Jan 12 2012, 07:12 PM
Kg_teratai:
Hmmm.... You mean your farm had been abandoned for a long while? Ah, now I get the full picture. I was under the impression the farm had been managed all the while.
With the new information you've provided, it clear now that you have a nutritional issue with the palms, along with some pollination issues.
This is my proposed strategy:
No. 1:
Replant the vacant points with new 12-month old seedlings. Based on the standard planting density, you should be planting about 270 palms for your 5 acres, i.e. 54 palms per acre.
Keep the "pokok jantan" only for the time being until your yields begin to improve, and then remove them all. Actually, you just need to keep about 8-10 palms, and can replant the rest. Just make sure those 8-10 palms are well dispersed throughout the field.
No. 2:
You need to start a fertilizer regime. As I've mentioned before, one of the two possible causes for poor bunch formation is nutrition. You would need to dilligently apply potassium-based (K) fertilizers, such as MOP or bunch ash, as these fertilizers are linked to flower and bunch formation. I would say each palm would need 2.7kg of MOP, or 3kg of bunch ash, applied for 4 rounds in a year (i.e. total MOP of 10.8kg per palm, or 12kg bunch ash per palm). Do apply nitrogen-based fertilizers such as urea or ammonium sulphate, according to the recommendations. Hopefullly, in this way, the yield of your palms would improve by early next year, or later in the year.
No. 3
I'm not sure if you do frond pruning, but if you don't, please do so. Leave only two frond below the lowest bunch, and prune everything else below. Ideally, you should have a total of 36-42 fronds on the palm only. Keep the pruned frond butt as close as possible to the trunk. This way, there would be more room for the bunch to "push" so it can expand.
I have to point out again that your palms have very acute frond angles. This creates some complications for not only bunch formation, but in some cases even pollination and harvesting. I'm hoping it isn't genetics, because then it would haunt your for the entire economic lifespan of the palms.
No.4
Manage the field as closely as you can. Since you have some data on yield, you should chart out some expeected yield trends in the ensuing months. This would help you keep track of things. Do note that during drought periods, yields can drop quite a bit. Keep a tight shift on the fertiliser and weeding regimen. This will go very far in ensuring your field gives its best potential. Keep an eye on the pest incidence, and address it as it occurs.
If you do this, you would not need to induce any flowering in any of the other palms. Hopefully in a year or so, your yields would see marked improvements.
Venturing into Agriculture & Aquaculture, Co-Ordination & Implementation is KEY
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