Selection of Elite dura-Type Parents to Produce Dwarf Progenies of Elaeis guineensis Using Genetic Parameters

The low annual growth rate of the stipe in oil palm progenies is desirable to increase these crops’ productive and economic life. Recurrent reciprocal selection (R.R.S.) has allowed the development of oil palm populations through several breeding cycles with an increased frequency of favorable alleles associated with traits of interest. The present study evaluated families derived from Deli dura × African dura crosses. For 12 years, the yield, vegetative characteristics, and the amount of oil in seven dura progenies were assessed to estimate, from the information collected, the genetic parameters, heritability, and phenotypic correlations among quantitative genetic traits of high-yielding dwarf progenies. The analysis was carried out using analysis of variance, followed by a comparison of means for all estimated traits. The effect of the progenies was highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) for most traits. The yield values, expressed in fresh fruit bunches (FFB) for the progenies, ranged from 165 to 208 kg per palm per year. The oil-to-bunch ratio (O/B) ranged from 17% to 19%, with an overall average of 18%. One of the essential characteristics in this study was the vertical growth of the stipe. Progenies P6 and P7 were identified as those with the lowest annual increase in height, with values of 0.29 and 0.33 m year−1. The values indicate that these are slow-growing cultivars with a high FFB yield and O/B. The highest heritabilities were found for the vegetative trait height (71.62%) and the number of leaflets (46.64%). The development of dura parents with slow growth characteristics in combination with a high bunch and oil production allows extending the productive life of the crop to more than 35 years, providing added value to obtaining differentiated cultivars of oil palm.

KEBUTUHAN KENDARAAN ANGKUTAN TANDAN BUAH SEGAR KELAPA SAWIT DI PT. TRITUNGGAL SENTRA BUANA

This research is motivated by the need to ensure the availability of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) in a timely manner and in fresh condition, if must be supported by the availability of other resources such as labor, harvesting equipment and tranportation vehicles. The purpose of this study was compre the needs and realization of the number of vehicles transporting FFB PT. Tritunggal Sentra Buana.The method used in this research is a field survey. Field survey conducted to collect data related to field conditions. This research data uses primary data and secondary data. Primary data in the from of calibration from and the result of the calculation of the need for FFB units and secondary, data in the form of production data and FFB transportation data.The availability of FFB transporting vehicles has met the needs of earch afdeling having 3 units of vehicles. The number of unit needed per day for branch 1 and departement 2 is2 units per day. At PT. Tritunggal Sentra Buana has 19 units of FFB transporting vehicles, each of which smoothness of the FFB transportation process is road conditions and road maintenance. At PT. Tritunggal Sentra Buana routinely carries out road maintenance such as hardening the nets that the unit passes throught and pruning the fronds.

STUDI USAHA TANI KELAPA SAWIT PETANI DI DESA SALIKI KECAMATAN MUARA BADAK BERDASARKAN PRODUKSI TBS DAN HARGA SAWIT

This research is based on the background that oil palm plantations are a form of community farming that cultivates oil palm plants with production in the form of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) as one of their sources of livelihood, although investment in oil palm plantations requires a relatively long period of time compared to oil palm plantations. with other plantation commodities. The purpose of this study was to determine the oil palm farming business in Saliki Village based on FFB production and palm oil prices. The data collection method used in this study is a qualitative method, which is a research that is used if the research factors cannot be quantified or cannot be calculated so that the variables cannot be expressed with numbers such as perceptions, opinions, assumptions and so on. According to qualitative research theory, in order for the research to be of really high quality, the data collected must be complete, namely primary data and secondary data. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that oil palm farming in Saliki Village based on the production of fresh fruit bunches and the price of palm oil really helps farmers increase their income from farming by selling large quantities of produce and high selling prices. The income they generate from oil palm plantations can meet their daily needs. In addition, the community (oil palm farmers) can buy vehicles, renovate and even build houses from the results of the oil palm plantations. The results of this study are to provide information to the community in Saliki Village in order to be able to improve oil palm farming.

