African oil palm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids African oil palm |
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| African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) | |
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Elaeis
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guineensis
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The Elaeis guineensis, often called the oil palm or African oil palm, is a type of palm. It is the main plant used to make palm oil. This tree originally comes from western and southwestern Africa, from Angola to Gambia. The name guineensis comes from the region of Guinea.
Today, you can also find oil palms growing naturally in places like Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Central America, Cambodia, the West Indies, and many islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Other palms, like the American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera), are also used to make palm oil.
People in West Africa have been using oil palms for a very long time, possibly up to 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists even found palm oil in an ancient tomb in Abydos that dates back to 3000 BCE. It is believed that Arab traders brought the oil palm to Egypt.
The first person from the West to describe this plant and bring back its seeds was a French naturalist named Michel Adanson.
Oil palms are amazing because they can produce a lot more oil from a small area of land compared to most other oil-producing plants. They make about nine times more oil than soy and 4.5 times more than rapeseed.
Contents
What Does the Oil Palm Look Like?
Full-grown oil palms have a single stem and can grow up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) tall. Their leaves are long and feathery, reaching 3 to 5 meters (10 to 16 feet) in length. A young palm tree grows about 30 new leaves each year. Older palms, over 10 years old, produce around 20 leaves annually. The palm's flowers grow in tight groups, and each flower is small with three sepals and three petals.
The palm fruit takes about 5 to 6 months to grow from a flower to a ripe fruit. It is reddish, about the size of a large plum, and grows in big bunches. Each fruit has an oily, soft outer layer (called the pericarp) and a single seed inside. This seed, known as the palm kernel, is also full of oil. When a bunch of fruit is ready to be picked, it can weigh between 5 and 30 kilograms (11 to 66 pounds), depending on how old the palm tree is.
How Are Oil Palms Planted?
For every hectare (about 2.5 acres) of oil palm trees, which are harvested all year, the trees produce a lot of fruit. On average, one hectare yields 20 tonnes of fruit each year. From this fruit, about 4,000 kg of palm oil and 750 kg of seed kernels can be extracted. These kernels then give about 500 kg of high-quality palm kernel oil. The leftover kernel meal is used as livestock feed for animals.
Most modern oil palm farms use special seeds or young plants called "tenera palms" or "DxP hybrids." These are created by crossing two types of palms: one with thick shells (dura) and one with no shells (pisifera). Even though the seed might have a thick shell like the dura parent, the palm that grows from it will produce thin-shelled tenera fruit. Another way to get new palms is through "clonal" palms, which are exact copies of high-yielding DxP palms.
Understanding Oil Palm Genetics
How Oil Palms Are Bred
Unlike some other plants, oil palms do not grow new plants from their roots. They are grown by planting their seeds.
Scientists have found and selected different types and forms of Elaeis guineensis that have special features. These include:
- E. guineensis fo. dura
- E. guineensis var. pisifera
- E, guineensis fo. tenera
Before World War II, people started working on improving the Deli dura palm in Malaya (now part of Malaysia). They brought pollen from Africa and made special crosses. In the 1950s, it was sometimes hard to tell if the new fruit types were correct. There was no easy way to check if the pollination was done properly.
Later, new methods made it easier to see if controlled pollination worked well. From 1963 until 1982, when a special palm-pollinating weevil (Elaeidobius kamerunicus) was brought to Malaysia, there were few unwanted mixes in commercial plantings. The main pollinator back then, thrips, usually could not get into the covered female flowers. However, the E. kamerunicus weevil is much better at pollinating, and after it was introduced, unwanted mixes in Deli dura became a bigger problem. This issue lasted for much of the 1980s. But by 1991, the problem was largely solved, and unwanted mixes were reduced to less than 2%.
A study in 1992 showed that after four generations of careful selection, the amount of oil produced by Deli dura oil palms increased by 60% compared to the original palms. By crossing dura and pisifera palms to create the thin-shelled tenera fruit, the oil yield increased by 30%. This happened because more of the fruit's dry matter became oil instead of shell.
Genes for Better Farming
In 2013, scientists found the gene that controls how thick the palm fruit's shell is. This discovery makes it possible to know if a young palm is a tenera (DxP) type while it is still in the nursery. This helps farmers choose the best plants early on.
There is also a gene called DEFICIENS that helps control how the palm's flowers grow. One specific version of this gene, called Bad Karma, can reduce how much fruit the palm produces.
