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15 Lysimeter Studies and Irrigation of Oil Palm in Some Inland Soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s Experience* LEE CHIN TUI ** FELDA Agricultural Services Sdn Bhd., Tingkat 7, Balai FELDA, Jalan Gurney Satu, 54000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AND IZWANIZAM ARIFIN Pusat Perkhidmatan Pertanian Tun Razak, P O Box 11, 27000 Jerantut, Pahang, Malaysia Rainfall distribution in inland areas of Peninsular Malaysia is generally uneven, thus bearing considerable effect on the growth and production of oil palm. A single lysimeter study conducted in 1974 at Felda’s Tun Razak Agricultural Services Centre (3° 52' 55" North, 102° 43' 41" East) at Jerantut, Pahang over a period of 33 years revealed a strong influence of water on oil palm yield. In this study, the estimated potential evapotranspiration (PET) for immature oil palm was 4.5 to 5.0 mm per day and 5.0 to 5.5 mm per day for mature palms. During drought, the PET could increase to 6.5 to 7.5 mm per day whereas in the monsoon season the rate could be as low as 3.0 to 3.5 mm per day. During an El Nino, the PET could reach as high as 10 mm per day. The highest yield obtained for the single irrigated palm was an equivalent of 59 tonnes FFB per hectare achieved in a particular year. Results over 33 years showed that the yield was 57 per cent higher with irrigation than without. On the same subject, Felda Agricultural Services Sdn Bhd laid out three field trials to investigate the effect of irrigation on oil palm performances under different rainfall regimes and palm age. In a distinctly drier environment in Serting Hilir, Negeri Sembilan, which involved 21 ha of clonal oil palm, the response of irrigated palms over 23 years showed an average yield increase of almost 12 tonnes per hectare (or 56%) over the non-irrigated palms. The clonal block sustained yields of more than 30 tonnes per hectare since inception of the irrigation or more than 18 years. Irrigation improved the oil yield components. The cost-benefit and viability of irrigation based on to-date data from these trials is given. Keywords: Irrigation, moisture conservation, yield. Moisture is one of the most important factors affecting the growth and production of oil palm. Although Malaysia is a humid tropical country with an annual rainfall of 1 800-3 000 mm (MMS, 1981), periodic dry periods in JanuaryMarch and June-August commonly occur in the inland areas of Peninsular Malaysia (Nieuwolt et al., 1982; Kee,1995). The uneven rainfall distribution particularly in the interior is amongst the major contributory factors affecting high oil palm yields (Goh et al., 2002; Mathews et al., 2006). Soil physical properties such as those with different magnitude of water holding capacity are also known to affect oil * Revised version of paper presented at the EMPA Seminar on Water Management in Oil Palm Plantation held on 18 June 2012 at Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia ** email: [email protected] The Planter, Kuala Lumpur, 89 (1042): 15-29 (2013)
16 palm yields (Phang et al., 1973; Foster et al., 1984; Goh et al., 1994; Paramananthan, 2003). The terrain in inland areas is usually moderately undulating to hilly and the rainfall distribution is generally uneven. This has led to yield fluctuation of the palms resulting in high yields not achieved consistently. This paper aims to highlight the experience on directly irrigating the palms in the field during the immature and mature stages to achieve optimum palm growth and yield. LYSIMETER STUDY ON POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (PET) AND OIL PALM YIELD The importance of water to oil palm has been demonstrated by a single lysimeter palm study at Felda’s Pusat Perkhidmatan Pertanian Tun Razak (PPPTR) (3° 52' 55" North, 102° 43' 41" East) at Jerantut, Pahang to determine the water requirement of oil palm and its effect on yield (Ling, 1979; Foong, 1991 & 1999) (Figures 1 & 2). In this study, the estimated potential evapotranspiration (PET) for immature