Increasing oil palm productivity through best agricultural practices:

EXPERIENCES FROM
GUATEMALA
By: Mariadaniela Bolaños
Co-authors: Jorge Mario Corzo, Juan Carlos Sánchez,
Carlos Jerónimo, Elmer Gutiérrez
AGENDA
Brief glimpse to Guatemala’s oil palm sector

Water management for optimal water supply

Foliage management
Information management for the optimum
formulation of fertilizers

Conclusions
OIL PALM IN
GUATEMALA
BRIEF HISTORY
 With the purpose of seeking alternative options
19 65 to the production of coffee, pilot tests were
started in Southern Guatemala.

After the cotton crisis, oil palm plantings were

19 87 established with commercial purposes in the
south coast of the country.

The first sowings in the northern and northeast

19 98 regions begin formally on lands used for livestock
farming.

Guatemala has 166,000 hectares of cultivated oil

20 17 palm, which respresent 4% of the country´s total
agricultural area.
39 companies,
committed
to the sustainability of the crop and zero
deforestation are associated to
GREPALMA
GUATEMALA S
OIL PALM EXPORTS
 In 2016, Guatemala accounted for less than 1% (0.8%)
1 of the world’s palm oil production, in 0.80% of the
world’s total oil palm cultivated area

This corresponded to 1.48% of the total palm oil

exports in the world, placing the country as the 3rd
2 largest exporter, after Indonesia and Malaysia

Source:(Foreign Agricultural Service/USDA, December 2016)

 Oil palm exports Guatemala 2016
Total TM 682K

Paises bajos 27%

Alemania 18%

Mexico 40%

Honduras 3%
El Salvador 8%
Nicaragua 2%

Republica Dominicana 1%
 Plantation Ages
[PERCENTA
GE]
ERCENTA
0-4 YAP
GE]

5 - 8 YAP

> 8 YAP

[PERCENTA
GE]
GEOGRAPHIC
LOCATION OF Southern: San Marcos, Quetzaltenango,
Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez and Escuintla.

OIL PALM Northeastern: Izabal and Alta Verapaz

(Polochic).

Northern: southern Peten, northern Alta

Verapaz and northeastern Quiché.

2943.74 mm
2576.88 mm

Mills

Production

2094.20 mm

1% of Guatemla s GDP
 27.7
Tons FFB/hectare/year

LEADER
In the production of fresh
fruit bunches (FFB) per
hectare.
 Oil palm area under harvest and yields
in Central and South America
Fresh fruit bunch yield (tons/ha/year)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Ecuado
r
Colombia
Honduras
Brazil
Costa
Rica
Guatemal
a
Mexico
Peru
Venezue
la
Paraguay
Panam
Nicaragua
a
Surinam
e Area
Yield
0 50 100 150 166 200
Mature planted area (1,000 ha)
Tropical Crop Consultants Limited, Wye UK
Source: Thomas Fairhurts, 2013 and Grepalma
What do we
DO DIFFERENTLY?
We bet on best agricultural practices!
 Yield determining, yield-limiting and a
yield-reducing factors relevant in oil
palm production
Potential yield
Water-limited
- Radiation yield Nutrient
limited yield
- CO2 concentration - Rainfall
Production / Yield

- Temperature - Soil - Fertiliser use

Actual yield
- Planting material - Irrigation
- Weeds
- Planting density - Topography
- Pests
- Culling - Slope
- Diseases
- Pruning
- Pollination
- Crop recovery

Source: L.S. Woittiez et al, 2017

Water
MANAGEMENT
For optimal water supply
Effects of water
DEFICIT ON SEXUAL
differenciation of oil palm
 Prolonged water stress results in a

1 decrease in the sex ratio, which in

turn causes a decrease in yield
(Breure 2003)

A very severe drought can result in

2 abortion of female
(Fairhurst and Hardter 2003)
flowers

Abortion related to periods of

drought is in the range of 5 to 15%
3 in adult palms, while in young
palms it reaches up to 30%
(Broekmans 1976)

Palms under stress due to drought

4 reduce evapotranspiration, delaying
the opening of the leaves and
closing the stomata (Daniel 1979)
Rainfall of oil palm regions in Guatemala
Precipitation behavior: pacific south coast

500

400

300
MM

200 Precipitatio
n
Water
100 deficit

0
1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11

-100 201 201 201 201

4 5 6 7
-200
Calculation of the water requierements
based on the hydric balance

Interception (-)
Transpiration (-)

Condensation (+) Precipitation (+)

Surface runoff(+)

Underground runoff (+)

Underground runoff (-)

Irrigation sheet, Finca La Virgen Source: Silva 2017

Use of tensiometers
Tensiometer stations for each kind
of soil texture and topography type.