Problems for Oil Palms: Pests and Diseases
Diseases
One of the most serious diseases for oil palms in Malaysia and Indonesia is called Basal Stem Rot (BSR). It is caused by a fungus named Ganoderma orbiforme. For a long time, it was hard to study this disease because scientists could not easily infect oil palms with the fungus in the lab. But in the early 1990s, they found ways to do it by infecting seedling roots or using rubber wood blocks. A quick and reliable way to test the fungus was developed by infecting germinated oil palm seeds.
This deadly disease can cause up to 80% of palms to die after several planting cycles. The Ganoderma fungus creates substances that break down the palm's internal water-carrying system (xylem). This makes it very hard for the palm to get water and nutrients to its top parts. When you cut open an infected palm stem, you can see the disease as a light brown area of rotting tissue. This area has a clear, dark, uneven band around its edges. The infected tissue turns into a grey, powdery substance. If the palm stays standing, its trunk quickly becomes hollow.
In 2007, scientists in Portugal suggested that to control this fungus, we should think of it as a "white rot" process. Ganoderma is special because it can break down lignin (a tough material in plants) into carbon dioxide and water. This leaves the cellulose (another plant material) for the fungus to eat. Understanding this "white rot" attack could lead to new ways to fight the disease. For example, farmers could breed or choose oil palms that have a lot of lignin, or they could seal damaged palms to stop the decay. It is thought that the disease spreads by spores, not just by roots. This knowledge can also help in breaking down oil palm waste on plantations faster by using certain fungi or by treating the waste differently, like chipping it and spreading it out instead of piling it up.
Endophytic bacteria are tiny organisms that live inside plant parts without harming the plant. Introducing these helpful bacteria to the roots can help control plant diseases. This works by changing the natural bacteria in the roots to better fight off harmful organisms in the soil. Using endophytic bacteria is often better than other ways of biological control because they live inside the plant. This means they can compete better for food and space within the plant's systems, limiting the growth of Ganoderma. Two types of bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia (B3) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P3), were tested in a greenhouse. They were found to help oil palm seedlings grow better and stop the spread of Basal Stem Rot.
Little leaf syndrome is a problem that is not fully understood. It is sometimes confused with a lack of boron, an important nutrient. The growing tip of the palm gets damaged, sometimes by Oryctes beetles. This causes small, twisted leaves to grow, which look like leaves from a boron deficiency. Often, other infections follow, leading to spear rot and the death of the palm.
Cadang-cadang disease is a viral disease that also affects coconut trees.
Red ring disease is caused by a tiny worm called Bursaphelenchus cocophilus. You can read more about it in the "Nematode Pests" section below.
A disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora has destroyed 5,000 hectares (about 12,355 acres) of E. guineensis near San Lorenzo in Ecuador. This tiny organism causes bud rot. Because of this, farmers there started replanting with a hybrid palm made by crossing E. guineensis with E. oleifera, the South American palm.
Insects That Spread Disease
Besides directly damaging the plants, insects can also carry and spread diseases to oil palms.
Arthropod Pests
Metisa plana is a type of Lepidopteran moth and a big problem for oil palms in Malaysia. Outbreaks of M. plana in Malaysia are closely linked to how much moisture is in the air (relative humidity). Scientists used satellite data to estimate humidity and then used this data in computer models to predict when M. plana would appear on plantations. The predictions were very accurate.
Other tiny insect pests include: Bagworm moths, the Asiatic rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros), Rhynchophorus palmarum (the South American palm weevil), Tirathaba mundella (the oil palm bunch moth), and Tirathaba rufivena (the coconut spike moth).
Animal Pests
Mammal Pests
Rats not only damage oil palm plants directly, but they also eat Elaeidobius kamerunicus, the African palm pollinating weevil. This can reduce how well the palms are pollinated.
Bird Pests
Birds can also be pests to oil palm plantations.
Nematode Pests
Bursaphelenchus cocophilus is a tiny worm-like pest that also infects coconut palms. It causes "red ring disease." This disease gets its name because it creates a red layer inside the tree's trunk, which looks like a red ring when you cut the trunk open.
History of the Oil Palm
Oil palms were first brought to Java by the Dutch in 1848. Later, in 1910, a Scotsman named William Sime and an English banker named Henry Darby brought them to Malaysia (which was then a British colony called Malaya). The specific type of palm tree, Elaeis guineensis, was taken to Malaysia from Eastern Nigeria in 1961. As mentioned, it originally grew in West Africa. The southern coast of Nigeria was even called the "Palm oil coast" by the first Europeans who came there to trade. This area was later renamed the Bight of Biafra.
