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Home , Elaeis guineensis, Palm oil

palm, a for the future guineensis

The stem, which is not The ramified, or fronds surround has diamond- the terminal bud. shaped scars The palm puts out where the leaves new leaves have been cut, continuously from which spiral the centre of around the crown, while the stem. the older leaves are is primarily pruned or dry out for food use Palm oil is the world’s The main three types of oil palm and fall. They are Red palm oil is generally refined, bleached leading oil, ahead differ in terms of the thickness 6 to 9 metres long and have more and deodorized before being used directly of the shell of than 300 blade-like or processed further. • The duratype, has a thick shell. • The oil palm production chain: leaflets on several • The pisifera type, does not have a shell, but these levels. • Some 80% is used for human consumption: 10 million hectares planted, palms are sterile females and only very rarely bear fruit. salad oil (in tropical countries), , 36 million tonnes of palm oil The develop The , which are very • The tenera type, a of the above two, , substitutes, biscuits, + 4 million tonnes of PKO. on inflorescences, some rich in oil, are oval, fleshy has a thin shell. male, some female (which cakes and confectionery. • With 4 tonnes of oil/hectare/year, grouped together become bunches once yields are seven to ten times higher in “bunches” which, when • The rest is used in , detergents, Palm oil fertilized), in the axil Research for sustainable than for annual oil : soybean, cosmetics and the and extraction of each frond, except adult, weigh anything from , sunflower, etc. oil production processing industry. This is done on site, in the event of early 15 to 25 kilos and have within 48 hours • However, because oil palm Issues • A , palm oil methyl of harvesting, by cooking abortion. around 1500 fruits. has to be harvested by hand, • Satisfying growing global demand for oils. , is set to grow the bunches (sterilization), stripping and pressing a harvester cannot cover more than • Producing more, while respecting and the environment. in importance, like all the fruits, and decanting Continuous harvesting, by hand • Allowing for the impact of an emerging biofuel production chain. the oil. 8 hectares of oil palm, compared The scientific name renewable energies. In , there are two or three harvesting Modern oil mills Research for sustainable production for the oil palm, Elaeis to 200 ha of soybean. he first palms appeared some are high-capacity (several rounds per month, producing 10 to 30 t of bunches guineensis, comes from • Working towards ecological intensification of existing plantations. dozen tonnes of bunches the Ancient Greek per hectare per year in all. • Managing land to ensure rational choice of new planting sites. 85 million years ago in a wide per hour), while elaia = olive, because of small-scale mills • Promoting high quality oil. its oil-rich fruits. range of environments, but the in handle less Pests and diseases This elegant palm, which Expanding oil palm plantings without threatening T than a tonne per hour, originated in humid Oil palm suffers from many pests and diseases 2800 species that exist today are prima- if not per day. biodiversity intertropical Africa, that can have a serious impact on palm growth, To avoid setting up new plantings in zones that should be preserved, rily found in the intertropical zone. is a distant relative of yields and survival. the palm. Nutritional CIRAD assesses: • Rodents (rats, agoutis, etc), porcupines • The importance of the zone in question for local people Palms are perennial , of every ima- quality beyond and wild boars attack very young palms and eat (agriculture, gathering, hunting, fishing, sacred sites). ginable size. They are not : they have reproach! • Threatened and animal species, the susceptibility Palm oil performs Production the terminal bud. of various ecosystems, the degree of biodiversity, etc. a stem rather than a trunk. Since time Fruits like , sunflower, dominated by Asia • Limacodidae (brightly coloured, highly soybean or rapeseed oils, The chosen zone has to have sufficient agricultural potential. immemorial, palms have provided people Wild palms are still harvested urticant caterpillars) cause defoliation and which are rich subsequently yield losses. Boosting productivity in essential fatty acids. in Africa. Oil palm produces two different types of oil To boost plantation potential, CIRAD has been working with foodstuffs, personal hygiene pro- The high • In Africa, oil palm vascular wilt is a major problem. The first plantations date back to ducts, medicinal preparations, building at the same time: content of the unprocessed • In , basal stem rot caused for decades with various partners—IRAB (), IRAD (), • palm oil, from the fruit pulp: 20 to 26% oil boosts vitamin A the start of the 20th century, by Ganoderma is having an increasing impact CNRA (), SOCFINDO (), La Cabaña () levels in the blood, and the sector has really taken off since and Palmeras del (Ecuador)—on a genetic improvement materials, etc, etc. of fresh bunch weight; in its unprocessed state, in replantings. hence its preventive 1960, with a boom in large programme.

it is red, due to its carotenoid content. 03/2008

• In , oil palm bud rot • effect on certain agroindustrial plantations • oil (PKO), from the fruit kernel: eye diseases. causes substantial losses and has even The hybrid developed are resistant to lethal diseases (10000 ha and more), particularly 2 to 3% of fresh bunch weight; Palm oil can resist wiped out whole plantations in Colombia, and ensure yields of anything up to 8 tonnes of oil per hectare high temperatures, in Asia. and more. Centre it is a creamy colour, and has very de coopération Brazil, Surinam and internationale and is primarily used en recherche similar characteristics and Indonesia combined Using in vitro culture (somatic embryogenesis) to reproduce elite agronomique for . Ecuador. pour le développement www.cirad.fr to . produce 86% of the world’s palm oil! palms is also looking very promising. Denis Delebecque/Méridiennes Coconut, the of life Cocos nucifera