oil palm was 4.5 to 5.0 mm per day and 5.0 to 5.5 mm per day for mature palms Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience Figure 2 Oil palm seedlings was planted in 1976 (Table 1). During drought, the PET could increase to 6.5 to 7.5 mm per day whereas during the monsoon season the rate could be as low as 3.0 to 3.5 mm per day. During an El Nino, the PET could reach as high as 10 mm per day (Foong & Lee, 2000). The lysimeter study also revealed a strong influence of water on oil palm yield. The highest yield obtained for the single irrigated palm was an equivalent of 59 tonnes fresh fruit bunch (FFB) per hectare that was achieved in the year 1994 (Table 2). Results over 33 years showed that the yield was 57 per cent higher with irrigation than without (Figure 3). EFFECT OF IRRIGATION ON OIL PALM YIELD UNDER INLAND CONDITION Following the lysimeter study, Felda Agricultural Services Sdn Bhd (FASSB) had carried out a field irrigation trial on oil palm in a dry region at Serting Hilir (Table 3), (2° 48' 20" North, 102° 22' 44" East) Jempol, Negeri Sembilan in 1991. Results over 23 years of 21 ha irrigated clonal oil palm showed an average yield increase of almost 12 tonnes per hectare (or 56%) over the non-irrigated clonal palms. The Figure 1 Agronomist, Mr Ling Ah Hong (left) and Mr Foong Sang Foo (right) who initiated the lysimeter project in 1975
17 TABLE 1 POTENTIAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (MM/DAY) OF OIL PALM MEASURED AT PPPTR Year Palm age Rainfall Sunshine Potential (Years) (mm/year) (hours/day) evapotranspiration (mm/day) 1979 4 1936 5.8 4.7 1980 5 1930 5.4 4.7 1981 6 1867 5.7 4.6 1982 7 1819 5.6 5.3 1983 8 1617 5.6 5.1 1984 9 2522 4.8 4.8 1985 10 1996 5.7 4.7 1986 11 1938 5.4 5.3 1987 12 2280 5.8 5.5 1988 13 2555 5.7 5.2 1989 14 1978 5.8 5.2 1990 15 1610 6.1 5.7 1991 16 1754 5.3 6.4 1992 17 1963 6.1 6.4 1993 18 2541 6.2 5.9 1994 19 2105 5.4 6.4 1995 20 2332 5.5 6.7 1996 21 2177 5.5 6.4 1997 22 1894 5.7 6.9 1998 23 1934 6.1 7.4 1999 24 2230 5.5 6.9 2000 25 2368 6.0 6.7 2001 26 2749 5.7 6.2 2002 27 1525 6.4 6.8 2003 28 1772 5.7 6.7 2004 29 2089 6.0 6.5 2005 30 1604 6.3 6.6 2006 31 1909 6.1 6.6 2007 32 2516 5.6 6.5 2008 33 2690 5.8 6.5 2009 34 2095 5.8 6.5 2010 35 2131 6.2 6.6 2011 36 1870 5.5 6.2 The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013
18 TABLE 2 FFB YIELD OF IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED PALMS IN LYSIMETER STUDYAT PPPTR Year Palm age Year of FFB yield (tonnes/ha) % Extra yield (years) harvesting with irrigation Irrigated Non-irrigated 1979 4 1 st 22.61 11.78 92 1980 5 2 nd 31.30 19.43 61 1981 6 3 rd 44.92 30.21 49 1982 7 4 th 43.14* 38.78 11* 1983 8 5 th 19.46* 23.03 -16* 1984 9 6 th 17.02* 24.66 -31* 1985 10 7 th 33.11* 36.96 -10* 1986 11 8 th 38.48* 27.97 38* 1987 12 9 th 27.01* 27.04 -0* 1988 13 10th 39.44 29.20 35 1989 14 11st 40.26 34.50 17 1990 15 12nd 53.87 37.21 45 1991 16 13rd 37.44 25.97 44 1992 17 14th 26.05 27.45 -5 1993 18 15th 54.50 33.80 61 1994 19 16th 59.02 34.71 70 1995 20 17th 46.10 37.80 21 1996 21 18th 36.19 32.81 10 1997 22 19th 45.20 30.00 51 1998 23 20th 44.10 24.24 82 1999 24 21st 56.31 27.64 104 2000 25 22nd 48.40 26.81 81 2001 26 23rd 53.13 33.39 59 2002 27 24th 51.15 26.78 91 2003 28 25th 52.61 31.06 69 2004 29 26th 54.54 32.84 66 2005 30 27th 57.72 29.78 94 2006 31 28th 49.51 36.48 36 2007 32 29th 43.81 19.92 120 2008 33 30th 40.20 23.92 68 2009 34 31st 43.81 28.13 56 2010 35 32nd 44.18 21.47 106 2011 36 33rd 31.52 16.56 90 Mean 44.74 28.56 57 Note : Data from non-irrigated palms were from mean of six palms Yield based on 148 palms/ha * Affected by insufficient irrigation Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience
