Oil palm (Elaeis) is an important industrial plants producing cooking oil, industrial oil, and fuel (biodiesel). Plantations generate huge profits, so many old plantation forest and converted into oil palm plantations. Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer in the world. In Indonesia, its spread in the region of Aceh, the east coast of Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi.
Coconut palm tree-shaped. Height can reach 24 meters. Root fibers of oil palm plantations leads to the bottom and sides. In addition, there is some breathing roots that grow above leads to the side to earn extra aeration. Like other palm species, compound pinnate leaves are arranged. Dark green leaves and colored midrib slightly younger. His appearance was somewhat similar to the bark of plants, only with a thorn that is not too hard and sharp. Midrib former plant stems covered up to age 12 years. After 12 years of dry sheath apart so that the appearance will be similar to a coconut. Male and female flowers separate but on one tree (monoecious diclin) and have different maturation times so very rare self-pollinating. Male flowers have a taper shape and length while the female flowers appear larger and bloom.
Plantations of the shell type is female sterile pisifera so very rarely produce fruit bunches and in the production of improved seed is used as the elder male.
Oil palm fruit has a color varies from black, purple, to red depending on the seeds used. Fruit clustered in bunches that emerge from each sheath. Oil is produced by the fruit. Oil content increases as the fruit ripeness. After passing through the mature phase, the content of free fatty acid (FFA, free fatty acids) will increase and the fruit will fall off by itself.
The fruit consists of three layers:
- Eksoskarp, the reddish rind and slippery.
- Mesoskarp, fruit fibers
- Endoskarp, protective shell core. Palm kernel (the kernel, which is actually a seed) is the endosperm and embryo with high-quality core oil content.
Oil palm breeding generative manner. Mature oil palm fruit in certain circumstances embryo will germinate to produce shoots (plumula) and going to the root (radicle).
Term life
Original habitat is an area of scrubland. Palm can grow well in the tropics (15 ° N - 15 ° S). This plant is fully grown at an altitude of 000-500 m above sea level with 80-90% humidity. Palm requires stable climate with rainfall, 2000-2500 mm a year, ie areas not flooded when it rains and drought are not as dry. Annual rainfall patterns affect the behavior of flowering and fruit production of oil.
Type of Oil Palm
Oil palm is cultivated consists of two types: E. guineensis and E. oleifera. The first type is the first and largest cultivated people. E. oleifera is also now beginning to be cultivated to increase the diversity of genetic resources. Breeder often see the type of oil palm based on the thickness of the shell, which consists of:
- Dura,
- Pisifera, and
- Tenera.
Dura is a palm whose fruits have a thick shell that is considered to shorten the processing machine age but usually large fruit bunches and oil content per clusters ranging from 18%. Pisifera men do not have shells but sterile female flowers, so very rarely produce fruit. Tenera is a cross between Dura and male parent Pisifera. This species is considered to complement the shortage of quality seeds for each parent with the nature of a thin shell of fruit but still fertile female flowers. Some Tenera winning percentage of meat per piece up to 90% and oil content per clusters can reach 28%.
For mass breeding, tissue culture techniques now used.
Palm oil is used as raw materials for edible oils, margarine, soap, cosmetics, industrial steel, wire, radio, leather and pharmaceutical industries. Palm oil can be used for such a diverse designation because of its superior properties of oxidation resistance at high pressure, capable of dissolving chemicals that are not soluble by other solvents, have high power line and not cause irritation to the body in the field of cosmetics.
The most popular for palm oil is processed from the fruit. Part flesh fruit produce crude palm oil is processed into cooking oil raw materials and various types of derivatives. The advantages of vegetable oil from palm is a low price, low cholesterol, and have a high carotene content. Palm oil is also processed into raw material for margarine.
Kernel oil as raw material for alcohol oil and cosmetics industries. Bunches of flowers and fruit, much branched. Fruits are small, red-black when ripe. Solid flesh. Meat and fruit skins contain oil. The oil is used as cooking oil, soap, and candles. The waste is used to feed livestock. Pulp called palm kernel cake is used as one ingredient making chicken feed. Shell is used as fuel and charcoal.
The fruit is processed by making the soft flesh of the fruit with a temperature of 90 ° C. Meat that has been softened forced to part with the core and shell by pressing the hollow cylinder engine. Meat core and shell are separated by heating and pressing techniques. After that flowed into the mud so that the rest of shells will drop into the bottom mud.
Time processing of oil palm fruits potentially become fodder mixture ingredients and fermented into compost.
Oil palm was Brought to Indonesia by the Dutch in 1848. Some of the seeds planted in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, while the remaining seeds planted were the resource persons at the edges of the road as an ornamental plant in Deli, North Sumatra in the 1870s. At the Same time increased vegetable oil demand due to the Industrial Revolution the mid-19th century. From here later emerged the idea of making oil palm plantations on plant selection from Bogor and Deli, then know the type of palm "Dura Deli."
In 1911, palm oil from cultivated and grown commercially with pioneering in the Netherlands Indies is Adrien Hallet, a Belgian, who then followed by K. Schadt. The first oil palm plantation located on the East Coast Sumatra (Deli) and Aceh. Plantation area reached 5123 ha. Captive breeding center and was subsequently established in Marihat (known as AVROS), North Sumatra and in Rantau Panjang, Kuala Selangor, Malaya in 1911-1912. In Malaya, the first plantation was opened in 1917 in the field Tenmaran, Kuala Selangor using Deli dura seed from Rantau Panjang. In West Africa alone planting of large-scale oil palm started in 1911.
Until about the Japanese occupation, the Dutch East Indies is the world's major supplier of palm oil. Since the Japanese occupation, production slipped to just one fifth of the figure in 1940.
Nurseries
Seed germination.
- Beans heated in germinator for 60 days with temperatures still 39oC and 18% moisture content.
- Then the seeds soaked in water for 6 days, until the moisture content rose to 24%.
- Furthermore, dried beans for 3 hours in a shady room.
- Seeds put in a plastic bag 38 x 39 cm size of 500 seeds, then closed tightly
- After 10-14 days, the seeds begin to germinate.
- Germinated seeds that have not been thrown away at the age of 30 days only.
- Sprouts that grow normal and healthy, the color is yellowish, straight and will grow leaves and roots going the opposite direction.
Seedbed and Nursery
- Sprouts removed the plastic to the bag size 14 x 22 cm with 0:08 mm thick.
- Fill out the polybag with the topsoil that is cleaned of dirt and crushed before.
- Do watering polybags prior to planting seedlings and then on every morning and evening after planting.
- Make the planting hole as deep as 3 cm.
- Make the auspices of the seedbed as high as 2.5 m
- After a 3-month-old seedlings transferred into large polybag with size 40 x 50 cm, thickness 0.2 mm.
Land Preparation
- Cultivated land as possible, cleared of bushes and weeds.
- Make the planting hole with a size of 40 x 40 x 40 cm or 60 x 60 x 60 cm, 2 weeks before planting with a spacing of 9 x 9 x 9 m form an equilateral triangle.
- Soil excavation upper mixed with phosphate fertilizer as much as 1 kg / pit.
- Planting hole is closed again and do not be compacted.
Planting
- Enter the seedling into the hole and carefully opened the plastic bag.
- Hole backfilled with soil, should not be trampled upon in order to avoid damage.
- Seeds are taller than 150 cm, the leaf is cut to reduce evaporation.
- Planting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season.