Depth of placement: 15 and 30 cms

Daily revisions: at 06:00 and 17:00

hrs.

The analysis of the results will

determine the need to increase or
decrease the irrigation sheet in the
areas represented by each
Tensiometer Station.
Irrigation test, Finca La Virgen

Year of planting: 2000

Number of hectares with irrigation: 1027.51

Number of hectares without irrigation: 661.8

Duration of the test: 2008-2014

Genetic materials: Avros/Yangamby (non

irrigated), and GhanaxLamé (irrigated)
 Number of FFB/palm/year with and
without irrigation
16

14

12
Number of FFB/palm

10

8
Non Irrigated
6 Irrigated

0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Year
Average weight of FFB/year with and
without irrigation
30

25

20
FFB/weight

15
Non Irrigated
Irrigated
10

0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Year
 Productivity with
and without irrigation
40

35

30

25
Ton FFB/ha

20
Non Irrigated
15
Irrigated
10

0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Year
 Irrigation Test

Number of FFB/palm Average FFB weight (kg) Ton FFB/ha/year

Year
Non Non Non
Irrigated Irrigated Dif Irrigated Dif Irrigated Dif
Irrigated Irrigated

2010 7.47 12.16 63% 19.41 16.17 -17% 20.74 28.50 37%

2011 7.29 13.16 80% 22.52 17.72 -21% 21.94 32.09 46%

2012 7.09 13.98 97% 22.95 17.94 -22% 23.87 36.81 54%

2013 7.36 13.70 86% 24.27 19.23 -21% 25.68 36.96 44%

2014 6.95 13.47 94% 24.25 18.44 -24% 24.13 36.51 51%
Return of the irrigation investment
Initial investment $2,021.61
Operations $940.15
Cost per hectare $2,961.76

Tons /FFB Extraction Tons CPO Utility Return of the

investment

34 25% 8.5 $350 $2,975.00

 Depending on site specific
conditions of the lots, irrigation
contributed in the following ways:

6.06 10.9 34
Average increase Tons/FFB/ha/year Increase in
in FFB/ha/year as average Tons/FFB to pay
increment in the proyect.
productivity Achived at the 5th
year.
Stress due to excess
water
 Effects of poor drainage on production of FFB

Poor drainage can result in poor pollination, an increased

1 incidence of pests and diseases, loss of nutrients from
leaching and disruption of field work especially in lowlands.

2 An excessive amount of water in the soil results in a scarcity of

oxygen, vital for the respiration of roots, carriers of water and
nutrients through the endodermis and cell membranes.

3 Stagnant water induces nitrogen deficiency due to

denitrification

(Goh and Härdter, 2003)

The average annual
precipitation is of 1,866 mm, having
a monthly average of 155 mm.

Two peaks of maximum El Pato, Petén, Guatemala

rainfall can be seen, the first one in June
between 300 and 350 mm and another in
September between 250 and 300 mm a
month.

Minium slope: 4%

Area characterized
by a meandering drainage.
Methodology for the implementation
of drainage channels

Planimetric and altimetric

survey
Precipitation analysis
Soil studies
Soil water level
monitoring
 Observation wells - 2012 union
renovation REPSA 2017, Reading # 12

Soil water level

monitoring
Increase in productivity due to the
implementation of drainage

Number of FFB/palm/L12 Productivity (ton/ha/12)

Year
Drained Not drained Drained Not drained

2014 21.96 13.32 17.13 16.89

2015 13.99 13.96 18.15 21.72

2016 13.69 10.95 22.87 20.73

2017 17.42 13.75 35.16 29.61

3.68 5.56
 Return of drain investment
Tons of
production to
Density lm Cost $ Cost ton FFB recover the Return time
investment

350 $315.00 $130.00 2.42 1 year

200 $180.00 $130.00 1.38 1 year

100 $90.00 $130.00 0.69 1 year

From the second
year after the drainage was
implemented, an increase of 3.68
FFB/palm/year translated to 5.56
tons/FFB/ha/year was observed.