In traditional African medicine, different parts of the oil palm plant were used for various purposes. They were used as a laxative (to help with digestion) and a diuretic (to increase urine flow). They also served as an antidote for poisons, a treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), and for bronchitis. People used them to treat headaches and rheumatism, and to help fresh wounds heal and treat skin infections.
In Cambodia, the oil palm was brought in as a decorative plant for public gardens. Its name in the Khmer is dôô:ng préing, which means "oil palm."
Oil Palms in Malaysia
In Malaysia, the first oil palm plantations were mostly started and run by British owners, like Sime Darby and Boustead. These companies were listed on the London Stock Exchange. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Malaysian government worked to transfer ownership to Malaysian companies.
The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) is the largest oil palm planter in the world. It manages nearly 900,000 hectares of land in Malaysia and Indonesia. Felda was created on July 1, 1956, with the main goal of helping people escape poverty. Families who joined the program were given 10 acres (about 4 hectares) of land, planted with either oil palm or rubber. They had 20 years to pay back the cost of the land.
After Malaysia became independent in 1957, the government focused on improving rubber farming, increasing exports, and reducing poverty through these land schemes. In the 1960s and 1970s, the government encouraged planting other crops to protect the economy when world prices for tin and rubber dropped. So, many rubber farms were turned into oil palm plantations. In 1961, Felda opened its first oil palm settlement, covering 3.75 square kilometers. By 2000, about 76% of the land under Felda's programs (6855.2 square kilometers) was used for oil palms. By 2008, Felda's program had helped 112,635 families, who worked on 8533.13 square kilometers of farmland across Malaysia. Oil palm planting made up 84% of Felda's plantation land.
Felda's success led to other programs to help small farmers grow oil palms. The Federal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA) was set up in 1966, and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) was formed in 1976. These organizations aim to help rural communities grow and reduce poverty by planting high-yielding crops like oil palm.
As of November 2011, SALCRA had developed 18 estates, covering about 51,000 hectares. That year, the organization shared profits with 16,374 landowners who were part of the program.
How Palm Oil is Produced
Oil is taken from two parts of the fruit: the soft outer part (palm oil, which is edible) and the kernel inside (palm kernel oil, used in foods and for making soap). From every 100 kg of fruit bunches, typically 22 kg of palm oil and 1.6 kg of palm kernel oil can be extracted.
Oil palms produce a lot of oil (up to 7,250 liters per hectare per year). This has made palm oil a common cooking ingredient in Southeast Asia and the tropical parts of Africa. Its use is growing in the food industry worldwide because it is cheaper, stays fresh for a long time, and has many natural antioxidants.
The oil palm started in West Africa, but it now grows well in tropical areas within 20 degrees of the equator. In the Republic of the Congo, near Ouesso, local people make this oil by hand. They pick the fruit, boil it to remove water, then press what is left to collect the reddish-orange oil.
In 1995, Malaysia was the biggest producer of palm oil, making 51% of the world's supply. But since 2007, Indonesia has become the largest producer, supplying about 50% of the world's palm oil.
Worldwide palm oil production for the 2011/2012 season was 50.3 million metric tons, increasing to 52.3 million metric tons for 2012/13. In 2019, total production reached 75.7 million metric tons.
The Urhobo people of Nigeria use the oil palm extract to make a soup called amiedi.
Research on Oil Palms
Scientists publish their findings on oil palms and related topics in several important journals, including:
- Journal of Oil Palm Research (JOPR) [1]
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science
- Conservation Letters
- Bioresource Technology
- Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Impacts on Society and the Environment
The way oil palms are grown has led to a lot of discussion about their effects on society and the environment. Oil palm is a very important crop for the economy and provides many jobs. It helps many small landowners earn money and often leads to better roads, schools, and communication in those areas. However, there have been cases where land traditionally owned by local communities was taken for oil palm plantations without asking or paying the people. This has caused conflicts between the plantations and local residents. Sometimes, oil palm plantations rely on workers from other countries, and there are concerns about their working conditions and how this affects local communities.
