Important Modern Oil Palm Cultivation

8/17/2019 Important Modern Oil Palm Cultivation

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MODERN OIL PALM CULTIVATION

1. A modern oil palm plantation needs a grower who has learned how to cultivate oil palms.

Growing selected oil palms is not !st a matter o" pic#ing t$e "r!it% it is a moderncrop&The grower must learn how to do his work well.The grower should ask for advice, so that he learns to do better and better.

The grower must think about his work and plan it, so that he can always do his work atthe right time.Selected oil palms give the grower much more work than the natural trees, but they yieldmuch more.

An oil palm grower is a modern farmer.With the money he earns he can buy for his family what they need, and he can

modernize his farm.

'E(ORE )TARTING T*IN+ T*ING) OVER CARE(ULL,

An oil palm begins to produce or ! years after it has been planted."uring that time the grower must spend money and work hard, without harvesting anyfruit or earning any money.

#. To ma#e a modern oil palm plantation ta#es mone-&

$ost often you will have to pay workmen for clearing the site of the plantation and

removing tree stumps.

Then you must buy seedlings and fertilizers.%nless you apply fertilizers to the oil palms when they are still young, they will not growwell and you will have to wait a longer time before you can begin to harvest.

&ou may also have to pay workers to help you look after the young plantation. Weedsmust not be allowed to get in the way of the oil palms, and the trees must be protectedfrom damage by rats and agoutis.

All this work takes a lot of time, and this means that you may not have enough time tolook after large fields of food crops.

&ou may have to buy food for your family.'efore you start an oil palm plantation, you must calculate carefully whether you will beable to pay all these e(penses.

. To grow oil palms ta#es a lot o" wor#&

'efore planting your oil palms, you have to clear the forest and remove the tree stumps.Then it takes a lot of time to sow the cover crop, dig holes in the plantation, take theseedlings out of the nursery, carry them to the plantation and plant them.



All this work needs to be carefully done) you must take your time.*ever hurry if you want to be successful with your plantation.

+nce the oil palms are planted, you must put wire netting around the young trees, youmust spread fertilizer and keep watch over the plantation.&oung oil palms need a lot of care. t is better to make a smaller plantation, but look after

it carefully.

+nce the oil palms have begun to produce, the fruit must be harvested at the rightmoment.f you cannot pick the fruit at the right moment, it becomes too ripe, many clusters willdrop and the -uality of the fruit will be less good.

.& To grow oil palms ta#es m!c$ time and m!c$ care&

"o not try to cultivate too large an area, or the work will be badly done.t is better to cultivate a small plantation and to do the work well.

A small plantation that is well looked after can yield more than a large plantation that isbadly looked after.

LI(E O( T*E OIL PALM

. T$e oil palm ma- $a/e a /er- long li"e&

t is important to know about the life of the oil palm.f you know all about the life of the oil palm, you will understand better how to cultivatethem.f you do not take care of the seeds, they will germinate only after several years.

At the research stations, the seeds are kept in a room where it is always very hot.

This makes the seeds germinate sooner, after /0 to 100 days.

. 2ach seed germinated is planted in a small plastic container. A new leaf grows every month.The young seedling stays in the container for ! to months.When you see a left with two points 01i"id lea"2 coming up, transplant the seedling outinto the nursery.

3. T$e seedling sta-s in t$e n!rser- "or 3 -ear& When it has about 1 green leaves, it isplanted in the palm grove.T$e seedling is t$ere"ore 34 to 35 mont$s old w$en it is read- to 1e planted in t$epalm gro/e&





4. When the young oil palm has been planted in the palm grove, it produces male flowers.The flowers form at the base of each leaf.5or several months, the oil palm produces only male flowers.

After that, for several months, it produces only female flowers.

The male flowers are grouped in spikes.The female flowers form other spikes.The male flowers fertilize the female flowers.5ertilized female flowers turn into a cluster of fruit.



/. T$e oil palm $as no 1ranc$es&

It $as a tr!n# and lea/es& The trunk, sometimes called a stipe6 is the stem of the palm. At the tip of the stem there is one 1!d 7 one onl-8T$is is t$e growing point6 which makes the oil palm live and grow.