19 clonal block sustained yields of more than 30 tonnes per hectare since inception of the irrigation of more than 18 years (Table 4). Another two irrigation trials were laid out at PPPTR and Tembangau 9 (3° 07' 29" North, 102° 31' 59" East), Kemayan, Pahang with irrigation provided at the early planting stage. PPPTR is in a moderately dry region with 1- 3 months of low rainfall (Table 5). The mean FFB yield (2004-2007) demonstrated that irrigated plots yielded 25.62 tonnes per hectare which was higher by 11 per cent or 2.54 tonnes per hectare as compared to nonirrigated plots at 23.08 tonnes per hectare. The irrigated plots showed significant differences in almost all the oil yield parameters except for kernel to bunch (K/B) ratio. The irrigated palms out-yielded the non-irrigated palms by 13.6 per cent, 12.2 per cent and 13.4 per cent in oil, kernel and total economic product (TEP) The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 Figure 3 Lysimeter palm at 37 years old respectively. The rainfall pattern improved and was evenly distributed over time except for the years 2010 and 2011 with 3-4 months of low rainfall that normally occurred during the months of January-March (<120 mm/month). Mean FFB yield (2008-2011) performance under irrigated and non-irrigated palms were not significantly different, both growing environments were capable of producing almost 30 tonnes per hectare per year and total economic product more than 10.2 tonnes per hectare per year. Overall, the irrigated palms were able to express higher oil to bunch ratio (O/B) (by 5%) and resulted in significantly higher oil yield and total economic product by almost 6 per cent as compared to non-irrigated palms (Table 6). Lee et al. (2005) reported that the major contribution to the increase in FFB yield recorded (June 2001-2004) under irrigation in both areas viz undulating and terraced areas was bunch number rather than the bunch weight (Figure 4). Irrigation did not change the yielding patterns for both the undulating and terraced areas where similar yield trends of oil palm was observed (Figures 5 & 6). Yield response to irrigation was mainly in heightening the peak yields and to some extent also raising the trough yields. Bunch number rather than bunch weight contributed more to the increased peak yields. This yield trend was also in agreement to that reported by Foong (1999). The impact of irrigation on yield was more obvious in a drier area at the regional research station of Tembangau 9, with uneven rainfall pattern (Table 7). The irrigated palms yielded over 104 tonnes per hectare FFB yield for the first to fifth years of harvesting, which was an addition of 40 tonnes per hectare as compared to the non-irrigated palms at 64 tonnes per hectare (Table 8). The yield gap between irrigated and non-irrigated palms for the
20 fourth year of harvesting was very high at 10.80 tonnes per hectare or by almost 109 per cent in one particular year, in which the nonirrigated palms give only 9.9 tonnes per hectare per year. This was partly due to continuously low rainfall in the past 2 years (in 2004 and 2005), with the drought in each year lasting about 5 months. This long dry period has a pronounced effect on male sex differentiation 24 months latter and a high incidence of inflorescence abortion 9 months before the bunch is harvested (Corley, 1976). Overall, mean FFB yield (2003-2011) demonstrated that irrigated plots yielded 24.4 tonnes per hectare which was higher by 33 per cent or 6.1 tonnes per hectare as compared to non-irrigated plots at 18.30 tonnes per hectare. Aside from the above irrigation trials conducted under inland conditions which gave large yield responses, other irrigation studies conducted in Malaysia reported yield improvements of 2.5 per cent to 33.1 per cent (Chan, 1979; Corley & Hong, 1981; Chan et al., 1985; Kee & Chew, 1991), suggesting a mean of 10-15 per cent. The differential yield response to irrigation obtained by past irrigation studies could be due to insufficient irrigation being applied to the palms (4-5 mm/day) as Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience TABLE 3 RAINFALL (MM) AT SERTING HILIR 1988 - 2011 Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total 1988 65 182 291 225 120 96 64 243 210 29 386 64 1975 1989 254 0 119 64 110 158 46 75 169 320 150 99 1564 1990 45 49 57 167 109 78 153 126 187 191 123 232 1518 1991 75 19 124 156 341 80 19 56 207 166 367 417 2026 1992 70 