AGRICULTURAL INOCULANTS CORPORATION

“MICROBES AT WORK”

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CULTURAL PRACTICE FOR OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis)

A. Nursery Preparation

1. The site for the nursery must be close to a water source and the intended
plantation. If the rainfall distribution in the area is uniform and well-
distributed during the year, the rains may be sufficient for the watering needs
of the growing seedlings. The area must also have good drainage and far
from big trees or a fully shaded place.

2. The site must allow for about 25% sunlight. During summers or dry season it
may be necessary to provide cover such as nylon nets or coconut palm leaves
or similar materials to allow for partial sunlight. This will protect the
growing seedlings from having too much stress due to heat and dryness.

3. Prepare the potting soil using the following composition, to wit: 75% top
soil, 10% organic fertilizer, 15% decomposed sawdust or rice husk. Mix the
raw materials thoroughly.

4. Use plastic polybags with about 30-cm diameter and 40-cm depth. Fill-up the
bag with the potting soil until half-full.

5. Lay the oil palm seed on top of the potting soil layer then fill-up the bag with
the potting soil up to 5-6 cm below the top edge. The polybag will contain
about 4-5 kg of potting soil.

Very Important: Use only quality seeds for the nursery. An experienced
technician will be able to do proper selection.

6. Arrange the seeded polybags in rows about 80 cm apart forming square

configurations.

7. Water the seeded polybags. Frequency of watering depends on the weather.

A rule of thumb: keep the moisture content of the potting soil at about 40-
50%.
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8. Spray the growing seedlings with foliar fertilizer commencing when they
have 6 fully-grown leaves at least twice a month. Mix 1 liter of the foliar
fertilizer in about 200 liters of water or about ½ % solution.

9. The seedlings will be ready for transplanting when they are about a year old.
With good care the seedlings can be transplanted within 10 months. They
will be about 1.5 meters high and with profusely growing and sturdy roots as
well as healthy and well-developed leaves.

Note: Oil palm seedlings fertilized with 100% inorganic or chemical fertilizer
will look less healthy and the crown not as robust as their organically
fertilized counterpart.

B. Transplanting

1. The soil that is suitable for an oil palm plantation must be loamy to sandy
loam in texture and preferably with top soil of about 40 to 50 cm depth with
appreciable amount of organic matter (about 3-5%).

Note: The soil can be re-structured through the application of organic

fertilizer and composted empty fruit bunch (EFB) and other organic matter.

2. Make holes about 40-45 cm in diameter and 45-50 cm in depth following this
planting configuration: 8-8.5 meters along the rows and about 9 meters
between rows. This will allow for 135-137 trees per hectare. Other planting
configurations can be opted depending on the lay-out and contour of the land.

3. Replace holes with about 6-7 kg of organic fertilizer. At this rate about 1000
kg ( 1 ton) of the organic fertilizer will be used per hectare.

4. Remove the polybag then transplant the seedling into the hole. Fill-up each
hole with the dug-up soil and compress to make the seedling firm and stable.

5. Within the first 3 years or up to the time when the oil palm trees will be
ready for fruiting, fertilize each growing tree with 5-6 kg of organic fertilizer
every 4 months or quarterly.

6. If the leaves show signs of nutrient deficiencies especially trace elements,

spray the plants with foliar fertilizer at the rate of about 1/2 % solution
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supplemented with 1% urea (46-0-0). Frequency of spraying depends on the

extent of nutrient deficiency manifestation.

C. Care and Maintenance

1. Apply 6-7 kg of organic fertilizer around each tree at a distance of 1-1.5

meters for the base every 6 months. Another option is apply 4-5 kg of the
organic fertilizer every 4 months or quarterly. Be sure the area around the
tree is free of weeds otherwise they will rob the oil palm trees with the
nutrients being supplied.

2. If there is manifestation or sign of any nutrient deficiency correct it by

spraying foliar fertilizer on the foliage or crown t the rte of ½% solution,

3. For any pest or disease use the appropriate or recommended insecticide and/or
fungicide. In case of usage, mix the crop protection chemical with the foliar
fertilizer in order to save on labor cost.

Note: Oil palm trees fertilized with organic fertilizer develop natural
resistance against pests and diseases because they are able to assimilate a
complete and balanced food.

D. Harvesting the Fruits/Kernels

1. Harvest the fruits/kernels from each tree using conventional methods and
harvesting tools at the time of maturity. Harvesting frequencies average
between 22-25 days.

Note: 1.1 Using the prescribed technology as detailed above, yield increases
of 25-40% were realized on fruits/kernels of 5-7 year old trees.

1.2 Substantial savings were also achieved with respect to usage of

crop protection chemicals.
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2. The empty fruit bunches and stalks can be shredded or milled and together
with the sludge and ash from the oil mill can be used for producing organic
fertilizer.

Very Important: Organic palm oil can be produced using this cultural
practice and the finished product commands a premium price (about 25-30%
more) compared to other vegetable oils e.g. coconut or corn oil.