I" t$e growing point dies6 t$e tree dies as well&

The growing point of the adult oil palm produces #0 to # leaves every year.t is most important that the growing point should produce many leaves, because there

will be a flower at the base of each leaf.f there are many leaves, there will be many flowers. And if there are many flowers, therewill be many clusters of fruit.

The oil palm grows well and produces a lot in regions where it is very hot, where the sunis very strong, and where it rains a great deal.

T*E (RUIT) O( T*E OIL PALM ,IELD OIL

10. T$e cl!sters consist o" spi#elets&

The spikelets contain the fruit.

'efore getting the oil out of the fruit, the fruit must be separated from the spikelets.

11. T$e "r!its o" t$e oil palm consist of the following parts6P!lp8 the pulp is yellow) w$en t$e p!lp is cr!s$ed it -ields palm oil&)eed8 inside the shell of the seed is the kernel) w$en t$e #ernel is cr!s$ed6 it -ieldspalm #ernel oil&The kernel also contains the germ&



1#. T$e "r!its o" all oil palms are not t$e same&

• They are not all of the same size.

• The pulp is not e-ually thick in all of them.

• The shell is not e-ually thick.

• Some kernels have no shell at all.

T$ere are di""erent /arieties o" oil palm8

• d!ra palms have kernels with a t$ic# shell)

• pisi"era palms have kernels with no shell)

• tenera palms have kernels with a t$in shell.



1. When oil palms bear many and large fruit clusters, they yield a lot of oil.

'!t to get a lot o" oil6 eac$ "r!it m!st also contain a lot o" p!lp6 a s$ell t$at is not/er- t$ic#6 and a 1ig #ernel&

7esearch stations have developed varieties of oil palm which produce many largeclusters with fruits that have a lot of pulp, a thin shell and a big kernel.T$ese are selected oil palms&

n order to get a lot of oil, the female flowers of a d!ra palm are fertilized with the pollenfrom a pisi"era palm.+nce they are fertilized, the female flowers turn into fruits.These fruits are of the tenera variety.

T$e "r!its o" t$e tenera palm $a/e a lot o" p!lp6 a t$in s$ell and a 1ig #ernel&

9*, CULTIVATE OIL PALM):

1!. In traditional "arming6 no1od- c!lti/ates oil palms&

8eople simply pick the clusters of fruit from the oil palms that grow in the forest.

'ut these oil palms produce little.The oil is e(tracted by traditional methods, and a lot of oil is left in the pulp and the

kernel.'!t nowada-s oil palms are grown on modem plantations&These contain selected oil palms with big yields.The clusters of fruit are sold to mills which e(tract all the oil from the pulp and thekernels.

T$ese oil palm plantations 1ring in mone-

• for the growers who sell the fruit,



• for the workers who work in the mills,

• for the government which can sell the oil to foreign countries.

1. T$e growers can also earn mone- 1- raising 1ee" cattle&'eef cattle can be fed with the green fodder from the cover crop grown in the palmgroves.The grower can also feed his cattle with palm9kernel oil cake, that is, what is left over after e(traction of the palm kernel oil.8alm9kernel oil cake is a protein9rich food.

9*ERE TO CULTIVATE OIL PALM)

Oil palms are c!lti/ated in t$e regions w$ere t$e- grow well and w$ere t$ere are oil mills&

To repar- t$e grower t$e oil palm needs a region8

1. 9$ere it is $ot all t$e -ear ro!ndThe oil palm grows well where it is hot all the year round6 between # and #4 degrees :.f the temperature drops, the oil palm produces fewer leaves and is more often attackedby diseases. t therefore yields less.

A hot temperature enables the oil palm to make many leaves and to produce manyclusters of fruit.

A lot o" s!ns$ineWhere there is a lot of sunshine, there will be strong photosynthesis, provided the oilpalm is in soil which gives it water and mineral salts.The leaves grow large, the fruit ripens well, and there is more oil in the fruits.

Plenti"!l rainf it does not rain much, or if it does not rain for several months, the leaves do not growwell.f there are few new leaves, there are few flowers and few clusters of fruit.There is less yield.

