AAR higher Production

MPOB is willing to sponsor the producers of clones and planters who planted them in order to encourage both parties to promote the production and planting of oil palm clones. Due to the high yield of oil palm clone and high value of fresh fruit bunches, the profit for planters is high.

According to the estimate of MPOB, the areas planted with clones in 2005 are about 29,000 hectares. According to the analysis of age of oil palm plantings in Malaysia, 22% or 880,000 ha have to be replanted and 120,000,000 oil palm seedlings are needed. To culture such a large amount of oil palm clones will be time consuming and the solution is to produce clonal seeds. This has been mentioned in Agroworld issue no. 199. Clonal seeds come from the selected parents which has been cloned. The first generation seeds from parent clonal palms are called bi-clonal F1 seeds. Besides United Plantations Berhad, a few plantation companies produce this type of seeds. The yield of these planting materials is approximately 7-8 t/ha/year.

The abnormality of oil palm clones is always there but the severity is lower if compared to the past. According to researcher from FELDA, the clones need to be checked carefully when they are in the tissue culture laboratory and nursery. Any abnormal clones need to be discarded immediately to reduce abnormality in the field to at most 4%.

Oil palm clones are precious. They should be planted in optimal area for oil palm growth. This includes good soil, sufficient rainfall, with legume cover crop for protecting the soil and providing nitrogen, weeding, manuring, pest and disease management. Sufficient and balanced fertilizer is very important. Research has shown that the fertilizers needed by oil palm clones and normal DxP palms are the same.