The use of The MULTIPLOW in the decompaction of the soil in Oil Palm plantations is aimed at solving soil problems that affect the appearance of diseases and significant losses in productivity.
The technology used in the form of tillage is decisive to eliminate the problems that arise in soils where compaction generates a series of inconveniences.
The horizontal cutting technology applied does not turn the soil prism, therefore it decompacts and softens it, returning it to its natural structure.
Planting new young plantations.
In soils where new sowing is going to be carried out, it is prepared by making a pass with The MULTIPLOW at a depth of 35 cm, to leave the soil plowed and in appropriate conditions in case it is necessary to plant an associated crop in order to use the area in the first years that the main crop (Oil Palm) allows it according to its development.
In the first years of crop development, the amount of plowing with the MULTIPLOW that is necessary for planting associated crops can be done, always 1.5 meters away from the trunk of the Palm.
Plantations older than three years.
In established African Palm plantations, due to compaction due to maintenance and harvest work, it is necessary to carry out decompaction to eliminate the toxicity of nitrites and recover the physical-chemical and biological conditions of the soil (availability of oxygen, mobility of water and return of the conditions for the habitat of the soil Biota) that allow the absorption of nutrients necessary for the increase of production in the plant and that combat and/or prevent the CP disease with which it is related.
Make a pass with The MULTIPLOW at a depth of no more than 30 cm of horizontal cutting and about 40 cm from the subsoiler with the objective of renewing or reactivating roots in the street and covering from 2 meters from the center of the palm towards the street.
Background, consequences and accelerated expansion of African oil palm cultivation:
One of the greatest environmental consequences of oil palm plantations is the infertility they cause in tropical soils, since this monoculture demands a large amount of nutrients and eliminates the organic layer of the soil. Researchers establish that the soils used for its production take 25 years to become fertile again.
The accelerated expansion of the cultivation of African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is generating an enormous environmental impact worldwide, very acute in countries of Southeast Asia and Latin America where these plantations are replacing tropical forests by 40% and 32% to natural pastures and basic grain cultivation areas.
The consequences are devastating for the soil, transforming large hectares of land into infertile and, in some cases, unusable, with loss of biodiversity and the disappearance of the habitat of animal species.
Comparative analysis carried out on the state of the soil after the production of different types of crops show that it takes 25 years to make the area in which oil palm was planted become fertile again since “the soil is so weakened that no matter how much is fertilized, the components are lost and disappear, the soil losing all its fertility. The productive intensity causes devastating soil depletion.
The restoration of the fertility of the plantations after 25-30 years of exploitation is not economically profitable due to the high cost and the delay in restoring it, for this reason the extension of the plantations is carried out in virgin areas of recently cut forests. or in areas of less costly crops.
Achieving Sustainability of palm plantations entails the reconnection and reactivation of the Systems (Sun-Plant-soil) involved in the process. The combined application of technologies is necessary where the depleted minerals are restored to the soil (Remineralization) and the Physicochemical conditions are returned through non-aggressive and invasive soil preparation practices, thereby regenerating the biology of the soil and with it the natural reconnection of the Systems.
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Palm plantations are distributed as follows: Southeast Asia concentrates the largest area of palm cultivation with 8 million hectares planted in Indonesia and 4 million hectares planted in Malaysia.
In Latin America: Colombia, with 400 thousand hectares, followed by Ecuador with 280 thousand and Honduras with 250 thousand.
Due to its versatility and diversified use, its expansion is growing very quickly and it is estimated that production will triple within three years, generating irreversible damage to the environment.
Edaphoclimatic conditions of the crop.
The cultivation of African or oil palm requires deep soils (>75 cm of arable soil), with good drainage that prevents flooding and a slope of less than 12%; in addition to a cation exchange capacity (CEC) greater than 16 and a value greater than 20% of exchangeable bases.
Precipitation. The growth and development of African palm or oil palm cultivation has its greatest potential in regions where precipitation is well distributed throughout the year (150 mm per month) and is equal to or greater than 1,800 mm per year. Temperature and relative humidity. The ideal annual temperature for growing African or oil palm is between 22 and 28 °C. Regarding relative humidity, it is recommended that it be above 80%.
Palm depleting aggressiveness
Palm oil is the fat obtained from the African palm; This is characterized by its rapid growth and high yield of its fruit, it is very aggressive with its environment by capturing all the resources, causing the soils to degrade.
Soil compaction.
Compaction has been considered the main problem of degradation of the structure of agricultural soils, worldwide the negative effects on crops are known, causing a hardness that reaches thicknesses that are impenetrable for the roots and also hinders the passage and water infiltration which causes excess humidity, decrease in nutrient intake, lower growth of the plant part.
