scholarly journals Application of compost in mixed media improved oil palm nursery’s secondary root structure thereby reducing the fertilizer requirement for growth

Author(s):  
Siti Suliza Salamat ◽  
Mohd Ali Hassan ◽  
Yoshihito Shirai ◽  
Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanif ◽  
Izwanizam Arifin ◽  
...  

Although conventional inorganic fertilizers increased plant growth and productivity, their excessive use leads to wastage, run-offs and environmental pollution. In order to promote nutrient recycling and zero emission strategy in the palm oil industry, compost was produced from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) anaerobic sludge. The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of compost in the mixed media on the growth and inorganic fertilizer requirement in the oil palm nursery. 100% soil as media with 100% inorganic fertilizer as control was compared with mixed media containing 50% compost in soil with inorganic fertilizer at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% compositions and tested for plant growth and root structure. The results showed that the treatments with compost addition improved plant growth, compared to the control with 100% inorganic fertilizer which did not contain compost in the mixed medium. The improved plant growth corresponded directly to the enhanced secondary root structure, which probably resulted in more efficient absorption and uptake of nutrients by the plants. Furthermore, the plant growth and the secondary root structure in the mixed media with 50% inorganic fertilizer composition was not significantly different to the media with 75% and 100% inorganic fertilizer. Therefore it is suggested that the application of 50% compost in the mixed media enhanced the secondary root structure, resulting in reduced inorganic fertilizer requirement in the oil palm main nursery, without affecting the plant growth.

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 869-877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Huzairi Mohd Zainudin ◽  
Norhayati Ramli ◽  
Mohd Ali Hassan ◽  
Yoshihito Shirai ◽  
Kosuke Tashiro ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhamad Yusuf Hasan ◽  
Mohd Ali Hassan ◽  
Mohd Noriznan Mokhtar ◽  
Yoshihito Shirai ◽  
Azni Idris

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different initial carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios on the organic matter degradation during active co-composting of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) anaerobic sludge. The initial C/N ratio was varied from 25:1, 35:1 and 45:1. Co-composting was conducted by periodic addition of sludge to maintain the moisture content and enrich the compost product. The organic matter (OM), carbon to nitrogen profile and compost maturity index were analysed. The results showed that the initial C/N ratio of 35:1 was the best initial C/N ratio. In addition, the C/N ratio of 35:1 gave the best OM degradation. The appropriate amount of initial C/N ratio coupled with the correct composting process parameters such as daily mixing, suitable pH and moisture content improved the organic matter degradation. It reduced the composting time from 40-60 days to 30 days.


Author(s):  
Dimas Satria ◽  
Poningsih Poningsih ◽  
Widodo Saputra

The purpose of this paper is to create an expert system to detect oil palm plant diseases in order to help farmers / companies in providing accurate information about the diseases of oil palm plants and how to overcome them and to help reduce the risk of decreasing palm oil production. This system is designed to mimic the expertise of an expert who is able to detect diseases that attack oil palm plants. The method used is forward chaining that is starting from a set of data and proving a fact by describing the level of confidence and uncertainty found in a hypothesis. The results of this study are to diagnose diseases of oil palm plants and their computerization using web programming languages.


Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Hironaga Akita ◽  
Mohd Zulkhairi Mohd Yusoff ◽  
Shinji Fujimoto

Malaysia is the second largest palm oil producer and exporter globally. When crude palm oil is produced in both plantations and oil processing mills, a large amount of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is simultaneously produced as a waste product. Here, we describe the preparation of hydrolysate from OPEFB. After OPEFB was hydrothermally treated at 180–200 °C, the resultant liquid phase was subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, while the solid phase was used for acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis. Hemicellulose yield from the acid-treated solid phase decreased from 153 mg/g-OPEFB to 27.5 mg/g-OPEFB by increasing the hydrothermal treatment temperature from 180 to 200 °C. Glucose yield from the enzyme-treated solid phase obtained after hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C was the highest (234 ± 1.90 mg/g-OPEFB, 61.7% production efficiency). In contrast, xylose, mannose, galactose, and arabinose yields in the hydrolysate prepared from the solid phase hydrothermally treated at 200 °C were the lowest. Thus, we concluded that the optimum temperature for hydrothermal pretreatment was 200 °C, which was caused by the low hemicellulose yield. Based on these results, we have established an effective method for preparing OPEFB hydrolysates with high glucose content.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 500
Author(s):  
Stephany Iriana Pasaribu ◽  
Frank Vanclay

Although companies have many direct and indirect impacts on the lives of children, discussion of the responsibility of business to respect the rights of children has primarily focused on child labor. Using UNICEF’s Children’s Rights and Business Principles as a framework for our analysis, we considered the activities of oil palm plantation companies operating in Indonesia. Our data come from key informant interviews and reflection on two programs established to promote respect for children’s rights in the Indonesian palm oil industry: one by Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak (PKPA) (Center for Child Study and Protection); and one by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in conjunction with UNICEF. We considered: how plantation company activities impacted children’s lives; how companies demonstrated respect for children’s rights; and how observance of children’s rights can be improved. We discuss four problematic issues: getting company commitments to children’s rights into policy and practice; having a strong business case for respecting human rights and children’s rights; contradictory objectives within companies; and complexities around children in the workplace. We argue that a children’s rights based approach should be applied to the activities of all organizations. This children’s rights lens is needed to overcome the invisibility of children in society and industry, and to address the root causes of human rights harms. We note that respecting children’s rights will likely contribute to getting a social license to operate and grow.


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