EVALUASI MUTU PANEN KELAPA SAWIT DI PT. SENTOSA KALIMANTAN JAYA

The objective of the research is to evaluate the quality of harvesting oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) correlated to the harvest system implemented by two afdelings in the oil palm plantation company, PT. Sentosa Kalimantan Jaya. The research employs descriptive design, with qualitative approach, purposive sampling and snowball sampling using questionnaires, and documentation. The research reveals that the characteristics of harvesters from two afdelings are dominated from the productive age and educated at elementary school. The harvesters in afdeling 2 have more experience than afdeling 4. Afdeling 2 provides better quality of FFB than afdeling 4, it comprises ripe fruit was 86.91%, abnormal was 1.07% and long stalk was 0%. Meanwhile, afdeling 4 comprises raw fruit was 1.32%, ripe fruit was 79.97%, and over ripe fruit was 12.88%. Both afdelings have permanent design of harvest system comprise the percentage of loose fruit, sengkleh stems, under pruning and over pruning which are beneath the standard. The under pruning interferes the process of cutting fruit, meanwhile the over pruning would potentially be able to reduce average bunches weight and produce male flowers dominantly. As a result, it can be deduced that the main factor affects the quality of permanent design of harvest system, and the quality of oil palm fresh fruit bunches is the harvesters’ experience of work. Afdeling 2 has 6 harvesters working for >5 years or 46.2%. The overall findings reveal that the longer harvester's working period, the labor productivity of harvesting oil palm will increase.

The Role of Organizational Culture in Establishing Employee Engagement through Work Attitude at PT. Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi

PT Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi is a company engaged in the plantation sector which is currently focusing on developing the quality of human resources, because the role of human resources is very vital in the production and quality of Fresh Fruit Bunches and Crude Palm Oil. However, company have problems in HR management related to Employee Engagement problems, it is indicated by the low score of Employee Engagement, especially those at the non-managerial level. PT Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi has made various efforts in building Employee Engagement, among others, by cultivating corporate values in order to form a strong organizational culture in the company. Based on this phenomenon, this study aims to see and analyze the influence of Organizational Culture on Employee Engagement through Work Attitudes as an intermediate variable at PT Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi. The research methodology used is Path Analysis. The results showed that Organizational Culture has a positive and significant effect directly on Work Attitudes; Organizational Culture has a positive and significant effect directly on Employee Engagement; Work Attitude is directly proven to have a positive and significant effect on Employee Engagement; and Organizational Culture through Work Attitude indirectly has a positive and significant effect on Employee Engagement at PT Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi. Keywords: Organizational Culture, Work Attitudes, Employees Engagement, PT Sapta Sentosa Jaya Abadi.

Climate and soil effect on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) yield

Objective: To determine potential and water-limited yields in oil palm producing areas in the State of Tabasco, México. Design/Methodology/Approach: The ERIC III v. 3.2 database (IMTA, 2009) was used to select climatological stations with daily precipitation and maximum and minimum temperature records, going back to more than 20 years. The methodology proposed by the FAO and improved by Fischer et al. (2012) was used to estimate the potential yield. The equation reported by Ruiz-Álvarez et al. (2012) was used to estimate the annual water deficit from the climatic water balance. Results: The average potential yield of oil palm with a high level of inputs varies from 35.8 to 40.6 t ha-1 of fresh fruit bunches. The average water-limited yield can vary from 15.6 to 23.5 t ha-1 in plantations of at least 8 years of age, under rainfed conditions. The reduction in the maximum average attainable yield was the result of 19.2-49.5% soil moisture deficits. Study limitations/Implications: In order to determine their impact on potential and water-limited yields, climate change horizons must be included in future studies; this would enable researchers to establish the future theoretical economic profitability of the crop. Findings/Conclusions: The analysis between the yields indicates that —if the gap between the current yields and water-limited yields is closed— output and percentage would be 6.5-14.4 t ha-1 and 72.8-129% higher than the potential yield.

