oil palm – Journal of Oil Palm Research

IMAGE-SCANNING APPROACH IN MONITORING OIL PALM ROOT PRODUCTION ON PEAT

mpob_admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:46:32 +0000

Understanding root mortality and production is critical for creating a uniform strategy for root growth estimations and modelling. Several approaches have been devised to assess root development and behaviour of oil palms in peat soil. There are two types of existing techniques: Traditional (destructive) methods and non-destructive approaches. However, due to the complexity of soil characteristics and circumstances, there is no precise method to date for assessing different root morphological features, particularly in tropical peat soil. The root dynamics performance of oil palms in peat soil was measured using a non-destructive, in situ scanning approach in this study. This study discusses the possibility of utilising image-scanning technology for investigating rhizosphere activities such as root development and turnover, root morphology and belowground interactions.

INCREASING THE POPULATION OF OIL PALM WEEVIL (Elaeidobius kamerunicus) USING HATCH AND CARRY BOX TECHNIQUE IN OIL PALM CULTIVATION ON TROPICAL PEAT SOIL

mpob_admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 07:41:47 +0000

The decline in the oil palm weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus population has led to inadequate pollination, posing a significant challenge in oil palm production. The decrease in population may be linked to the widespread application of cypermethrin insecticide, which is commonly used to control the bunch moth, Tirathaba rufivena. This could be due to the insecticide’s impact on the behavioural and physiological traits of the moth population, potentially reducing their ability to thrive and exhibit aggressive tendencies. Consequently, low fruit setting rates (≤65.0%) and bunch failures have been observed in these estates. This study was conducted in a private oil palm plantation in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia aimed to assess the impact of E. kamerunicus on oil palm productivity. To address this issue, a hatch and carry box technique was devised. This technique involved hatching adult E. kamerunicus and then dispersing them in targeted areas of the oil palm plantation after coating them with highly viable pollen (≥85.0%). Following two months of application, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the population of E. kamerunicus within male inflorescences, rising from 8 to 19 weevils spikelet^–1. Additionally, the oil palm fruit set increased from 43.5% to 50.0% to 75.0% after 4–5 months of employing the hatch and carry box technique. Consequently, the estates experienced an increase in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yield by 2–3 t ha^–1 compared to the previous 1–2 years.

CALCIUM NUTRITIONAL EFFECTS ON SUPPRESSION OF BASAL STEM ROT (BSR) DISEASE IN OIL PALM SEEDLINGS IN NURSERY AND FIELD TRIALS

mpob_admin — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:37:23 +0000

The oil palm industry is significantly affected by basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense. Nutrients are frequently used in soil fertilisers to protect plants from various stresses. Manipulating plant nutrients, particularly calcium (Ca), offers a promising strategy to prevent BSR disease in oil palm. This study evaluates the effect of Ca-based formulations on the suppression of G. boninense infection in oil palm seedlings using the root-sitting technique in three-month old oil palm seedlings. The study was further conducted in the field to test the disease incidence of BSR using the seedling baiting technique. Oil palm seedlings were pre-treated with fertiliser containing 1,000 ppm Ca as CaSO₄. They were then exposed to G. boninense PER 17 using two methods; in a 12-month nursery trial, colonised rubber woodblocks were attached with seedling roots to simulate infection, while in a 21-month field trial, seedlings were planted in soil naturally infested with the fungus to test real-world conditions. In both trials, fertiliser with 1,000 ppm Ca reduced BSR incidence by 53% in the nursery and 81% in the field. This suggests Ca supplementation as an effective alternative for preventing BSR in oil palm plantations.

PREDICTION OF OIL PALM YIELD USING MACHINE LEARNING: COMPARISON OF LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR ALGORITHMS WITH MULTIVARIATE TIME SERIES DATA

mpob_admin — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 23:40:03 +0000

Oil palm yield prediction plays a vital role in supporting sustainable agricultural practices and guiding strategic decisions in the palm oil industry. With the increasing availability of historical and weatherrelated data, machine learning has become a promising approach for forecasting crop yields. This study evaluates the performance of both linear and non-linear machine learning models using historical agrometeorological data from 1986-2020 collected in Pahang, Malaysia. Specifically, we compare Linear Regression with three non-linear, tree-based models: Extra Trees, Random Forest and Gradient Boosting. The results show that the Extra Trees outperformed all other models explaining 88% of the variance (R²) in validation data with the lowest prediction error. Random Forest and Gradient Boosting also demonstrated strong performance with R² values of 79% and 78%, respectively. In contrast, Linear Regression achieved an R² of only 41%, indicating a limited ability to capture the non-linear relationships inherent in weather and environmental variables. This underperformance highlights the structural limitations of linear models when applied to complex agricultural datasets. Although non-linear models are computationally more demanding, their superior capacity to model complex, non-linear patterns makes them more suitable for real-world agricultural applications. These findings emphasise the value of tree-based machine learning models particularly Extra Trees in delivering reliable and accurate yield predictions, which are essential for sustainable oil palm plantation management.

PREDICTION OF OIL PALM BUNCHES PRODUCTION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK

mpob_admin — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 05:44:50 +0000

The study aimed to evaluate the ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to estimate the current monthly production of oil palm bunches using variables from the forest inventory, climatic elements, water deficit, soil and those related to the registration and management of plantations. The ANN estimated current production with a correlation above 0.6 and an average percentage relative error of around 13.0%, with the variables that gave the greatest contribution to modelling being those related to management, soil, genetic material and the accounting of mature bunches. Climatic variables were not as important, however, due to the influence of the climatic element on oil palm productivity, it is necessary to keep them in the modelling. The ANN demonstrated that it is capable of modelling oil palm production, characterised by high variability, opening opportunities for future studies, combining and using new variables to improve the accuracy of estimates using this tool.