The stem grows vertically The leaves, or non-stop. fronds, are emitted The base starts continuously from from an inverted a single terminal cone, called bud (the heart). the “root bulb”, Coconut palms from which have a crown 3000 to 5000 comprising around ramified primary thirty green fronds. comprise a smooth epidermis roots branch out, Each frond is 4 to 7 metres Coconut palms are tropical Global oil production whose colour depends on the variety anchoring the palm in long and Asia is the main production zone, plants that bear fruit all year and the stage of ripening, covering a thick the soil has around with 84% of global output and relatively round fibrous layer, the “husk”. to protect it 200 leaflets. stable yields (5 tonnes of nuts/ha). They are found on all sorts of soils, The husk covers the actual : from strong Global copra oil production totals winds. even very poor ones (coastal sands, about 3 million tonnes a year. a with a very hard shell. , etc) that are unsuitable In Africa, the Caribbean and , The inside of the shell is coated The inflorescences for other crops. copra is still the only source of income in albumen, an oily white kernel, surrounding comprise spikelets bearing female Is coconut the tree of life? and trade for smallholders. There are Tall, Dwarf and hybrid a large cavity containing a sterile liquid, flowers at the base and male coconut varieties. Some 96% of coconut palms are grown The main copra oil producing countries flowers towards the tip. by ten million smallholders, mostly in Asia and are the Philippines, Indonesia and . “coconut water”. This is the coconut’s fresh The fruits, produced after fertilization They begin to bear after four the Pacific. Their plantings generally cover less than Most of the oil is consumed water reserve, which enables it to germinate of the female flowers, are drupes, to ten years, grow up to 12 m tall four hectares, but are vitally important for these in producing countries. regardless of the outside conditions, commonly known as “coconuts”. in the case of Dwarf varieties and growers, who often have to cope with numerous Exports account for less than half provided the temperature 30 m for Talls, and live for up to a difficulties: low copra , ageing plantations, of the total output (1.3 million tonnes is right. hundred years. the risks of lethal diseases and the difficulty a year). The European Union of switching to other crops. is the leading importer, followed by the United States. Pests and diseases Coconut, the tree of life he first palms appeared some The species name for coconut, nucifera, Coconut palms are affected by numerous pests and diseases: Issues 85 million years ago in a wide comes from the Latin The • Insects attack the terminal bud, leaves, stem, roots, • Making coconut plantings more productive. Plantlet nux (nut) and fero astonishing inflorescences and fruits. • Boosting incomes for families who make a living range of environments, but the (I bear), ie bearing T nuts. genetic diversity • Parasitic fungi such as Phytophthora katsurae from coconut. 2800 species that exist today are prima- of coconut and P. palmivora cause rotting of immature nuts and the terminal Scientists watching over coconut Husk Roots bud, in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. • Controlling lethal yellowing. rily found in the intertropical zone. Over the centuries, • Rats and coconut crabs can also severely damage nuts, • Optimizing crop management sequences. Palms are perennial plants, of every ima- numerous varieties and groups of wild boars can destroy young plantings • Diversifying the range of coconut products. have been created ginable size. They are not trees : they have in a single night. • Promoting those products on local and export for food, medicinal • A disease, “lethal yellowing”, caused by a microorganism markets. or ritual purposes. a stem rather than a trunk. Since time called a phytoplasma, does considerable damage Research on coconut is primarily conducted by However, this diversity Every part of a coconut palm has its uses! and has destroyed many coconut plantings national research systems in producing countries, immemorial, palms have provided people is now under threat Coconuts are rich in nutrients and minerals and filled worldwide. working together in networks supported by CIRAD. with sweet, sterile, fresh water. They can be stored for long as a result of agricultural with foodstuffs, personal hygiene pro- Lethal yellowing periods. Coconut water, desiccated coconut and coconut milk and cultural Lethal yellowing, which is caused by a ducts, medicinal preparations, building uniformization. are all nourishing and delicious. microorganism, a phytoplasma, has destroyed materials, etc, etc. The kernel of ripe nuts can be oven-dried to produce copra. Haustorium Albumen CIRAD has helped coconut plantings in both Africa and the Americas.

The oil is extracted under high pressure, and has many uses: to inventory the different 03/2008 Research by CIRAD and partners in and • cooking oil, margarine, biscuits, soaps, cosmetics, varieties and develop Mexico is centring on characterizing the detergents, , etc. new hybrids. One phytoplasma, identifying the as yet not fully known

Centre Coconut palms also have other uses: activated , of the main objectives de coopération -sucking insects that carry the disease, internationale en recherche roofing, fencing, basketwork, weaving, flooring, various utensils, is resistance to lethal agronomique and testing and disseminating pour le développement www.cirad.fr decorative objects, etc, etc. diseases. resistant varieties. Denis Delebecque/Méridiennes