Best Management Practice in Oil Palm

The increasing competitiveness of other vegetable oil crops, declining commodity prices, scarcity of labor, and reduced availability of land for further expansion are some of the reasons driving a requirement for increased productivity in oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, more stringent controls on possible impacts on the environment are a consequence of the market's demand for certified sources of ‘clean' crude palm oil produced in sustainable production systems.

In all oil palm plantations, it is essential to identify the potential yield for each soil type and planting material, establish realistic yield targets by implementing best management practices (BMPs) on representative soil-types, and then identify and eliminate yield gaps by site-specific field management.

Seven fields of oil palm, comprising about 200 ha, will be rehabilitated using the following procedure:

These techniques comprise a first approximation of Best Management Practice (BMP). The effect of these measures will be assessed by comparing yield components (t fruit bunches/ha; bunch weight and bunch number) with fields under normal standards of estate management.

First results

Best management practices were implemented in seven production blocks totaling more than 200 hectares (ha) so that potential yield, limited only by soil-type, planting material and climate, was fully expressed.

A computer database system (OMP) was used to store and analyze all historical information on yield, nutrient use, leaf and soil analysis, tree stand, and selected environmental parameters for each block. Agronomic information is portrayed in block history reports, using maps and geographic information system (GIS) software with OMP as the data source. Poorly performing blocks were identified by calculating the gap between site-specific yield potential and actual yield. Lists and maps that include information on agronomic constraints for each poorly performing block were produced from OMP to provide a quantitative basis for field inspections. An action plan was then drawn up including a program of activities that will eliminate those agronomic constraints amenable to management control.

This approach constitutes a change from routine and programmed field upkeep operations to site-specific management of the factors that constrain yield on a block-by-block basis. It is being implemented as part of the plantation group's strategy to achieve yields in excess of 8 t/ha palm products.

Identification of the potential yield for each soil-type and planting material, as well as determining realistic yield targets by implementing best management practices (BMPs) on representative soil-types, is key to successful establishment of site-specific field management in oil palm. BMPs were established in seven fields (~210 ha) in an oil palm rehabilitation project.

Soils in this project have very low potassium (K, mean soil test 0.12 cmol(+)/kg) and phosphorus (P, mean soil test 2.5 mg Bray P-1/kg) status with moderate to steep slopes. Initial rehabilitation included soil conservation measures, a one-time corrective application of reactive rock phosphate (300 kg P 2 O 5 /ha), an application of empty fruit bunches approximately 40 t/ha), and the establishment of shade-tolerant legume cover plants ( Calopogonium caerulium), in addition to corrective pruning, drainage, and infrastructure improvements.

This past year focused on continued improvement of all facets of agronomic and managerial practice applied to the BMP blocks to ensure maximum sustainable yields. No significant problems were encountered regarding BMP implementation. One BMP block achieved yields of 30 t/ha of fresh fruit bunches, whereas the average yield for all BMP blocks was 20 t/ha (which compares with 16 t/ha for non-BMP blocks). The gap between harvested bunch number and average bunch weight continues to increase monthly between BMP and non-BMP blocks. The project aims to continue to develop the BMP blocks by enhancing practices already in place and introducing new ideas, such as ensuring entrance to palm circles always up-slope to prevent soil erosion, interlocking stacks of fronds, box stacking of fronds, application of Mill Decanter Cake to increase organic matter in blocks, introduction of nectarfarious plants to sustain high populations of natural predators, and introduction of owls for rat control.

2002 summary - Best Management Practice in Oil Palm

Identifying the potential yield for each soil type and planting material, as well as determining realistic yield targets by implementing best management practices (BMPs) on representative soil-types, is key to site-specific field management.

BMPs were established in seven fields (~210 ha) in an oil palm rehabilitation project. Soils in this project have very low potassium (K, mean soil test 0.12 cmol + /kg) and phosphorus (P, mean soil test 2.5 mg Bray P-1/kg) status with moderate to steep slopes. Rehabilitation included soil conservation measures, a one-time corrective application of reactive rock phosphate (300 kg P 2 O 5 /ha), an application of empty fruit bunches (approximately 40 t/ha), the establishment of shade-tolerant legume cover plants ( Calopogonium caerulium ) in addition to corrective pruning, drainage, and infrastructure improvements. Apart from P, standard estate fertilizer recommendations were followed. Rehabilitation work commenced in September 2001 and continued through 2002.

Yields increased in 2002 in BMP fields at an average rate of 58% (from 10.4 to 16.5 t fruit bunches/ha) compared with the estate average increase of 33% (from 8.9 to 12 t fruit bunches/ha) mainly due to the effect of more rapid increases in bunch size on annual yield in the BMP fields. The cost of improvements was more than offset in the first year after rehabilitation by an average increase in revenue in BMP fields of US$150/ha.

Plans are to broaden the scope of the program and implement BMPs in other estates in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Further yield increases are anticipated in 2003 and a significant increase in the response to greater nitrogen (N) and K fertilizer inputs is expected. It is planned to set up BMPs in estates in Thailand and Malaysia in 2003.

Identification of the potential yield for each soil-type and planting material, as well as determining realistic yield targets by implementing best management practices (BMPs) on representative soil-types, is key to successful establishment of site-specific field management in oil palm. BMPs were established in seven fields (~210 ha) in an oil palm rehabilitation project. Soils in this project have very low potassium (K, mean soil test 0.12 cmol(+)/kg) and phosphorus (P, mean soil test 2.5 mg Bray P-1/kg) status with moderate to steep slopes. Initial rehabilitation included soil conservation measures, a one-time corrective application of reactive rock phosphate (300 kg P 2 O 5 /ha), an application of empty fruit bunches approximately 40 t/ha), and the establishment of shade-tolerant legume cover plants ( Calopogonium caerulium), in addition to corrective pruning, drainage, and infrastructure improvements.

This past year focused on continued improvement of all facets of agronomic and managerial practice applied to the BMP blocks to ensure maximum sustainable yields. No significant problems were encountered regarding BMP implementation. One BMP block achieved yields of 30 t/ha of fresh fruit bunches, whereas the average yield for all BMP blocks was 20 t/ha (which compares with 16 t/ha for non-BMP blocks). The gap between harvested bunch number and average bunch weight continues to increase monthly between BMP and non-BMP blocks. The project aims to continue to develop the BMP blocks by enhancing practices already in place and introducing new ideas, such as ensuring entrance to palm circles always up-slope to prevent soil erosion, interlocking stacks of fronds, box stacking of fronds, application of Mill Decanter Cake to increase organic matter in blocks, introduction of nectarfarious plants to sustain high populations of natural predators, and introduction of owls for rat control.

Other Information

The BMP project is implemented in PT Asiatic Persada with the support of PPI-PPIP/IPI and Agrisoft-Systems

OMP and OMP-GIS are used for data management and analysis .

Project Leader:

William Griffiths, Estate Management, PT Asiatic Persada, P O Box 2000, Jambi, 36144
(62-741-581-751, fax: 62-741-581-752), wgriffiths@asiaticpersada.com

Staff Member: Dr. Christian Witt cwitt@ppi-ppic-ipi.org

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