The project is
paid after one year of
implementation.
 Foliage
Management
Generalities of the

OIL PALM estate

Average annual rainfall: 3950 mm (2011-2016)
720-765 linear meters of drainage per hectare.
9 fertilizer applications per year
Information on the vegetative and productive
measures of the five best lots

Nunber Weighted
Year of Leaf Leaf FFB Ton
Lot Variety of
planting area index weight FFB/ha
leaves
(kg) 2017

30 2012 Nigeria 51.00 387.34 5.54 16.19 50.18

28 2012 Nigeria 54.14 413.79 5.92 14.79 45.52

31 2012 Nigeria 55.82 385.68 5.52 14.40 45.30

25 2012 Nigeria 53.13 391.01 5.59 15.37 45.12

32 2012 Nigeria 52.37 377.35 5.40 14.22 43.09

Average 53.29 391.03 5.59 14.99 45.84

 Evolution of vegetative measures from
DelixNigeria monitoring plots

Nigeria
Months
after Productivity (Tons
Number of leaves Leaf area Leaf index
planting FFB/ha/L12

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

12 26.81 28.00 45.06 43.53 0.64 0.62

24 44.13 45.00 124.01 130.90 1.77 1.87

36 73.67 58.60 388.57 340.19 5.56 4.86 12.24 18.24

48 56.99 55.13 388.57 347.28 5.56 4.97 30.93 27.07

60 52.32 56.16 389.52 445.34 5.57 6.37 27.82 43.78

 Relationship between
leaf index and productivity
40 6.20

35 6.00

30
5.80
Tons FFB/ha

25

Leaf index
5.60
20
5.40 Tons FFB/ha/year
15 Promedio de Leaf index
5.20
10

5 5.00

0 4.80
36 48 60
Months after planting
Even 60 months after planting,
it´s important to harvest fresh fruit bunches without
cutting any leaves until the recommended 400 mts2
of leaf area be attained ​(Acosta, 2016).
Leaf index is quietly related
to fresh fruit bunch weight. That’s why growers
need to monitor their indexes regularly in order
to make decisions regardin prunning or thinning.
The excellent productivities
reached at a young age have been achieved in
response to the rapid evolution of the growth
parameters, which are approaching to the
recommended values well before the age of
eight years after planting.
Information management
FOR THE OPTIMUM
formulation of fertilizers
Empresa Naturaceites
 Analysis of monitoring plots for the
optimum formulation of fertilizers
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
1
2
3
4
5 7
LS LS
6
How to conform monitoring 7
U U

8
plots? 9
1
0
How frequently are the 11
1
2
13
samples taken? 1
4
15
1
What kind of samples are 17
6
1
taken? 19
8
2
0
21
2
2
23
2
4
25
2
27 6
2 LS LS
8 U U
29 7
3
31 0
 Nutritional work program

January February March April May

- KCL applications - Program - 2nd cycle
- Monitoring - Monitoring
- Summer definition application
plots plots
- Leaf comercial - Production - Monitoring
sampling estimates plots

November September August July

- 3rd cycle
- Monitoring plots - Comercial - Monitoring
application
- Formula soil sampling plots
- Monitoring plots
adjustments
Findings of the
behavior of
potassium in
rachis
K in rachis of leaf No. 17
is a more sensitive indicator of K
absorption than at leaf level (Teoh y
Chew, 1988).
Unlike the concentration of
potassium in rachis,
the concentration of potassium in the foliage
corresponds to the seasonality of the crop, being higher
in dry seasons and lower normally on seasons that
correspond to the harvest peaks (Corzo 2016).
This is probably due to
incremental demand of K for the filling of
fruits and the consumption of the foliage
reserves during these months.
 Temporality of potassium
levels in the foliage

Source: NaturAceites, S.A. 2016

 Evolution of Rachis Potassium Levels
Percentage

Monitorie month
 Evolution of Nitrogen Rachis Levels
Percentage

Monitorie month
 Evolution of Nitrogen Leaf Levels
Percentage

Monitorie month
 Evolution of Leaf Potassium Levels
Percentage

Monitorie month
 Balance of formulas

Leaf potassium 1.08

Potassium in rachis 2.27
NOV

NOV
MAY

APR
JAN
SEP

JUL
JAN
FEB

JUL
An increase in the amount
of N applied resulted in a decrease of K in rachis,
resulting in an increase in foliage concentration
by mobilization.

With an increase of 46%

of the N applied and a decrease of 19% of K,
from 2014 to 2015 it was possible to maintain
the levels of the peaks of the foliar potassium.
Thanks for your attention!
 Daniela Bolaños
Technical facilitator
danielab@grepalma.org
www.grepalma.org