Best Management Practice for Maximum Economic Yield in All Growth Stages of Oil Palm

This research project was planned to implement, test, and refine the Best Management Practice (BMP) concept for yield intensification of oil palm crop. The objective was to increase productivity, profitability and sustainability of palm oil production in all growth stages (including nursery, immature, and mature development phases) of the crop. BMPs were implemented in five full-size management blocks in two collaborating plantations in Sumatra (Indonesia) and Sabah (Malaysia) in re-plantings of existing plantations by IPNI and its plantation partners. Results from the BMP implementation will be compared with those achieved under standard plantation practices in five reference blocks.

In late 2011, BMP implementation at the Sabah project site had produced about 70% of the seedlings for transplanting into the main nursery. The remaining 30% of seedlings were produced in the pre-nursery during 2012. In parallel, land preparation was also started at the site in late 2011 for three BMP blocks and three reference blocks. Transplanting of seedlings from the main nursery into the field blocks started in the second half of 2012. Currently, about 200 ha have been planted, and the remaining 150 ha will be planted in 2013. The first dataset was compiled from monitoring of the nursery phase. Work on the second site in Sumatra started in 2012. Pre-nursery and main nursery for clones and DxP (dura and psifera) crosses have been set up. Nursery operations are running according to the plan. In parallel, field preparation has started in the selected blocks. Transplanting into the field at this site will start in 2013.

Through this process, estates are enabled to identify better ways to implement BMPs for yield intensification, and decisions on larger investments in BMPs are based on practical, commercial-scale evidence. This project is unique in its design as it is including all growth stages of the oil palm and proposes monitoring over a period of 8 years (2018). SEA–04