NURSERY MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION The importance of good nursery practice is crucial. The nursery should be maintained at the highest standard to ensure production of healthy, vigorous and uniform palms for field planting. In general, the two-stage polybags nursery should be practice. Any variation from the two-stage polybags nursery may do so only with the prior approval from the Regional Operating Manager.
CHOICE OF SITE
An adeuate and reliable nearby nearby source of good uality water trough out the year for nursery watering.
A reasonably level site which is well drainage and and note prone to flooding.
A rectangular shape of site to facilitate laying of water pipes and a central road preferred
A convenient nearby supply of good friable sandy clay loam to good structure clay soils for filling polybag
Avoid soils contaminated by herbicides, lumpy, and stony
A site near as possible to the area proposed for planting where practical, ta!ing into consideration transportation, transportation, security and relevant factors
PRENURSERY POLYBAG "mall #$ cm % &' cm () in % * in+ lay-flat perforated of &$ gauge (.)mm+ should be used.
SOIL MIXTURE Mi% good friable sandy clay loam soil with &g Roc! hosphate per polybag $g Roc! hosphate per #MT.
LAYOUT The layout should be on a bed basis. The dimensions recommended recommended are as follow/
0idth/ #& cm (1 ft.+
2ength/ #$ cm ($ ft.+ for every hectare of field to be planted. Total length length of each bed may e%ceed ) cm (&ft.+
ath/ 3$ cm (&.$ ft.+ between beds.
SHADE "hade may not be necessary but if provide, should only be temporary.
PLANTING (a+ 4erminated seeds should be carefully chec!ed chec!ed for defects defects upon receipt prom the supplier. supplier. The main defect are/
Overgrown seeds These normally become apparent after #1 days from germination and are characteri5ed by the appearance of a leaf sheath on the shoot and many rootlets on the e%tended radical (root+.
6rown germ "eeds affected by brown germ normally have a stubby radical with brown lesions mostly midway between the plumule and radical.
2ate germinate Mainly their very thin plumule, early appearance of the leaf sheath and the presence of an increased number of adventitious roots characteri5e these seeds.
7amage seeds "eeds with physical damage li!e bro!en or shriveled radical.
(b+ "eeds "eeds should should be plante plantedd appro appro%im %imate ately ly # cm below the soil surface. surface. "eed "eed must must never never be planted upside down nor too deep. 8pside down planting can give rise to twisted leaf.
(c+ After planti planting ng a layer layer of mulch is is recommend recommended. ed. 6ro!en 6ro!en shells shells and well well rotted rotted cyclone cyclone fibre from the soil mill are suitable mulching materials.
(d+ 7oubleton 7oubletonss- In a normal seed seed consignment, consignment, there is always always some percentage percentage of seed that produce two or three shoots.
WATERING "eedling should be watered watered twice daily e%cept on rainy days. 9nsure that the soil in the polybags is moist but not in a saturated condition. Type watering is manual manuring.
WEEDING Regular hand weeding rounds should be carried out.
CENSUS AND CULLING Two census rounds should be carried out during the pre-nursery stage.
#st census-at about ) wee!s after planting to determine the percentage of planting failure. &ndcensus-at ' months after planting (during transfer to the main nursery+ to determine the percentage of planting failure.
MAIN NURSERY POLYBAG 2arge ': cm % $ cm (#$ in % & in+ lay-flat blac! perforated polybags of $ gauge should be used.
SOIL MIXTURE
a+ The best best available available topsoil topsoil of good good structure structure should should be used. "andy "andy clay loam loam to good structure structure clay soil is suitable for oil palm growth.
b+ Mi% roc! phosph phosphate ate at appro%i appro%imate mately ly $ ;g to # Mt of of soil during during soil polyba polybagg filling filling stages stages for main nursery.
c+ olybags olybags should should be filled filled at least least two wee!s wee!s before seed seed sowing sowing and well well watered watered to allow allow soil consolidation. The soil surface after settling should not not be less than &.$ cm (# in+ from the lip of the bag.