75 146 185 157 54 174 70 209 167 179 223 1708 1993 153 83 215 425 178 58 142 110 248 233 453 305 2601 1994 131 301 538 250 243 194 134 59 60 306 348 156 2718 1995 461 126 216 234 124 164 82 190 91 371 465 424 2949 1996 241 79 89 516 301 346 360 259 154 366 227 473 3410 1997 6 66 292 323 73 196 242 95 122 353 289 319 2374 1998 261 73 56 107 306 51 389 331 134 143 516 455 2821 1999 240 141 371 232 274 242 43 142 114 251 184 247 2476 2000 245 315 267 176 126 59 142 105 80 60 244 279 2096 2001 200 68 143 200 156 40 118 38 143 111 262 326 1803 2002 57 22 61 151 95 152 136 204 186 156 266 120 1606 2003 199 204 174 239 108 247 64 264 123 185 269 96 2173 2004 121 31 98 82 66 104 270 13 201 293 204 179 1660 2005 58 15 51 36 73 101 120 93 202 157 274 196 1376 2006 159 137 76 239 257 92 49 74 106 124 192 289 1792 2007 130 17 70 261 93 151 106 116 221 200 201 476 2041 2008 72 52 241 139 234 170 87 170 87 195 216 72 1736 2009 83 25 314 81 194 59 57 85 130 226 200 144 1596 2010 128 39 149 160 124 200 240 241 218 163 223 234 2117 2011 435 18 250 57 194 37 104 105 204 239 234 294 2171 Mean 162 89 184 196 169 130 139 136 159 209 270 255 2096
21 The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 TABLE 4 FFB YIELD OF IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED CLONAL PALMS IN A DRY REGION AT SERTING HILIR Year Palm age Year of FFB yield (tonnes/ha) % Extra yield (years) harvesting with irrigation Irrigated Non-irrigated 1991 4 1 st 11.18 4.25 163 1992 5 2 nd 15.47 9.69 60 1993 6 3 rd 20.21 12.60 60 1994 7 4 th 30.47 17.50 74 1995 8 5 th 35.76 18.35 95 1996 9 6 th 30.50 17.86 71 1997 10 7 th 34.67 17.81 95 1998 11 8 th 30.07 18.78 60 1999 12 9 th 36.06 25.01 44 2000 13 10th 35.40 26.03 36 2001 14 11st 34.74 25.58 36 2002 15 12nd 32.54 22.36 46 2003 16 13rd 35.23 28.31 24 2004 17 14th 36.41 21.24 71 2005 18 15th 40.68 24.00 70 2006 19 16th 35.01 22.84 53 2007 20 17th 27.92 20.20 38 2008 21 18th 48.22 31.73 52 2009 22 19th 41.12 34.1 21 2010 23 20th 35.78 22.77 57 2011 24 21st 36.55 16.08 127 Mean 32.57 20.81 56 compared to 5-6 mm per day reported by Foong (1991, 1999). Other contributory factors to the variable yield response to irrigation could be related to site specific characteristics such as variation in rainfall regime, soil type and palm age. Cost effectiveness of irrigation The present method of calculating the cost benefit analysis is based on previous work reported by Lee et al. (2007). The initial capital outlay for an irrigation project has been estimated to be about RM4 688 per hectare which is about 29 per cent higher than that reported by Foong and Lee (2000) at RM3 630 per hectare, comprising the cost of engine, piping and the construction of 540 flatbeds in the field. Combined with a financial cost at an annual interest rate of 6 per cent per year, the total cost comes out to about RM7 500 per hectare or RM750 per hectare per year amortised over a 10-year period. As for direct operating costs, they are given in the following table (Table 9) under three different scenarios based on number of months irrigation is applied to the palms and expected yield response. The estimated operating cost under the
22 Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience TABLE 6 FFB YIELD, PALM OILAND KERNEL OILYIELD OF IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED PALMS AT SG. TEKAM, PPPTUN RAZAK (MODERATELYWET REGION) Treatment Mean oil yield product (t/ha) FFB(t/ha) Oil yield Kernel oil yield TEP(t/ha) O/B (%) t/ha K/B (%) t/ha 1Mean (2004-2007, palm age at 5-8 years of harvesting) Irrigation All values are averaged over 6 planting materials and 2 terrain conditions Irrigated 25.62a 32.20a 8.25a 4.43a 1.13a 8.93a Non-Irrigated 23.08b 31.48b 7.27b 4.38a 1.01b 7.87b Extra with irigation (%) 11.0 2.3 13.6 1.0 12.2 13.4 2Mean (2008-2011, palm age at 9-12 years of harvesting) Irrigation All values are averaged over 6 planting materials and 2 terrain conditions Irrigated 29.91a 32.88a 9.83a 4.96a 1.48a 10.72a Non-Irrigated 29.48a 31.39b 9.26b 5.09a 1.50a 10.16b Extra with Irrigation (%) 1.5 4.7 6.2 -2.6 -1.1 5.6 