS land use classification was able to distinguish young oil palm groves from open areas, rubber and mature oil palm plantations, on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) map, whereas rubber was more easily distinguished from an open area than from mixed rubber and forest. This study provides insight on the potential for integrating regional databases and temporal MODIS data, in order to map land use in tropical forest regions.

Oryctes rhinoceros Beetles, an Oil Palm Pest in Malaysia

Oryctes rhinoceros, commonly known as the rhinoceros beetle is an important agricultural pest that is known to inflict serious damage on young oil palm trees. Many researches have been conducted on its development, life cycle, habitat, management and genomic variation ever since the need to understand this pest arose. Oryctes rhinoceros is among the longest present agricultural pest in Malaysia and it has witnessed the formulation and implementation of various phases of control and management strategies. To date, research and development activities are still ongoing in Malaysia for the successful management of this pest. In this review, we look into details on the characteristics of this pest, the modes of its introduction into Malaysia, as well as the events that helped to establish and contribute to the proliferation of this pest as a major oil palm threat in Malaysia. The progressive development of various research and development activities concerning the management and control of this pest are also highlighted.

Measurement of some properties of binderless particleboards made from young and old oil palm trunks

The objective of this study was to evaluate variation of mechanical and physical properties of binderless particleboard panels manufactured from raw material of young and old oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) trunks. Results revealed that such experimental panels made from particles of young oil palm trunks had higher mechanical characteristics than those of made from old trunks. Addition of sugar compounds in the samples produced having particles from young trunks with and without extracted material enhanced their bending and internal bond strength values. Overall dimensional stability in the form of thickness swelling and water absorption those panels made from young trunks was adversely influenced. However adding sugars in the samples improved their thickness swelling and water absorption in both cases of with and without applying of extraction process.

Maximising Oil Palm Yield by High Density Planting and Thinning

Optimal planting density for current yield is much higher in young oil palm than in palms over 10 years old. High density planting followed by thinning allows early yields to be increased, while avoiding the loss from excessive inter-palm competition in later years. At Univanich Palm Oil PCL in Southern Thailand, the trial described here confirmed that, for cumulative yield over the life of a planting, the optimum is about 145 palms per hectare. The optimal density for current yield decreased with age, reaching a minimum 11-12 years after field planting, but then increased slightly in year 13. With initial planting at 160 or 180 palms per hectare, followed by 25 per cent or 33 per cent thinning to leave 120 palms per hectare, results up to 16 years after planting gave cumulative yields at least 15 per cent higher, or up to 36 tonnes FFB per hectare more, than a fixed density of 143 palms per hectare, provided that thinning was done at year 8-9 after planting to benefit from the period of low optimal density in years 11-12. Keywords: Oil palm, optimal density, thinning, competition, palm age.

Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae) (Mile-a-Minute): Its Distribution and Physical and Socioeconomic Impacts in Papua New Guinea

Mikania micrantha or mile-a-minute is regarded as a major invasive weed in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and is now the target of a biological control program. As part of the program, distribution and physical and socioeconomic impacts of M. micrantha were studied to obtain baseline data and to assist with field release of biological control agents. Through public awareness campaigns and dedicated surveys, M. micrantha has been reported in all 15 lowland provinces. It is particularly widespread in East New Britain, as well as in West New Britain and New Ireland. A CLIMEX model suggests that M. micrantha has the potential to continue to spread throughout all lowland areas in PNG. The weed was found in a wide range of land uses, impacting on plantations and food gardens and smothering papaya, young cocoa, banana, taro, young oil palms, and ornamental plants. In socioeconomic surveys, M. micrantha was found to have severe impacts on crop production and income generated through reduced yields and high weeding costs, particularly in subsistence mixed cropping systems. About 89% of all respondents had M. micrantha on their land, and 71% of respondents had to weed monthly. Approximately 96% of respondents in subsistence mixed cropping systems used only physical means of control compared with 68% of respondents in other farming systems. About 45% of all respondents estimated that M. micrantha causes yield losses in excess of 30%. These studies suggest that there would be substantial benefits to landholders if biological control of M. micrantha were to be successful.

Common Spear Rot of Oil Palm in Indonesia.