Study on the separation of phospholipids from crude palm oil using a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) extracted from the palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) should be refined to meet the specified quality for edible oils. One of the components that are removed in the CPO refining process is a phospholipid. Phospholipids are undesirable because they form mucus (gum) in CPO and enhance the emulsion formation during oil processing. As one of the emerging separation processes, membrane technology could be proposed on phospholipid removal in CPO. The research objectives are to synthesize polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and evaluate its performance on phospholipids removal in CPO. Besides, the effects of temperature and pressure on UF-PES membrane performance in phospholipid removal were also studied. The UF-PES membrane was prepared by phase inversion method with the composition of PES polymer of 17.5%; Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) polymer as much as 2.5% as pore-forming agent; and 80% (w/w) of N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent. Two types of the UF-PES membrane have been synthesized, namely M1 and M2 membranes. Furthermore, the M1 membrane was selected for the filtration process due to its high resistance to pressures up to 3 bar. The result indicated that the pressure (T) and temperature (S) significantly affected phospholipid removal. The lowest phospholipid removal was obtained in the S2T2 treatment, about 78%. Moreover, the S3T1 and S3T2 treatments gave a stable permeation flux in comparison to the others treatment.

Functional and performance test of modified lug wheel on two wheels tractor with pivot type trailer

Palm oil fields with slopes require special wheels for transportation for transporting fresh fruit bunches (FFB), the special wheels in question are modified wheels from the existing cage wheel, the modified wheels can adjust the slope conditions on the land with the lug angle adjustment mechanism. The objective of this study was to test the functional and performance of the modified lug wheel as a means of transporting FFB on sloping land using a hand tractor on a pivot type trailer. Functional testing on the modified lug wheel was carried out by observing changes in the angle of the lugs (0, 15, 30, 45)0 by lifting one of the tractor shafts first using a jack, after which the locking pins were released. The angle change rim can be moved clockwise or anticlockwise by hand according to the desired lug angle. Performance testing on the modified lug wheel is carried out by observing and calculating the slip on the wheel. Functional testing on trailer pivots is carried out by observing all components of the towing system when installed and operated, to determine whether the trailer towing system can function properly. Performance testing on the pivot trailer is done by observing and calculating the turning radius when the tractor turns. Performance testing is also carried out by observing the stability of the two-wheel tractor and trailer. The slope of the land and the angle of the lugs greatly affect wheel slip, the higher the slope on a land, the higher the possibility of wheel slippage during operation. The test results show that the use of modified lug wheels shows better performance at 30° lug angle, as seen from the smaller slip value at 30° lug angle.

Postharvest Fruit Detachment in Oil Palm Bunches with Ethephon and Ethylene Gas Application

The processing of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB), together with loose fruits, in the current mill operation contributes to oil loss and high free fatty acids (FFA), affecting crude palm oil quality. Fruit detachment induced by ethephon and ethylene may mitigate the current processing issues. This study shows that a 0.50% (v/v) ethephon application by the evaporation method induced the highest fruit detachment of 30.8 ± 1.1% after 24 h at room temperature, with the FFA content in the extracted crude palm oil at 0.34 ± 0.09%. Ethephon application was effective on bunches between 14 and 28 kg, and fruit detachment was higher in ripe and underripe bunches at 24.1 ± 0.9% and 23.2 ± 0.1%, respectively. A significant fruit detachment of 47.2 ± 2.4% was achieved when the bunches were also stripped mechanically, but the FFA content increased almost 4-fold, from 1.0 ± 0.2% to 3.8 ± 1.2%. The application of ethylene gas at 750 ppm yielded 29.4 ± 1.9% fruit detachment. The findings present the possibility of using ethylene as an indirect method for minimizing oil loss without increasing the FFA content in future crude palm oil production systems.

Minor Compounds of Palm Oil: Properties and Potential Applications

The oil contained in ripe fruits produced by cultivars of African oil palm Elaeis guineensis Jacq., as well as that obtained from fresh fruit bunches of certain inter-specific hybrid cultivars derived from crossbreeding between Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés and E. guineensis Jacq., have shown to be lipid substrates rich in valuable phytochemicals with exceptional biological properties and functional applications for multiple human health tasks. Eight isoforms of vitamin E (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols), α- and β-carotene, squalene, and various phenolic structures, make up the largest group of minor compounds in palm oil and are essential nutrients with physiological functions that include, but are not limited to their antioxidant properties. Vitamin E regulates the redox (oxidation-reduction) balance in the body, and compounds such as squalene and carotenoids are ubiquitously distributed throughout the body, including cell membranes and lipoproteins. Several studies suggest that regular intake of foods rich in this group of phytonutrients minimizes the reactivity of oxidative chemical species at the cellular level and serves as an effective adjunct in the treatment of oxidative stress.