In Oil Palm crops, soil compaction is a constant due to the use of machinery such as tractors and animal-drawn carts in harvesting work.
Compaction is a form of physical degradation of the soil that can propagate throughout its profile and is manifested in the increase in its apparent density and the reduction of porosity as a result of the application of loads.
The persistence of Compaction in the Oil Palm is considered particularly serious and a series of adverse effects are associated with it:
BUD ROT COMPLEX. (Phytophthora palmivora)
What is bud rot disease or CP?
Bud rot (CP) has been the most devastating pest of oil palm in Latin America. The symptoms of the disease are characterized by rotting of all new tissues, preserving the leaves that formed before infection.
This lethal disease for the Oil Palm destroys the young leaves of the plant, it is caused by Phytophthora palmivora Butl, as the causative agent of the first lesions, subsequently opportunistic pathogens appear: various fungi (Fusarium spp., Colletotrichum sp., Thielaviopsis sp. ., and Rhizoctonia sp, among others), bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. and Erwinia sp) and insects (Rhynchophorus palmarum) that promote the rotting process, which begins in the immature tissues of the arrows that are developing. PC affects the immature tissues of the developing arrows, impairs the emission and maturation of new arrows and, consequently, stops the future development of the plant (Martínez et al., 2010).
Experts indicate that when the disease is detected in time, a simple pruning of the young affected arrow along with chemical control may be enough to control the disease, but if the attack is severe there is destruction of the arrows and the area. meristematic, consequently, the emission and maturation of the new arrows is stopped, causing the death of the plant. This reasoning is only aimed at attacking the effect of the disease, not the causes that cause it. Below are the causes related to the appearance of the disease revealed in research by authorized entities in this regard, where the loss of soil properties from Compaction generates a series of nutritional disorders that lead to the appearance of the illness.
The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the physicochemical properties of the soils in the characteristic areas of palm cultivation (street, plate and palera) served as a basis for determining their physicochemical state and to establish the relationships that may arise between these properties, the productivity of the crop and the disease known as bud rot (CP).
Soil compaction: The results obtained allowed us to identify the development of compaction phenomena in the different areas of the crop, which resulted in the reduction of porosity, gas exchange capacity and soil infiltration capacity; all of them, determining factors of the observed conditions of inappropriate drainage, excess water, flooding of lots and in some cases of excessive surface runoff; conditions that restrict the efficient use of nutrients by plants. There is a relationship between soil compaction and CP, where the soil acts as an agent that predisposes the plant to contract the disease and not as a causative agent of the disease.
Loss of physical/chemical characteristics of the soil: Various investigations carried out by Cenipalma have allowed us to conceptualize that various physical and chemical characteristics of the soil can act as conditioning factors of the incidence of Bud Rot (CP) of oil palm in the Llanos. Eastern Colombia. Research has been more detailed regarding the physical characteristics of soils and has shown that conditions that imply a limitation for the movement of water and soil aeration determine, at the same time, a greater incidence of CP. This is how it has been statistically proven that the incidence of PC increases when the clay content, resistance to penetration (compaction) (Acosta et al. 1996) and apparent density increase (Acosta et al. 1997a), and when they decrease hydraulic conductivity (Cenipalma 1997a) and the depth of clay horizons (Cenipalma 1997b). Jointly, it has been determined that soil management practices that improve its hydraulic conductivity can reduce the incidence rates of CP (Acosta et al. 1997b).
Nutritional imbalance and high concentrations of nitrites: Due to the demineralization of the soil due to the high depletion through the extraction of crops and the limitation of root absorption of nutrients. Regarding the chemical characteristics and nutritional status of the palm, there are indications that high concentrations of nitrites (Cenipalma 1997a) and nutritional imbalances could also act as conditioning factors. The low availability of oxygen in the soil leads to the accumulation of reduced chemical forms, among which are nitrites. These ions can cause phytotoxicity under certain circumstances (Carreño et al. 1999) and it has been proposed that their presence in high concentration could be related to the occurrence of PC (de Rojas Peña and Ruiz 1975). Based on the above, quantifications of nitrites in the soil have been carried out in relation to the disease, the climate and the method of tillage.
First CP le
AAsions on developing arrows in oil palm (Photographs M. Ramírez. Bayer CroFrom research in this regard, it is deduced that the incidence or appearance of outbreaks of the disease begin in swampy areas or lowlands wWe can summarize that the appearance of CP is associated with several factors such a
