GENERAL CHAREACTERS OF OILPALM AND LEAF PRUNING AND ABLATION.pptx

OIL PALM

1. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OIL PALM, LEAF PRUNING AND ABLATION IN OIL PALM VIKAS KUMAR

2. GENERAL CHARACTERS OF OILPALM MATURE PALMS ARE SINGLE-STEMMED AND GROW TO 20 M TALL. THE LEAVES  ARE PINNATE  AND REACH 3-5 M LONG. A YOUNG PALM PRODUCES ABOUT 30 LEAVES A YEAR. ESTABLISHED PALMS OVER 10 YEARS PRODUCE ABOUT 20 LEAVES A YEAR. THE FLOWERS ARE PRODUCED IN DENSE CLUSTERS; EACH INDIVIDUAL FLOWER IS SMALL, WITH THREE SEPALS AND THREE PETALS.

3. GENERAL CHARACTERS CONTD.. THE PALM FRUIT TAKES 5–6 MONTHS TO MATURE FROM POLLINATION TO MATURITY. IT IS REDDISH, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A LARGE PLUM, AND GROWS IN LARGE BUNCHES. EACH FRUIT IS MADE UP OF AN OILY, FLESHY OUTER LAYER (THE PERICARP), WITH A SINGLE SEED( THE PALM KERNAL), ALSO RICH IN OIL. WHEN RIPE, EACH BUNCH OF FRUIT WEIGHS BETWEEN 5 AND 30 KG (11 AND 66 LB) DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF THE PALM TREE.

4. LEAF PRUNNING IN OILPALM DEVELOPMENT OF LEAVES IN THE CROWN OF PALM IS INITIALLY SLOW. EACH LEAF REMAINS ENCLOSED FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AND THEN DEVELOPS INTO A CENTRAL SPEAR (SPINDLE LEAF) BEFORE OPENING. THE LEAF STALK IS STRONG AND FIBROUS AND IS ALMOST 8M LONG. A MATURE LEAF MAY HAVE 250-300 LEAFLETS; EACH ABOUT 1.3M LONG AND 6CM BROAD. RATE OF LEAF PRODUCTION IN OIL PALM: OIL PALM 20 TO 25 LEAVES PER YEAR .EACH LEAF WILL ALSO CARRY ONE INFLORESCENCE.

5. LEAF PRUNNING IN OILPALM CONTD… PERSISTENCE OF LEAVES IN OIL PALM: THE LEAF BASES ADHERE TO THE STEM FOR ABOUT 12YEARS AND FALL AWAY GRADUALLY. FROND PRUNING IN OIL PALM HAS INFLUENCE ON LONGERAND FALL AWAY GRADUALLY . FROND PRUNING IN OIL PALM HAS INFLUENCE ON YIELD AND HENCE IS OF ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. IF PRUNING OF FROND HAS NOT BEEN ATTENDED IT RESULTS IN- INTERFERES WITH THE POLLINATION (BOTH ASSISTED AND NATURAL) VISUAL ASSESSMENT OF FRUIT RIPENESS.

6. ABLATION IN OIL PALM IT REFERS TO THE REMOVAL OF YOUNG MALE AND FEMALE INFLORESCENCES AND BUNCHES DURING THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF OIL PALM GROWTH 2.(ABLATION=REMOVAL/SURGICAL REMOVAL OF ANY PART OF THE BODY)OTHER TERMS USED FOR ABLATION OPERATION ARE- - DIS-BUDDING - DE-BUDDING - DE-FLOWERING 3.FREQUENCY OF ABLATION: ABLATION SHOULD BE DONE AT MONTHLY INTERVALS BU CUTTING WITH THE HELP OF NARROW BLADED CHISEL.

7. ABLATION IN OIL PALM CONTD… PURPOSES OF ABLATION; 1.UNECONOMIC PROCESSING BY COLLECTION OF FEW BUNCHES IN THE INITIAL YEARS OF BEARING 2.LEFT OVER BUNCHES MAY ROT AND LEAD TO OUTBRECK OF DISEASES AND PESTS. 3.DIVERT ION OF NUTRIENTS FOR PALM GROWTH FROM THESE BUNCHES AND INFLORESCENCES. PERIOD OF ABLATION: 14 TO 26 MONTH AFTER PLANTING ABLATION CAN BE COMMENCED AFTER ABOUT 14 MONTHS OF FIELD PLANTING AND CONTINUED TILL 26 MONTHS WHEN ABOUT 70% OF PALM ARE PRODUCING INFLORESCENCES.