Note: Values with the same alphabets are not significantly different from each other. Source: 1Lee et al., (2011); 2 Lee et al., (2012, in press). TABLE 5 RAINFALL (MM) AT PPPTUN RAZAK, SG. TEKAM 1999 - 2011 Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total 1999 205 104 147 202 169 149 52 186 427 192 191 207 2 230 2000 194 269 177 286 83 152 68 172 159 236 205 282 2 281 2001 214 208 386 239 133 64 133 202 228 236 249 284 2 574 2002 44 97 93 223 193 101 78 159 137 149 162 179 1 612 2003 137 82 119 117 81 152 153 150 67 227 194 220 1 696 2004 123 37 203 239 185 69 189 138 128 490 243 191 2 231 2005 55 36 48 67 130 82 176 69 137 269 333 351 1 750 2006 95 236 127 194 141 172 136 222 253 256 382 346 2 557 2007 195 54 161 75 224 202 159 94 239 352 159 530 2 441 2008 152 76 377 316 219 247 284 261 176 253 316 248 2 922 2009 100 50 346 225 215 182 110 151 127 216 256 265 2 242 2010 92 85 6 197 197 302 247 139 209 148 255 305 2 178 2011 284 14 292 77 95 104 87 219 89 254 276 154 1 942 Mean 145 104 191 189 159 152 144 166 183 252 248 274 2 204
23 The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 Figure 4 Clonal irrigation trial layout at Tun Razak Research Centre (palms planted in 2000) three irrigation scenarios at RM423 per hectare per year (at 2 EMI), RM633 per hectare per year (at 4 EMI) and RM830 per hectare per year (at 6 EMI) are thus obviously higher than that reported by Foong and Lee (2000) at RM312 per hectare per year. This higher cost incurred was partly due to significant increase in diesel over the last few years. Apart from that, the increase of fertiliser prices also indirectly incurred additional expenditure. For the irrigation project to be viable and profitable (after reduction of capital cost), a FFB yield increase of at least 4 tonnes per hectare with irrigation is required at an assumed FFB price of RM400 per tonne (Table 10). This profitability will increase as FFB prices increase. As cost of capital layout increase over the years, a simple cost benefit analysis to budget for the capital expenditure (CAPEX) is given in Table 11. It is clearly shown that at an initial CAPEX cost layout at RM7 800 per hectare, it will require at least 7 tonnes FFB per hectare for the irrigation project to be viable at an assumed FFB price of RM400 per tonne. However, this profitability will increase in line with FFB prices. It is noted that when FFB price is at RM500 per tonne, a FFB yield increase of 5 tonnes with irrigation will suffice to offset the additional cost of irrigation. Enhancement of the viability of this irrigation project can be made by establishing superior planting materials capable of producing extra oil yield. Thus, to optimise land productivity in a dry area, implementation of irrigation is more economically feasible with the exploitation of high yielding materials such as planting elite clones in replants. Overall, higher yield increase of at least 5-6 tonnes per hectare per year would be more justifiable for implementing irrigation. In Malaysia, large scale irrigation for oil palm is rather limited because of inadequate water supply, suitable terrain and other logistics involved. CONCLUSION The influence of moisture on oil palm yield is seen to be more significant in inland areas. Thus, water management in oil palm plantations should be given attention right from the beginning of land development and followed through to the mature stage to realise higher yields than those presently obtained. In drier areas, where water availability is not limited, irrigation can be a viable proposition. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank the Senior Executive Director/CEO of FELDA Agricultural Services Sdn Bhd, Mr S Palaniappan for permission to publish this paper. The author also wishes to thank the dedicated staff of the Agronomy Unit who contributed to the water management studies. Appreciation is also extended to Mr Foong Sang Foo, former Head of Agronomy Unit, who initiated the irrigation project and Encik Mohd Salihuddin Mohd Yusof, who assisted to compute the cost benefit study.