BIOGENIC SILICA FROM OIL PALM BIOMASS: A REVIEW ON THE POTENTIAL, EXTRACTION METHODS AND PROPERTIES

mpob_admin — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:03:22 +0000

The oil palm industry has witnessed significant growth and has emerged as one of the world’s largest vegetable oil sectors. However, this rapid expansion in production is accompanied by a notable increase in waste generation. While mills are utilising some oil palm biomass, a large portion still goes untapped and underexplored. There is increasing interest in leveraging various types of oil palm biomass as alternative, renewable, and economically viable resources to generate biogenic silica, a valuable material with diverse applications. This approach not only adds value to the biomass but also addresses environmental concerns. This article represents one of the first in-depth reviews of the recent technological advancements in leveraging oil palm biomass for the high-value synthesis of biogenic silica. It explores various aspects, covering the potential extraction methods (including those reported as green techniques, positioning them as a promising alternative to conventional approaches), as well as the properties and relevant applications of biogenic silica derived from oil palm biomass. The findings from this thorough review are expected to provide valuable insights for future research in the efficient production and sustainable utilisation of this bio-based material. Such support has the potential to enhance the sustainability of the oil palm industry.

OPTIMISATION OF BOMBARDMENT PARAMETERS IN OIL PALM EMBRYOGENIC CALLI BASED ON TRANSIENT EXPRESSION OF RFP GENE

mpob_admin — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 01:52:33 +0000

Particle bombardment is a transformation method that uses a mechanical injury mechanism to deliver deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into plant cells. In early studies, a few aspects influencing the efficiency of DNA delivery through biolistic have been determined. However, the developed protocol yields low transformation efficiency, which requires further improvement. Re-evaluation of bombardment parameters by monitoring the expression of reporter genes for a longer duration post-bombardment will provide more conclusive results on stable expression than the previous two-day evaluation. Several bombardment parameters were evaluated; helium pressure, distance between the stopping screen and tissues, size of gold, DNA quantity and the bombardment number. Each parameter was assessed by monitoring the expression of red fluorescent protein (RFP) transiently in oil palm embryogenic calli (EC). The optimal parameters were determined based on the highest RFP signals retained in the EC after three months of bombardment. The optimal parameters were obtained when EC were bombarded three times at 2,000 psi pressure using 1.0 μm of gold particles coated with 1.0 μg of DNA and the distance between the stopping screen and tissues was fixed at 6 cm. The optimal parameters could improve DNA delivery through bombardment and lead to the production of edited oil palm at high efficiency.

STUDY OF THE ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE ALONG THE OIL PALM FRUIT BUNCH STALK AND ITS IMPACT ON CUTTING PRESSURE

mpob_admin — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:49:04 +0000

The variation in anatomical characteristics of 16-year-old African oil palm fruit bunch stalk and its effect on mechanical cutting were investigated. Variations in vascular bundle (VB) density, VB size, parenchyma tissue area ratio, and total cross-sectional area along the length of the fruit bunch stalk were analysed. The correlation between cutting pressure and the corresponding anatomical structures was then established. Results show that vascular bundle density decreases from the proximal to distal positions of the fruit bunch stalk, whereas total cross-sectional area and vascular bundle size increase from the proximal to distal positions. The variation of the parenchyma tissue area ratio does not vary significantly. Multivariate regression analysis shows a positive correlation between VB density and VB size with cutting pressure (R² = 0.741), with the influence of VB density on cutting pressure being much larger than the effect of VB size. From the results of complete fruit bunch stalk cutting, it is found that the required cutting pressure is lowest when cutting at the middle section of the stalk, halfway between the stalk ring and the fruit bunch rachis.

PARADIGMS AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS IN OIL PALM STEM ROTS CAUSED BY Ganoderma

mpob_admin — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:27:37 +0000

Stem rots of oil palms caused by Ganoderma boninense (basal stem rot and upper stem rot) were first reported in Southeast Asia some 90 years ago. Despite considerable observation and research since that date and the construction of various paradigms, they remain the biggest threat to sustainable oil palm production in SE Asia and Oceania. In this article, we discuss some of the paradigms developed in Ganoderma research over many decades and identify some “knowledge gaps” that may be significant for developing improved disease control. Fourteen, specific recommendations on several different aspects of the disease, its control, and palm husbandry are provided and we believe, these should be considered by researchers who continue to study these economically important diseases.

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF MPOB-ZAIRE OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) GERMPLASM POPULATION BY MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

mpob_admin — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 23:30:37 +0000

Information on the genetic diversity of the oil palm germplasms is important for the establishment of an ex-situ core collection. In this study, the assessment of genetic diversity in the MPOB-Zaire oil palm germplasm collection may prove to be valuable in developing appropriate sampling strategies for conservation. Data for 18 phenotypic variables for 55 populations were analysed for principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). Five paramount principal components with eigenvalues >1.0 accounted for 82.7% of the total variability. PC1 revealed the highest contribution and predominantly attributed to average bunch weight, leaf area index, and bunch weight variables. PC2 was highly associated with oil to bunch, mesocarp to fruit and oil to dry mesocarp. The evaluated populations were grouped into two major clusters, each comprising a few sub-clusters based on phenotypic variables. The study revealed that the MPOB-Zaire germplasm has potential, where selected populations e.g. ZER21, which show dwarf (28.12 cm yr^-1) and high kernel (8.03%) characteristics can be used in introgression programmes to further improve advanced breeding lines and develop new breeding material. These results may assist in the selection strategies of populations for regeneration purposes and secure a greater range of diversity compared to sampling at random. Molecular-based diversity patterns could be integrated in future to effectively conserve and exploit.