LAYOUT
a+ The polybag polybag should should be arrang arrangee at * cm (' ft+ triangular triangular spacing spacing for seedlin seedlingg to be retain retain in nursery not e%ceeding #$ months.
b+ At * cm (' ft+ triangul triangular ar spacing spacing it will give a stand stand of appro%im appro%imate ately ly #&, #&, polyba polybags gs per hactare.
TRANSPLANTING TO MAIN NURSERY
a+ Transplan Transplanting ting of pre-seed pre-seedling ling to the main main nursery nursery should should be carried carried out at ' leaf stage, stage, which which will be between between ' to 1 months from planting planting of germinated germinated
WATERING
(a+ In the main nursery, nursery, watering watering should should be carried carried out at least once once a day at about #.$ litres per per bag e%cept on rainy day. "o in one day should be & watering per day.
(b+ 0atering is perhaps the the most important important reuirement reuirement in in a polybag polybag nursery. nursery.
(c+ 0atering 0atering induce induce the the growth growth of oil palm palm in nursery. nursery.
(d+ In the main nursery,several nursery,several irrigation irrigation system is overhead overhead sprin!ler.
(e+ The overhead overhead sprin!ler used used is ) ft and and distance between between sprin!ler is & metres.
WEEDING
a+ The need need for carrying carrying out a clean clean weeding weeding policy policy is depend depend on the condition condition of the the area.
b+ "uitab "uitable le chemi chemical cal used used in in main main nurser nursery/ y/
#:2 l>#:2 ? &O
0eedicide /6asta========&ml>#:2 /6asta========&ml>#:2 ? &O
Insecticide / @urelle-7-$$======.$>.# @urelle-7-$$======.$>.#ml>#:2 ml>#:2 ? &O
/ Tedion=========#ml>#: Tedion=========#ml>#:22 ? &O
/ Attac!=========.#ml>#:2 ? &O
2iuid fertili5er/ 6ayfolan======..&ml>#:2 6ayfolan======..&ml>#:2 ? &O
c+ 4lyphosate 4lyphosate and Amine Amine are not not to be be used used in the the nursery. nursery.
CENSUS AND CULLING
Three rounds of census and culling must be carried out during the growth of seedling in the main nursery/
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#st census- at ' to 1 months after planting. 7uring transplanting to main nursery.
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&nd and 'rd census- at : months and ust before field planting.
TIMING OF TRANSPLANTING TO FIELD
The optimum age of seedling for field planting is #& to #$ months from germinate seed stage. "eedling with age more than #: months will be call as AM or Advance lanting Material. AM usually is used for replacing dead palm in a field with less than # years of age.
OIL PALM NURSERY ACTIVITY
"eed
reparation of medium for seeds germ under shade area
"eeds planted into medium of small
"eedlings in small polybags ('months+
polybags
Medium in large polybags that arranged triangle
Transplanting of seedling into big big polybag.
"eedli "eedling ngss transp transplan lanted ted to main main nurer nureryy
0eeds management (weedicide spraying+
0ateri 0at ering ng system system (sprin (sprin!le !ler+ r+
A PICTORIAL GUIDE TO EFFICIENT CULLING IN THE NURSERY THE NEED TO CULL As the oil palm is a low density crop every every field planted planted palm must yield yield its share of the crop in order to achieve high <<6 yields per unit area. ?igh early early yields and good performance in the field is heavily dependant on choice of planting material and the field planting of healthy and vigorous seedlings from the nursery practice and efficient culling deserve the greatest emphasis. 0ith current planting materials being derived from seeds, the need to cull is unavoidable. This is true irrespective to the source of planting material.