Common spear rot (CSR), which is also known as crown disease, was first reported in Indonesia in the 1920s. It has caused considerable losses in young oil palm plantings, and yet the pathogenic agent has remained elusive. Symptomatic spear leaves were collected from oil palm plantations and farm plots in South Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Of the 14 different fungi isolated, Fusarium incarnatum, F. solani, an undescribed Fusarium sp., and Ceratocystis paradoxa were isolated most frequently from diseased leaf tissue. F. incarnatum and the undescribed Fusarium sp. were also frequently isolated from healthy leaf tissue, along with Pestalotiopsis microspora and Curvularia affinis. Ceratocystis paradoxa was never isolated from healthy leaf tissue. Koch's postulate experiments showed that C. paradoxa was able to infect wounded oil palm leaves causing a symptom of extensive rotting similar to that found in the field. Although isolated less frequently and less virulent than C. paradoxa, F. sacchari was also capable of causing lesions on succulent wounded, inoculated leaves. For both C. paradoxa and F. sacchari, the disease severity index was greater when the oil palm leaves appeared to have more succulent growth. Likewise, other Fusarium species and other nonfusarial fungi that were usually not pathogenic were weakly virulent on palms with more succulent growth. These findings confirm that C. paradoxa is one pathogen that is associated with CSR of oil palm in Indonesia.

Inoculation of <i>Bacillus sphaericus</i> UPMB-10 to Young Oil Palm and Measurement of Its Uptake of Fixed Nitrogen Using the <sup>15</sup>N Isotope Dilution Technique

There are increasing applications of diazotrophic rhizobacteria in the sustainable agriculture system. A field experiment on young immature oil palm was conducted to quantify the uptake of N derived from N2 fixation by the diazotroph Bacillus sphaericus strain UPMB-10, using the 15N isotope dilution method. Eight months after 15N application, young immature oil palms that received 67% of standard N fertilizer application together with B. sphaericus inoculation had significantly lower 15N enrichment than uninoculated palms that received similar N fertilizers. The dilution of labeled N served as a marker for the occurrence of biological N2 fixation. The proportion of N uptake that was derived from the atmosphere was estimated as 63% on the whole plant basis. The inoculation process increased the N and dry matter yields of the palm leaflets and rachis significantly. Field planting of young, immature oil palm in soil inoculated with B. sphaericus UPMB-10 might mitigate inorganic fertilizer-N application through supplementation by biological nitrogen fixation. This could be a new and important source of nitrogen biofertilizer in the early phase of oil palm cultivation in the field.

Properties of composite boards from oil palm frond agricultural waste

Properties of composite boards from oil palm frond agricultural waste were researched. Phenol and urea formaldehyde resins were used as the binders. The oil palm fronds were obtained from 20 year-old trees in an oil palm plantation in Kota Belud, Sabah. The fronds were segregated into three groups of matured, intermediate, and young oil palm fronds and further subdivided into bottom, middle, and top sections. The leaflets and the epidermis were removed from the fronds before they were sliced longitudinally into thin layers. The layers were then compressed into uniform thickness of 2 to 3 mm. The layers were air-dried and later mixed with resins using 12 to 15% of phenol and urea formaldehyde and recompressed with other layers, forming composite boards. The composite boards samples were then tested for their physical and mechanical properties. Testing was conducted in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. The results for physical and mechanical properties showed that the oil palm composite boards were better than composite boards from oil palm trunks and slightly worse than the rubberwood. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences between composite boards made from each group and section, but no differences were observed in the type of resin used. The composite boards from oil palm fronds agricultural residues has the potential to be used as an alternative to wood to overcome the shortage in materials in the wood industry.

CADANGAN, KEHILANGAN, DAN AKUMULASI KARBON PADA PERKEBUNAN KELAPA SAWIT DI LAHAN GAMBUT TROPIKA

Peat land conversion to oil palm plantation affects carbon stocks and can change a net sink of atmospheric carbon (C) into a net source. The influence of location, type of peat, drainage practices and fertilization is insufficiently known. A study was conducted in West Aceh from May 2008 until October 2009 in oil palm plantations of various age. Carbon stocks and C loss were calculated from data of bulk density (BD), ash content, carbon content, and peat depth. A new method for C loss estimates using ash as internal tracer was developed and tested. Peat land characteristics after drainage and conversion to oil palm plantation were investigated by field observation and laboratory analysis of peat soil samples in the laboratory. Results showed that: 1) Distance from the drain influences the rates of: a) water table depth, b) subsidence, with rates of 1,1 to 9,2 cm/year and 22.67 – 57.23% influence of C loss, and c) soil carbon loss. 2) Ash content and bulk density of the peat are related, indicating the partial loss of soil C during compaction. 3) An “internal tracer” estimate of peat C loss yields estimates of CO2 flux up to 48 t CO2-eq ha-1 y-1 for young oil palm, highly correlated with measured rates of subsidence of the surface and water table depth. 4) Patterns of weight loss of surface litter, measured in litter bags, respond to inherent quality (C/N). Some data for oil palm on shallow peat suggest that a net sink for C can be maintained under such conditions.Key words: Carbon stock, carbon loss, carbon accumulation, oil palm, tropical peat