13. 9$ere t$e soil is "lat6 deep6 permea1le and ric$&

T$e oil palm needs a "lat soil&f the soil is not flat, transport is difficult and costs a lot.2rosion is severe) the water carries away the earth.

T$e oil palm needs a deep soil&The roots of the oil palm cannot develop il they meet a hard layer.They cannot take up water and mineral salts that are deep down.f the oil palm does not have enough water, yields are low.

T$e oil palm needs a permea1le soil&The oil palm does not grow well if water remains around its roots for too long.



T$e oil palm needs a ric$ soil&n order to produce many large clusters of fruit, the oil palm needs a lot of mineral salts.f the soil is poor, mineral salts can be added by applying fertilizers.

14. 9$ere t$ere are oil mills&

With traditional methods, a lot of oil is left in the pulp and the kernels.The machines of the oil mills e(tract all the oil contained in the pulp and the kernels.

Selected oil palms produce many clusters of fruit.To get all the oil out of these clusters yourself, you would have to spend a lot of time.'efore planting selected oil palms, make sure you can sell the fruit clusters to a mill.

1/. 9$ere 1!siness companies or e;tension ser/ices can gi/e t$e grower ad/ice&

t takes much money and work to make an oil palm plantation.The grower must use modern methods in order to pay for his e(penses and earn money.

;e will need advice on6

• how to choose the site for his plantation

• how densely to plant it

• how to look after the plantation

• how to apply fertilizers

• how to protect the oil palms against disease

T*E OIL PALM NUR)ER,

#0. t is difficult for a grower to make the seeds of oil palms germinate.<rowers buy young seedlings which already have four or five leaves. Seedlings can bebought from research stations or e(tension services.

The young seedlings are then put into a nursery.The nursery is a small plot in which the young oil palms develop.When the oil palms are big enough, they are planted out in the palm grove.

*urseries cause a lot of e(pense and need much care.

t would be very e(pensive for one grower alone to make a nursery) it is better to makethe nursery =ointly with other growers.t is very important to make a success of the nursery, so as to get fine young plants.

A seedling that has not grown well in the nursery will make a poor oil palm.

To $a/e "ine seedlings in t$e n!rser- -o! m!st8

• choose a good site and prepare it well,



• choose the finest seedlings,

• water them, protect them against erosion and weeds, give them fertilizers,

protect them against insects and diseases.

*O9 TO MA+E A NUR)ER,

#1. C$oosing t$e site

The soil should be fairly rich and well prepared.t is best to clear a bit of forest for the nursery plot.f you clear a forest site for the nursery, pull out all the trees and burn them. 'urning allthe wood helps to control certain diseases which might attack the roots of the oil palms,and it also makes the soil more fertile. Spread the ashes all over the plot.

f you put the nursery on a field which is already cultivated, pull up all the old crops6cocoa trees, coffee trees, oil palms.

'urn all the wood.

9$en t$e site is well cleared6 it needs deep tilling&&ou should till !0 centimetres deep with a hoe or a tractor.

To improve the soil structure, you can then sow a green9manure crop,like Centrosema or Crotalaria&When these crops have grown, work them into the soil by tilling again.Then apply fertilizers6 00 kilogrammes of dicalcium phosphate per hectare.

LA,OUT O( PAT*) AND NUR)ER, 'ED)

##. N!rser- 1ed is t$e name "or t$e strip o" soil w$ere t$e oil palm seedlings areplanted&t is best to make the nursery on flat ground.'ut, if the ground slopes, the beds must lie across the slope.The beds should be ! metres long and . metres wide.The soil of the beds should be well worked to make it -uite flat.

After that, apply a dressing of fertilizer. 5or instance, at >a $?, vory :oast, #0kilogrammes of 106106#0 fertilizer are applied per hectare.





Pattern "or n!rser- planting

PUTTING UP )*ELTER)

#!. n certain regions shelter has to be put up over the nursery.This protects the young seedlings from a disease called blast.

T$ese s$elters are made wit$ posts and 1am1oo stic#s&To make the shelters more solid, put two posts together.The posts should be #. metres high. The bamboo sticks are tied to the posts withlianas.

