08 Jan Oilpalm cultivation
ऑयलपाम की खेती Oil palm (Elaeisguineensis Jacq.), is a native of West Africa and popularly known as African oil palm or red oil palm. It is known to be the highest edible oil yielding perennial crop. It produces two distinct oils, i.e., palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil is derived from fleshy mesocarp of the fruit, which contains about 45-55% of oil. The palm kernel oil, obtained from the kernel of stony seed, is a potential source of lauric oil. Oil palm is the crop of the present and future vegetable oil economy of world as well as India. Palm oil has good consumer acceptance as cooking medium because of its price advantage. It is a good raw material for manufacturing oleo chemicals used in making soaps, candles, plasticizers etc. It has also a variety of uses, ranging from edible oil, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals to bio-fuel and bio-lubricant. Climatic requirements: Oil palm is a humid crop. Requires evenly distributed rainfall of 150mm/ month or 2500- 4000mm/annum. Rainfall distribution in India is not even and adequate. Hence grow oil palm under assured irrigation conditions by adopting recommended practices. Crop comes up well between 29-33oC max. and 22-24oC min. temperatures and with bright sunlight for at least 5 hrs. per day. Humidity of more than 80% is...