The Oil Palm Nursery: Foundation for High Production

Abstract

Currently, all modern, commercial planting material consists of tenera palms or DxP hybrids, which are obtained by crossing thickshelled dura with shell-less pisifera. Although common commercial pregerminated seed is as thick-shelled as the dura mother tree, the resulting tree will produce thin-shelled tenera fruit. Only certified pre-germinated oil palm seed from established seed gardens should be used. The near-future alternative to pre-germinated seed, once constraints to mass production are overcome, is tissue-cultured or “clonal” palms which provide “true copies” of high yielding DxP palms. Site Selection Ideally, the nursery should be located on a level, well-drained area that is easily accessible and close to the centre of the future plantation. It is essential to have an uninterrupted supply of clean water and topsoil which is both well-structured and sufficiently deep enough to accommodate three rounds of on-site bag-filling. Approximately 35 ha can grow enough seedlings over a three-year period to plant a 5,000 ha plantation.