CULLING FREQUENCY
Recommended Recommended stages>intervals for culling are/-
a+ Bust before before transpla transplantin ntingg seedlings seedlings from from prenurser prenurseryy into main main nursery. nursery. Or
b+ 0hen 0hen seedling seedlingss are ' months months of age age in single single stage stage nursery. nursery.
c+ Thereafte Thereafterr culling culling should should be done at ' month monthly ly intervals. intervals.
d+ Critical Critical selection selection should should be be done when when seedlin seedlings gs are *-# *-# months months old.
?aving done this, there should be few seedlings seedlings for reection at time of field planting (##-#' months age+.
a+ 7estro 7estroyy immed immediat iately ely all all disca discarde rdedd seedli seedlings ngs..
b+ In well well managed managed nurser nurseries, ies, up to to &$D cullin cullingg rate may may be accepte accepted. d.
c+
anthracnose
should be discarded and destroyed.
?owever, if large numbers are affected, treatment with appropriate fungicide is necessary.
PRENURSERY AND EARLY STAGES OF SINGLE STAGE NURSERY
A normal, well grown seedling is shown below. A norm normal al,, well well grow grownn seed seedliling ng in the the prenursery, to be retained for transplanting into large polybag.
Types of u!es"#$%&e see!&"'s fo# !"s($#!"' $#e s)o* $! !es(#"%e %e&o*+
TWISTED SHOOT Coiled leaves and twisted stem. @ot genetic in origin Caused by seed having been planted upside down. • •
GRASS LEAF , ON RIGHT Also !nown as Enarrow leafF. 2eaves are narrow, erect and grass-li!e. Compare with normal seedling on left. •
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ROLLED LEAF 2eaf lamina is rolled along its lon a%is. •
COLLANTE "evere constriction around central part lamina prevents full leaf e%pansion. 7elay cullingG improvement in watering regime is recommended. recommended. "ubseuently "ubseuently cull only persistent cases which do not recover with improved watering. •
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Mild cases of leaf crin!ling generally recover with improved wateringG these should should not be culled. Only severe and persistent cases should be discarded.
CHIMAERA Intensity, distribution and duration of this phenomenon vary. •
MAIN NURSERY AND LATER STAGES OF SINGLE STAGE NURSERY
A norm normal al heal health thyy seed seedliling ng is show shownn below. ?ealthy seedling suitable for field planting when ##-#' months of age.
U!es"#$%&e .ypes $#e s)o* $! !es(#"%e %e&o* fo# (u&&"'+ RUNT , o #"'). -. Alth Althou ough gh morpholo morphological gically ly similar similar to seedlings seedlings of the same age , runts are stunted. Compare with normal seedling on left.
FLAT/TOP+ Hounger fronds are progressively shorter and they do not proect beyond the older fronds. BARREN+ Also BARREN+ Also !nown as E sterile E. "eedling has a very upright , rigid appearance.
CHIMAERA+ Intensity, distribution of discoloration and duration of this phenomenon vary.
LIMP+ Also !nown as EflaccidF.
SHORT INTERNODES+ innae are very closely spaced along the rachis.
ACUTE PINNAE INSERTION+ innae are borne at very acute angles to the rachis.
SHORT BROAD PINNAE+ innae appear short, broad and points are usually blunt. Often occurs in combination with short internodes.
NARROW PINNAE+ innae are narrow and rolled along their a%is, they appear needle-li!e. innae are also usually borne at very acute angles to the rachis.
0UVENILE+ 9vident in order seedlings where pinnae remain permanently undevided or only partially differentiated.
WIDE INTERNODES+ innae are spaced very wide on the rachis. The seedling appears very open. 0here seedlings are adeuately spaced, wide internode is genetic in origin.
WIDE INTRERNODES+ 0ide inrernodes shown in close-up above. caution / where seedlings are crowded, wide internodes are seen. remedy / space ou seedlings, gradual recovery is seen in new fronds
ACUTE PINNAE INSERTION Close-up showing acute pinnae insertion.