Losing different types of plants and animals (including the possible extinction of well-known animals like orangutans) is one of the most serious negative effects of growing oil palms. Large areas of already threatened tropical rainforests are often cleared to make room for palm oil plantations, especially in Southeast Asia, where laws protecting forests are not always strongly enforced. In some places where oil palm is grown, weak environmental laws mean that plantations sometimes expand into protected areas or along rivers. There are also issues with burning plantation waste openly and releasing polluted water from palm oil mills into the environment. Some of these areas have realized they need better environmental protection, leading to more eco-friendly practices. One such approach is treating the wastewater from palm oil mills without oxygen, which can produce biogas (methane) and generate electricity. This method is used in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The demand for palm oil has grown recently because it is used as a biofuel. But people have realized that this increases the environmental impact of growing oil palms and can cause a problem where food crops are replaced by fuel crops. This has made some developed countries rethink their biofuel policies to ensure they are sustainable. However, critics point out that even companies that claim to be sustainable still sometimes harm the environment. They argue that using palm oil as biofuel is problematic because it encourages cutting down natural habitats like forests and peatlands, which releases large amounts of greenhouse gases.
Carbon Balance and the Environment
Growing oil palms has been shown to cause significant and often permanent damage to the natural environment. This includes deforestation (cutting down forests), loss of habitats for critically endangered species, and a big increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
The pollution gets worse because many rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia are on top of peat bogs. These bogs store huge amounts of carbon. When the forests are cut down and the bogs are drained for plantations, this stored carbon is released into the air.
Environmental groups, like Greenpeace, say that the deforestation caused by making way for oil palm plantations is much more harmful to the climate than any benefits gained from switching to biofuel. Clearing new land, especially in Borneo, is a big concern because of its environmental impact. Even though there are thousands of square kilometers of unplanted land in Indonesia, tropical hardwood forests are still being cleared for palm oil plantations. Also, as the remaining unprotected lowland forests shrink, developers are looking to plant on peat swamp land. Draining these peatlands starts a process that can release carbon stored for 5,000 to 10,000 years. Drained peat is also very likely to catch fire. There are clear records of fires being used to clear land for oil palm development in Indonesia. In recent years, droughts and human-made clearances have led to huge uncontrolled forest fires, covering parts of Southeast Asia in haze and causing an international crisis with Malaysia. These fires have been blamed on a government that struggles to enforce its own laws, while poor small farmers and large plantation owners illegally burn and clear forests and peatlands to develop the land instead of protecting its environmental benefits.
Many major companies in the vegetable oil industry are part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. This group is trying to solve these problems. For example, in 2008, Unilever, a member of the group, promised to use only palm oil that is certified as sustainable. They are working to ensure that the large companies and small farmers who supply them switch to sustainable production by 2015.
Meanwhile, much of the recent money invested in new palm plantations for biofuel has come from carbon credit projects through the Clean Development Mechanism. However, the bad reputation linked to unsustainable palm plantations in Indonesia has now made many funds careful about such investments.
Using Palm Biomass as Fuel
Some scientists and companies are looking beyond just using the oil. They propose converting palm fronds, empty fruit bunches, and palm kernel shells from oil palm plantations into renewable electricity, cellulosic ethanol, biogas, biohydrogen, and bioplastic. By using both the plant material from the plantation and the waste from palm oil production (fibers, kernel shells, palm oil mill effluent), bioenergy from palm plantations can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of these production methods have been registered as projects under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.
When palm biomass is used to create renewable energy, fuels, and biodegradable products, it improves both the energy balance and the greenhouse gas emissions balance for palm biodiesel. For every tonne of palm oil produced from fresh fruit bunches, a farmer gets about 6 tonnes of waste palm fronds, 1 tonne of palm trunks, 5 tonnes of empty fruit bunches, 1 tonne of press fiber (from the fruit's middle part), half a tonne of palm kernel shells, 250 kg of palm kernel press cake, and 100 tonnes of palm oil mill wastewater. Some oil palm plantations burn biomass to create power for palm oil mills. Other plantations produce a lot of biomass that can be recycled into materials like medium-density fiberboards and light furniture. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, scientists treat palm oil mill wastewater to extract biogas. After cleaning, this biogas can replace natural gas for use in factories. Treating palm oil mill wastewater without oxygen, which is done in Malaysia and Indonesia, leads to a lot of Methanosaeta concilii bacteria. These bacteria are important for making methane from acetate, and creating the best conditions for their growth should be considered to collect biogas as a renewable fuel.
Unfortunately, producing palm oil can harm the environment and is not always seen as a sustainable biofuel. The cutting down of forests in Malaysia and Indonesia, due to the increasing demand for this plant, has reduced the natural homes for orangutans and other rainforest animals. More carbon is released during the entire process of growing a palm oil plant and using it as a biofuel than is released by the same amount of fossil fuels.
Images for kids
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African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)
See also
In Spanish: Palma africana de aceite para niños