24 Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience Figure 5 Monthly fluctuation of yield, bunch number and bunch weight in undulating area
25 The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 Figure 6 Monthly fluctuation of yield , bunch number and bunch weight in terraced area
26 Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience TABLE 7 RAINFALL (MM) ATTEMBANGAU 2000 - 2011 Year Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total 2000 n.a n.a n.a 204 139 162 189 97 167 211 167 240 1 574 2001 271 120 212 214 235 74 118 108 140 198 381 327 2 397 2002 84 47 158 198 181 200 123 123 250 147 361 163 2 033 2003 254 220 180 141 94 110 117 186 234 154 209 162 2 061 2004 95 19 52 60 127 107 168 5 203 314 225 150 1 524 2005 64 21 54 92 188 104 113 37 155 217 274 220 1 539 2006 213 134 99 307 196 99 118 93 172 112 428 263 2 234 2007 143 10 129 166 72 121 140 128 163 341 177 458 2 046 2008 115 71 271 129 195 228 115 180 216 153 221 56 1 950 2009 91 17 228 169 190 107 80 138 58 86 246 202 1 612 2010 188 36 150 146 128 207 205 205 257 241 177 148 2 088 2011 302 21 293 93 246 77 81 90 175 184 250 254 2 066 Mean 165 65 166 160 166 133 131 116 183 197 260 220 1 927 n.a = not available TABLE 8 FFB YIELD OF IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED PALMS ATTEMBANGAU (DRY REGION) Year Palm age Year of FFB yield (t/ha) % Extra yield (years) harvesting with irrigation Irrigated Non-irrigated 2003 4 1 st 9.37 5.77 62 2004 5 2 nd 18.43 13.67 34 2005 6 3 rd 25.63 17.29 48 2006 7 4 th 20.65 9.86 109 2007 8 5 th 30.07 17.49 72 2008 9 6 th 29.05 27.83 5 2009 10 7 th 33.72 24.11 40 2010 11 8 th 25.73 24.98 3 2011 12 9 th 26.71 23.83 12 Mean 24.40 18.30 33 Cumulative (2003-2007) 104.16 64.08 62 Note: Above value derived from averaged plot from NIP1K1 and N2P2K2, each treatment consists of 2 plots
27 The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 TABLE 9 EXPECTED MONTHS OF IRRIGATION (EMI), ITS OPERATION COSTAND THEIR EXPECTED FFB YIELD Items Expected month of irigation (EMI) 2 4 6 #Diesel (RM) 7 400 14 800 22 200 Labour (RM) 8 000 8 000 8 000 Maintenance (RM) 1 500 2 500 3 000 Total (RM) 16 900 25 300 33 200 Cost (RM/ha) 423 633 830 Expected yield increase (t/ha) 2-3 4-5 6-10 Notes: #Estimated monthly diesel usage is 2 000 L (based on each engine = 10 h @ 4 L/h, over 25 days); cost of diesel is RM1.85/L; estimated total monthly cost = RM3 700. Above assumption is based on 40 ha expenditure. REFERENCES CHAN, K.W. 1979. Irrigation of oil palm in Malaysia. In: Proc. Symp Water in Malaysia Agric. (Pushparajah, E., ed.), Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Society of Soil Science. 103-116. CHAN, K.W., YEE, C.B., LIM, K.C. and GOH, M. 1985. Effect of rainfall and irrigation on oil palm yield production. In: National Conf. on Soil and Climate Relationship on Crop Production in Malaysia (Mok, C.K., Lim, K.H and Azmi M. A , eds.). Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Society of Soil Science. 43-67. CORLEY, R.H.V. 1976. Inflorescence abortion and sex differentiation . In: Oil Palm Research. (Corley, R.H.V, Hardon, J.J and Wood, B.J., eds.). Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company. 37-54. CORLEY, R.H.V. and HONG, T.K. 1981. Irrigation of oil palm in Malaysia. In: Oil palm in Agriculture in the Eighties. Vol. II (Pushparajah E. and Chew, P.S., eds). Kuala Lumpur: The Incorporated Society of Planters. 