Oil Palms in Sabah > Oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunches

Classification of FFB into ripeness categories based on mesocarp colour and pattern.

Maturity Oil palm Fresh Fruit Bunches :

1- Young
2- Unripe
3- Under-ripe
4- Ripe
5- Over-ripe

HOW PALM ARE GROWN
Carefully selected seeds, which are all prepared by artificial hand pollination, are given a heat treatment to break their dormancy and then planted one per bag in large black polythene bags filled with selected soil. The plants grow in such a “polybag” for about one year.
Meanwhile, the future plantation area is prepared by felling and burning. Special attention is paid to the building of roads to provide good accessibility for harvesting.
As soon as possible after clearing, leguminous cover crops are planted to protect the soil with a thick mat of vegetation which keeps out weeds, prevents soil erosion and conserves soil nutrients.
The young palms are transplanted from the nursery into the field usually during the monsoon season in October and November. They are planted in a triangular pattern so that all palms exploit equal areas and make maximum use of soil and sunshine.
At about twenty five months from planting, the palms are ready too bear their first crop.
The flowers are produced in dense clusters; each individual flower is small, with three sepals and three petals. The fruit takes six months to mature from pollination to maturity; it comprises an oily, fleshy outer layer (the pericarp), with a single seed (kernel), also rich in oil.

 
Development of a FEMALE Inflorescence into a Fresh Fruit Bunch

Development of Oil Palm Fruits

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