5inally, put palm fronds over the bamboo sticks.n 'enin, shade for the young oil palms is provided by planting castor9oil plants in thenursery.

I" -o! ma#e a s$elter6 -o! need not m!lc$6 1!t -o! m!st $oe /er- o"ten&<et rid of all the weeds, and always keep the soil loose.

Three months after transplanting, if the seedlings have grown well, apply monthly toeach plant 1 to #0 grammes of a mi(ture of ammonium sulfate and potassium chloride.Spread the fertilizer mi(ture in a ring 10 centimetres from the seedling and water.;oe to work the fertilizer into the ground.

The seedlings stay in the nursery for about 1 year.&ou must plan, therefore, to make the nursery about 1 year before you want to plant your

palm grove.



T*E PLANTATION

PREPARING T*E )ITE

#. n big plantations the forest trees are pulled up with the help of big machines.'ut often the grower cannot use these machines.

'egin by marking out the boundaries of the plantation.*e(t, cut down as many trees as you can around the plantation and take all the treesaway, so that the fire cannot burn down the whole forest.



This is called making a "ire1rea#&T$en set "ire to t$e plantation site&

When the fire is over, the soil is bare.&ou must protect the soil against the sun, for the sun burns the soil and destroys thehumus.

At t$e 1eginning o" t$e rain- season6 sow a co/er crop%a mi(ture of P!eraria a/anica Centrosema p!1escens6 and Calopogoni!m m!cono<des&Sow ! to kilogrammes of seed per hectare.

PEGGING T*E PLANTING PATTERN

#. When the soil of the plantation has been well cleared by fire, peg out the places whereyou will plant your seedlings.

To 1e s!re to plant at t$e rig$t densit-6 -o! m!st peg o!t care"!ll- 1e"ore planting&Then you will be sure of having always the same distance between rows and in eachrow the same distance between oil palms.

To get a good -ield6 -o! m!st plant t$e oil palms at t$e rig$t densit-&I" t$e oil palms are planted too close toget$er6 the roots get in each other@s way, andthe leaves do not have enough air and sun6 t$e -ield will 1e low&

I" t$e oil palms are not planted close eno!g$ toget$er6 each separate tree producesmuch, but the roots do not use all the soil6 t$e -ield per $ectare will 1e low&

#3. *ow to peg o!t t$e planting pattern

Trace lines across the slope and p!t in -o!r pegs in straig$t lines% leave 3.4 metersbetween rows and / metres between pegs.n this way you can plant 1! oil palms per hectare) this is the best density.8ull out tree stumps and remove fallen trees close to the pegs, because these stumpsand trees would interfere with the oil palms.



Planting pattern "or a plantation

PLANTING OUT T*E OIL PALM )EEDLING)

#4. One mont$ 1e"ore planting6 dig a $ole at eac$ place w$ere -o! $a/e p!t a peg&The hole should be 0.0 metre long and wide, and 0.40 metre deep.When you are digging the holes, cut any roots that you find in the soil."o not mi( the soil from above and the soil from below.









. A "ew mont$s a"ter planting6 appl- "ertili>ers&

The right time to apply fertilizers is near the end of the rainy season.The recommended dose of fertilizers for each plant is6 #0 to 00 grammes of ammonium sulfate and #0 grammes of potassium chloride.

)pread t$e "ertili>ers in a ring !nderneat$ t$e longest lea/es& After you have spread the fertilizer, cover it with a little earth. f there is a mulch aroundthe seedlings, remove the mulch before applying the fertilizer. Afterwards spread a freshmulch of dry herbage.





7emove from the trunk any plants fernsB that may grow in the a(ils of the leaves.7emove also the male flowers.

4. Appl-ing "ertili>er

The oil palm needs a lot of mineral salts to form its leaves and fruit clusters.When the oil palm is young, it needs above all nitrogen.

9$en t$e oil palm $as 1eg!n to prod!ce6 it needs a lot o" potas$&8otash increases the number of fruit clusters, and makes them bigger.