343-356. FOONG, S.F. 1991. Potential evapotranspiration, potential yield and leaching losses of oil palm. In: Proc. PORIM Inter. Palm Oil Conference. (Yusof, B., Jalani, S., Chang, K.C. and Rajainaidu, N., eds). Kuala Lumpur. Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia. 105-119. FOONG, S.F. 1998. Impact of soil moisture on FFB yield. Paper presented at the Seminar on Towards Achieving High Yield In Oil Palm. Terengganu Planting Association, Kemaman, Terengganu. Preprint. FOONG, S.F. 1999. Impact of moisture on potential evapotranspiration, growth and yield of oil palm. In: Proc. Int. Oil Palm Congress - Emerging Technologies and Opportunities in the Next Millennium. Bangi: Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (unedited). 64-86. FOONG, S.F. and LEE, C.T. 2000. Increasing Oil Palm Productivity with Irrigation-Felda’s Experience. In: Proc. of the International Planters Conference - Plantation Tree Crops in the New Millennium: The Way Ahead. (Pushparajah, E., ed.). Kuala Lumpur: The Incorporated Society of Planters. 277-301. FOSTER, H.L., GHAZALI, M.Z. and TAYEB, D.M. 1984. The availability water holding capacity of oil palm soils Peninsular Malaysia. PORIM Bulletin 16: 1-19. GOH, K.J., CHEW, P.S. and TEO, C.B. 1994. Maximising and maintaining oil yields on commercial scale in Malaysia. In: Management for Enhanced Profitability in Plantations (Chee, K.H., ed.). Kuala Lumpur: The Incorporated Society of Planters. 121-141. GOH, K.J., GAN, H.H. and SOH, A.C. 2002. Oil Palm Productivity - Commercial FFB Yield Analysis. Paper presented at the Conference R & D for Competitive Edge in The Malaysian Oil Palm Industry. Bangi: Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Preprint. KEE, K.K. and CHEW, P.S. 1991) Oil palm response to nitrogen and drip irrigation in wet monsoonal climate in Peninsular Malaysia. In: Proc. PORIM Inter. Palm
28 Lysimeter studies and irrigation of oil palm in some inland soils of Peninsular Malaysia - Felda’s experience TABLE 10 ESTIMATED PROFITABILITY FROM IRRIGATION PROJECT (CAPEX COST AT RM750/HA/YR) Yield incremental (t/ha) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Capital outlaya 750 750 750 750 750 750 750 750 750 (RM/ha) *Operating cost 432 432 633 633 830 830 830 830 830 (RM/ha)b Harvesting and 90 135 180 225 270 315 360 405 450 transport (RM45/t)c **Fertiliserd 0 0 82 82 82 82 82 230 230 FFB Price (RM/t) Gross Revenuee 400 800 1 200 1 600 2 000 2 400 2 800 3 200 3 600 4 000 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 3 500 4 000 4 500 5 000 600 1 200 1 800 2 400 3 000 3 600 4 200 4 800 5 400 6 000 FFB Price (RM/t) Nett Revenuee-(a+b+c+d) 400 (472) (117) (45) 310 468 823 1 178 1 385 1 740 500 (272) 183 355 810 1 068 1 523 1 978 2 285 2 740 600 (72) 483 755 1 310 1 668 2 223 2 778 3 185 3 740 Note: Operation cost inclusive of diesel usage, engine maintenance and labour Capital and finance cost estimated at RM750 /ha/yr based on the annual interest rate of 6% over 10 years Prices of fertiliser in 2012 (AS = RM888/t, PR = RM450/t, MOP = RM1711/t, Kies = RM691/t) *Details of operating cost Items Expected month of irrigation 2 4 6 #Diesel 7 400 14 800 22 200 Labour 8 000 8 000 8 000 Maintenance 1 500 2 500 3 000 Total 16 900 25 300 33 200 Cost/ha 423 633 830 Note: #Estimated monthly diesel usage is 2 000 L; cost of diesel is RM1.85/L; total monthly cost = RM3 700 Based on 40 ha basis. **Fertiliser regime (kg/palm/year) Fertiliser rate Expected Ammonium Muriate of Phosphate Kieserite extra yield sulphate potash rock (t/ha/year) Rate 1 Normal 4.00 3.75 2.00 1.50 Rate 2 4-8 4.50 4.00 2.00 1.75 Rate 3 >9 5.50 5.00 2.50 2.00
