Growing requirements of oil palm plantation

About Palm SawitDaerah development of oil palm plantations that are appropriate at 15 ° N-15 ° S latitude. Height of the ideal planting oil palm ranging from 1-500 m above sea level. Long the sun shines an average of 5-7 hours / day. The annual rainfall is 1500-4000 mm. Optimal temperature 24-280C. Wind speed of 5-6 km / hour to help the pollination process. The ideal optimum humidity around 80-90%. Oil palm can be grown on soil type Podzolik, Latosol, Hidromorfik Grey, Alluvial or Regosol. The optimum pH value is 5.0 to 5.5. Oil palm requires loose soil, fertile, flat, well drained and have a deep solum layers without the layers of padas. Topographical conditions of the oil palm plantations should be no more than 15o.Provision of seeds1) Obtained Oil Palm Seed SourcesA good source of seed can be obtained from the research centers of palm oil, mainly by Marihat Research Station and the Research Institute of Plantation Field (RISPA). In the supply of oil palm seeds, study halls have a good master gardener and guaranteed by the parent tree and tree types Delidura father Pisifera type selected.

History of Palm Oil Plants in Indonesia

Palm Gardens 

Plant oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) originated from west Africa, is a major producer of edible oil crops that have higher productivity than other vegetable oil crops. Oil palm was first introduced in Indonesia by the Dutch government in 1848. Currently there are 4 sticks oil palm seedlings grown in the Bogor Botanical Garden (Botanical Garden) Bogor, two are from Bourbon (Mauritius) and the other two of the Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam (The Netherlands). Initially the plant oil palm cultivated as an ornamental plant, while the cultivation of crops for commercial purposes started in 1911.

The pioneering efforts of oil palm plantations in Indonesia are Adrien Hallet (Belgian), then followed by cultivation does K.Schadt which marks the birth of the oil palm plantations in Indonesia began to grow. The first oil palm plantation is located on the East Coast of Sumatra (Deli) and Aceh. Plantation area reached 5123 ha.

The characteristics of Physiology Palm Oil

leaf
Palm leaves are compound leaves. Dark green leaves and colored sheath slightly younger. Its appearance is very similar to the bark of plants, only the thorns are not toohard and sharp.
stem
Oil palm trunks covered with scars sheath until the age of 12 years. After 12 years driedsheath are released so that it becomes similar to coconut plantations.
root
Root fibers of oil palm plantations leads to the bottom and sides. In addition, there aresome roots that grow deep breath leads to the upper side for additional aeration.

Overview of the Oil Palm

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis, Jacq) is one of the vegetable oil producing plants are veryimportant. According to research, the origin of oil palm plantations is Africa, namelyNigeria in West Africa region. The spread of oil palm trees from the area of ​​origin is notdirectly related to the slave trade from Africa from the Middle Ages. After Columbusdiscovered America and the opening of a trip to Asia.

Oil palm plantations spread into new areas of business enterprises by the Portuguese,Spanish, English and Dutch. Today palm oil crops cultivated in many tropical countries, especially the region that lies between latitudes 100 north and 100 south latitude.

Region, there are some major producing countries such as palm oil

Malaysia, Indonesia,
 Thailand, Papua New Guinea, the PRC and India in Asia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria, in Africa and some South American countrieslike Columbia, Costarika, Hondoras and Equador.

Benefits and Advantages of Palm Oil Plants

Palm fruit

The main parts for palm oil is processed from the fruit. Part of the fruit yield of crude palm oil is processed into cooking oil feedstock. Advantages of vegetable oil from palm oil is a low price, low cholesterol, and has a high carotene content. Palm oil can also beprocessed into alcohol feedstock oil, soap, candles, and cosmetics industries. The rest of the palm fruit is the potential to be a mixture of animal food and fermented into compost.Empty fruit bunches can be used for mulching of oil palm plantations, as raw material forpulp and organic solvents, and coconut oil can be used as fuel and the manufacture ofactivated charcoal.Palm oil has a higher productivity than other