*O9 MUC* (ERTILI?ER TO APPL,

E;ample8 vory :oast

+n plantations per tree per yearB

Ageo" oil palm

)a/anna (orest

Grammes (ertili>er Grammes (ertili>er

&ear of planting 0000

Ammoniumsulfate

#0#0

Ammoniumsulfate



8otassiumchloride

8otassiumchloride

1 year 3030

Ammoniumsulfate8otassiumchloride

0000


# years3030


30 to 100

8otassiumchloride

and ! years andafterwards 1 000 to 1

008otassiumchloride

30 to 100

8otassiumchloride

+n natural palm groves per tree per yearB61 000 grammes of potassium chloride

E;ample8 'enin

+n plantations per tree per yearB

Age of oil palm Ammonium sulfate 8otassium chloride

Grammes Grammes

&ear of planting #0 #00

1 year 0 #00

# years 00 00

years 00 30

! years 00 1 000

PROTECT AGAIN)T IN)ECT)/. R$inoceros and a!gosome 1eetles )trateg!s 1eetle

To protect the young trees, put in the a(il of the leaves a mi(ture of sawdust and ';:.



Palm wee/il 0R$-nc$op$ora2

To avoid dangerous attacks, be very careful not to wound the trees.

The insects may lay their eggs in the wounds of the oil palm.

There are other insects, but it is difficult for the grower to control them.

Oil palms ma- also 1e attac#ed 1- rats and ago!tis&

7ats and agoutis can eat young oil palms.8rotect your young oil palms against agoutis by wire netting round each tree.



As a protection against rats, you can place little bags with poisoned maize near the oilpalms.

Diseases

+il palms may be attacked by several diseases.f you see distorted leaves or leaves that break, ask for advice from the e(tensionservice.

*ARVE)TING

!0. *ar/esting needs m!c$ time and m!c$ care6 1eca!se onl- t$ose "r!it cl!stersw$ic$ are c!t at t$e rig$t moment -ield a lot o" good7@!alit- oil&

&ou must go through the plantation many times to pick the ripe clusters.

A cl!ster is ripe "or $ar/esting w$en t$e "r!its 1egin to t!rn red6 and w$en or 4

"r!its drop to t$e gro!nd&f you wait too long before harvesting the clusters, harvesting takes much more time,because you must pick up all the fruits that have dropped to the ground.The fruits will also yield less oil, and the oil will be of less good -uality.

f you do not wait long enough before harvesting the clusters, the fruit will not be ripeenough.t will be more difficult to separate the fruits from the clusters and the clusters will yieldless oil.

!1. T$e cl!sters can 1e c!t o"" wit$ di""erent tools&

(or oil palms . to B -ears old:ut the clusters with a chisel.Slip the chisel between the stem and the leaf) in this way you can cut off the cluster without cutting the leaf below it.

(or oil palms B to 3 -ears old:ut the clusters with a machete.f the clusters are too high up, climb up the tree by putting your feet on the base of theleaves.

(or oil palms older t$an 3 -ears

:ut the clusters with a long9armed sickle.





f the clusters are too high up to be cut with the longarmed sickle, use bamboo ladders, or else climb up the tree with a belt) you can also wear spiked shoes.

Any clusters that have dropped to the ground should be collected in a basket.5ruits that have come loose must also be picked up.

S%<<2ST2" C%2ST+* 8A827

(ILL IN T*E MI))ING 9ORD)8

The female flowers, after they are fertilized, turn into a .....

nside the pulp of the oil palm fruit there is a .....

'efore planting oil palms in a plantation, they are grown for about a year in a .....

The best density is ..... oil palms per hectare.

When the oil palm is young, it needs ..... especially in fertilizers.

AN)9ER T*E (OLLO9ING UE)TION)8

"escribe the fruit of an oil palm.

What varieties of oil palm are thereD

What tools are used to harvest the fruit clustersD

What cover crops have you sown in your oil palm plantationD

What insects attack the oil palmD

n what regions can oil palms be cultivatedD

Why must fertilizers be applied to an oil palm plantationD

Why must the fruit clusters be harvested at the right momentD

Documents

Important Modern Oil Palm Cultivation