Comparative impact of a single application of selected broad spectrum herbicides on ecological components of oil palm plantation

Proper choice and use of herbicides are important for the effective control of weed and environmental safety. Herbicides which possess both characteristics are preferred for use in weed control operation. A study was, therefore, conducted to compare the performance of common broad-spectrum herbicides of paraquat, glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium to control weeds and their impact to the surrounding ecological components of an oil palm plantation. Field experiments set up in the oil palm plantation were sprayed accordingly with recommended rates of the herbicides (paraquat, 600 g a.i. ha-1; glufosinate-ammonium, 600 g a.i. ha-1 and glyphosate, 1200 g a.i. ha-1) at 200 L ha-1, using knapsack sprayer fitted with a 2.5 deflector nozzle. Untreated control plots were included in the experiment. The effectiveness of the herbicides on weed population, their residues in the soil and indirect effects on oil palm crop plants were evaluated. Paraquat killed 74% of the weed population with effective control period of 8.8 WAT, whereas, both glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium caused maximum killed of 99% and remained effective until 14.8 WAT. The measurements of weed dry weight and growth reduction also indicated that the herbicides caused significant reduction compared with the control, but paraquat was comparatively less effective than glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium. Minimal and insignificant residue levels of the herbicides were detected in the soil after application which caused no significant detrimental effect on oil palm crop development and production, or the microorganism populations (fungi and bacteria) in the soil. The study indicated that the use of the herbicides can be effective in controlling the mixed weed population in oil palm plantation; glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium showed greater effectiveness than paraquat. The herbicides, applied at their recommended rates, left no residual effects on the surrounding ecological components of oil palm plantation. Key words: Herbicide efficacy, mixed weeds, young oil palm, paraquat, glufosinate-ammonium, glyphosate.

Datos bionómicos y descripción de los inmaduros de Calyptocephala gerstaeckeri Boheman (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), plaga de la palma aceitera (Elaeis guineensis J.) y de la palma camedor (Chamaedorea elegans Mart.) (Arecaceae) en Tabasco, México

Characters of the external morphology of egg, larval instars and pupae of Calyptocephala gerstaeckeri Boheman, insect pest of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis J.) and camedor palm (Chamaedorea elegans Mart.) in the State of Tabasco, Mexico, are described and illustrated. Some bionomics data are also presented. The specie was reared in the laboratory on young oil palm plants.

Potentials of Using the Pheromone Trap for Monitoring and Controlling the Bagworm, Metisa plana Wlk (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) on Young Oil Palm in a Smallholder Plantation

This study was carried out to investigate the potentials of using the pheromone trap for monitoring and controlling the bagworm, Metisa plana Wlk (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) on young oil palm in a smallholder plantation in southern Perak, Malaysia. Three types (Delta, Open-Delta, and Vane) of traps were evaluated with receptive virgin females as the pheromone sources. The Vane trap appeared to be most effective. Increase in pheromone sources resulted in more trap catches. The sticky Vane traps with receptive females showed potentials for mass trapping the bagworm, which resulted in reduced field population of bagworms.

Conservation and sustainable production of Asparagus racemosus in an oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) based agroforestry system

For evaluating the feasibility of ex situ conservation and sustainable production of Asparagus racemosus, as a part of an Oil Palm based cropping system, an experiment was conducted at Oil Palm Estate, Kulathupuzha, Kerala during 1999-2002. The results revealed that the different shade conditions available under the Palms of different age groups significantly favoured the growth and yield of Asparagus. Root yield per plant was higher under the Oil Palm shade compared to open condition and the highest yield was noticed under young Oil Palm canopy. An economic analysis of the yield data recorded a net profit under all situations and the highest net profit was from young oil palm plantation. Based on the benefit cost ratio, Asparagus racemosus can be considered as an ideal inter crop under young Oil Palm plantations followed by medium and mature plantations. Introduction and integration of Asparagus racemosus in the Oil Palm based cropping system can become a potential Agroforestry system which could be effectively utilized for the conservation and sustainable production of this valuable herb.

Following basal stem rot in young oil palm plantings

The PCR primer GanET has previously been shown to be suitable for the specific amplification of DNA from Ganoderma boninense. A DNA extraction and PCR method has been developed that allows for the amplification of the G. boninense DNA from environmental samples of oil palm tissue. The GanET primer reaction was used in conjunction with a palm-sampling programme to investigate the possible infection of young palms through cut frond base surfaces. Ganoderma DNA was detected in frond base material at a greater frequency than would be expected by comparison with current infection levels. Comparisons are made between the height of the frond base infected, the number of frond bases infected, and subsequent development of basal stem rot. The preliminary results suggest that the development of basal stem rot may be more likely to occur when young lower frond bases are infected.