29 Oil Conference (Yusof, B. et. al., eds). Kuala Lumpur. Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia. 321-339. KEE, K.K. 1995. Regional rainfall pattern and climatic limitations for plantation crops in Peninsular Malaysia. The Planter 71 (827): 67-78. LEE, C.T., NGA, S.K., ROMZI, I. and ISMAIL, H. 2005. Early growth and yield performance of irrigated and non-irrigated oil palms planted on undulating and terraced areas in Peninsular Malaysia. In: Proceedings of Agriculture, Biotechonology and Sustainability Conference ‘Technologies Breakthrough and Commercialization - The Way Forward’. (unedited) Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. 25-29 September 2005. LEE, C.T., ZAHARAH, A.R., MOHAMED HANAFI, M., MOHD. SHAHKHIRAT, N. and TAN, C.C. 2011. Leaf nutrient concentrations in oil palm as affected by genotypes, irrigation and terrain. Journal of Oil Palm & the Environment (JOPE) 2:38-47. LEE, C.T., ZAHARAH, A.R.,CHIN, C.W., MOHAMED HANAFI, M., CHE FAUZIAH, I., MOHD. SHAHKHIRAT, N. TAN, C.C. and MOHD SALIHUDDIN, M.Y. 2012. Improving leaf nutrient concentrations in oil palm through irrigation and planting materials. Paper for XVII International Oil Palm Conference, to be held in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) from 26 to September the 28, 2012. In press. LING, A.H. 1979. Some lysimeteric measurements of TABLE 11 VARIOUS CAPEX COSTAND ITS COST BENEFITANALYSIS Initial CAPEX FFB Yield incremental (FFB t/ha) CAPEX cost at 6% Prices cost of interest (RM) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 rate (RM) 4 688 7 500 400 (472) (117) (45) 310 468 823 1 178 1 385 1 740 500 (272) 183 355 810 1 068 1 523 1 978 2 285 2 740 600 (72) 483 755 1 310 1 668 2 223 2 778 3 185 3 740 6 250 10 000 400 (722) (367) (295) 60 218 573 928 1 135 1 490 500 (522) (67) 105 560 818 1 273 1 728 2 035 2 490 600 (322) 233 505 1 060 1 418 1 973 2 528 2 935 3 490 7 813 12 500 400 (972) (867) (795) (440) (282) 73 428 635 990 500 (772) (567) (395) 60 318 773 1 228 1 535 1 990 600 (572) (267) 5 560 918 1 473 2 028 2 435 2 990 evapotranspiration of oil palm in central Peninsular Malaysia. In: Proc. of Symposium on Water in Malaysian Agriculture. (Pushparajah, E., ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Society of Soil Science. 89-101. MALAYISAN METROLOGICAL SERVICES (MMS). 1981. Climatological Summaries on Rainfall Analyses 1951-1980, by Malaysian Meteorological Services, 1981: 190 pp. MATHEWS, J., FOONG, L.C., TAY, C.A., TAN, T.H., CHONG, K.M., NURULNAHAR, B.E., YONG, K.K. and LAI, H.H. 2006. Maximising the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) in IOI Group Estates in Peninsular Malaysia through oil palm site yield potential concept. The Planter 82 (967): 659-685. NIEUWOLT, S., ZAKI, M.G. and GOPINATHAN, B. 1982. Agro-ecological regions in Peninsular Malaysia. MARDI report Selangor: Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. 20 pp. PARAMANANTHAN, S. (2003). Land selection for oil palm. In: Oil Palm Management for Large and Sustainable Yields (Fairhurst, T. H. and Hardter, R., eds.). 27-54. PHANG, S., OOI, C.H., CHAN, K.W. and MENON, C.M. 1973. Influence of soil series and soil depth on vegetative growth and early FFB production of the oil palm (Elaeis guineeensis Jacq.) In: International Development in Oil Palm (Earp, D.A. and Newall, W., eds.). Kuala Lumpur: The Incorporated Society of Planters. 153-166. The Planter, Vol. 89, No. 1042, January 2013 View publication stats