Planting of Deli dura x AVROS pisifera and Deli dura x La Me pisifera Oil Palms at High Densities for Increased Bunch Yields in Liberia

Abstract

Like other African oil palm-growing countries Liberia is confronted with a severe deficit of palm oil. The development of industrial plantations and their support for smallholders’ programmes is the best way towards increasing and maintaining the country’s palm oil production. In the prevailing context of preservation of rainforests, oil palm development in Liberia looks for high production per unit area rather than high area per unit production. Therefore, Mano Palm Oil Plantation Liberia Inc. planted Malaysian Deli dura x AVROS pisifera and African Deli dura x La Me pisifera, each at 3 different high densities. It aimed to select the high bunch yielder for its future expansions and the neighbouring smallholders’ sector. The ANOVA was performed for bunch yield, bunch number and average bunch weight. Mean values of different planting densities were grouped using DMRT.  At the prime age of 8-10 years after planting, Deli dura x La Me pisifera established at 180 palms ha-1 recorded the highest annual bunch yield (18.46 t ha-1) of all the two types of materials and various planting densities put together.  Deli dura x AVROS pisifera planted at 178 palms ha-1, the highest density for the type of planting material, ranked first (14.12 t ha-1).  Deli dura x AVROS pisifera behaved like its African counterpart in producing a high number of small bunches under the severe dry season and soil management conditions of Mano Palm Oil Plantation. Planting at 178 palms ha-1 for Deli dura x AVROS pisifera and at 180 palms ha-1 for Deli dura x La Me pisifera should be adopted with the proviso recommending thinning for the first 10 years after planting to 138 or 143 palms ha-1 and thinning to 143 or 160 palms ha-1 for the second 11-12 years after planting, when bunch yields started to decline due to increasing competition between palms for light. Irrigation and good agricultural practices are prerequisites for improving yields of drought-sensitive Deli dura and AVROS pisifera in particular and in the African oil palm belt in general.