FACULTY OF PLANTATION AND
AGROTECHNOLOGYUNIVERSITI
TEKNOLOGI MARA (UiTM)
CAWANGAN SARAWAK, KAMPUS
SAMARAHAN
AGR 426 SMART TECHNOLOGY IN
NURSERY MANAGEMENT
CASE STUDY
GROUP: AT2402A
PREPARED BY:
FULL NAME STUDENT ID
GILDAS KATAN BUJING 2024963581
PREPARED FOR:
DR SHARIFAH MAZENAH
SUBMITION DATE:14 JULY 2024
1
QUESTION 1
INTRODUCTION
An oil palm nursery is a specialized facility where oil palm seedlings are grown and nurtured before being
transplanted to the main plantation, playing a crucial role in ensuring the availability of high-quality,
disease-resistant, and genetically superior planting materials. In the nursery, oil palm seeds are
germinated, and the resulting seedlings are carefully tended to, with optimal conditions for growth
controlled, including soil, water, nutrients, and pests, to produce robust and healthy seedlings that
maximize the survival rate and productivity of the oil palms once transplanted. Our team has chosen to
develop this 10-hectare land into an oil palm nursery due to the crop's high versatility in meeting diverse
industrial needs, the strong local demand for seedlings from nearby smallholders, the lack of competitors
in the area, and the potential to provide a valuable service by decreasing operating costs for the
surrounding farmers.
SITE SELECTION
Figure 1 The Selected 10-Hectare Land
This area is perfect for a nursery because of some factors. When selecting an area for nursery every little
must be considered to ensure the optimal use of the land. Here are some reasons why the area was
selected to be a nursery:
2
CRITERIA EXPLANATION VISUAL
SOIL CONTAINS AND As you can see here the soil texture is
TEXTURE very good and it is suitable for oil palms.
Because the soil is workability and
drainage. We can observe that the soil
type is loamy soil which is suitable for
the oil palm.
Figure 2 Good Soil Texture for Oil Palm
Nursery
WATER RESOURCE In nursery, it is important to have water
supply nearby the area. In this selected
area we can see that there is a river
which plays an important role in the
water supply for the nursery. This river is
free from pollution, and it is clean.
Figure 3 Water Resource
TOPOGRAPHY This is a flat area on the selected land.
This topography is suitable to develop a
nursery because it will decrease the
operating expenses, for example
machinery to flatten the area. When it is
flat it also makes the job easier to
conduct.
Figure 4 Flat Land Area
ACCESSIBILITY As you can see in the picture above, this
the main road that connected the
nursery to customer, villager, investor
and supplier. We can see that the road is
in good condition, which will link the
customer and the nursery.
Figure 5 Main Road
3
PLANT PROPAGATION TECHNIQUES
TECHNIQUE EXPLANATION VISUAL
SEED GERMINATION AND The objective of this
SEED PREPARATION technique is to break seed
dormancy and stimulate
rapid, uniform germination to
produce healthy, vigorous
seedling ready for
transplanting
Figure 6 Oil Palm Seeds
NURSERY BED PREPARATION To create an optimal growing
environment in the nursery
beds for the transplanted
seedlings to thrive and
develop into robust, high-
quality planting materials.
Figure 7 Oil Palm In Bed Preparation
TRANSPLANTING TO MAIN To transplant the pre-grown
NURSERY seedlings from the polybags
into the prepared nursery
beds, where they can
continue maturing into large,
healthy planting stock ready
for field planting.
Figure 8 Transplanting To Main Nursery
Technique
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PLANTING MATERIALS AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Figure 9 A Review of Nutrient Recycling Figure 10 Manual Fertilizer Application Figure 11 Mixing the Soil
MANAGEMENT EXPLAINATION
PLANTING MATERIALS 1. Certified Pre-germinated Seeds
• This Certified Pre-germinated Seeds from establish MPOB
seed garden.
2. Clonal Planting Materials
• Clonal palms are genetically identical copies of high-
yielding parent palms, produced through tissue culture
techniques
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT 1. Nutrient recycling
• This will regulate moisture, temperature and recycle
nutrients.
• Maintain a 2.5 cm deep layer of disease-free mulch around
the seedlings in the main nursery using materials like oil
palm kernel shells, shredded coconut fiber, rice husks,
peanut shells, or coffee shells.
2. Fertilizer application
• The fertilizing program must be properly managed to
ensure the seedling has enough nutrients to grow. Make
sure the fertilizer application is not over.
3. Soil preparation
• Incorporate sufficient phosphorus (P) fertilizer in the soil to
be used for bag filling. Apply 300 g P2O5 per ton of soil
before bag filling to ensure adequate P availability.
• Incorporate sufficient phosphorus (P) fertilizer in the soil to
be used for bag filling. Apply 300 g P2O5 per ton of soil
before bag filling to ensure adequate P availability.
5
PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT EXPLAINATION VISUAL
PEST 1. Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus)
This is a major pest that can infest and damage oil palm
seedlings in the nursery. Preventive measures include regular
inspection, removal of breeding sites, and use of pheromone
traps. Figure 12 Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
2. Leafminer (Liriomyza spp.)
Leafminers can cause discoloration and distortion of leaves,
leading to reduced growth. Cultural control methods like
removing infested leaves and using reflective mulches can
help manage this pest.
3. Thrips (Thysanoptera spp.)
Thrips feed on the leaves, causing yellowing and stunting of Figure 13 Liriomyza spp
oil palm seedlings. Maintaining good nursery hygiene, using
insect-proof screens, and applying appropriate insecticides
can help control thrips.
Figure 14 Thysanoptera spp
DISEASE 1. Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot:
This fungal disease can cause significant damage and
mortality in oil palm nurseries. Preventive measures include
using disease-free planting materials, improving drainage,
and applying fungicides. Strict sanitation and removal of
Figure 15 Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot
infected seedlings are crucial to prevent the spread of Effect
Ganoderma.
2. Fusarium Wilt:
Fusarium wilt is another serious disease that can affect oil
palm seedlings in the nursery. Proper soil sterilization, use of
resistant planting materials, and application of fungicides are
important control measures. Avoiding soil from infected areas Figure 16 Fusarium Wilt Effect
and maintaining good nursery hygiene are also key to
preventing Fusarium wilt.
3. Phytophthora Root Rot:
This fungal disease can cause root and stem rot in oil palm
seedlings. Improving drainage, using resistant planting Figure 17 Phytophthora Root Rot Effect
materials, and applying appropriate fungicides are
recommended management strategies.
6
IRRIGATION SYSTEM
In the project I will use capillary wick (WCK) system as irrigation system in the nursery. Here are the
reasons for it
Figure 18 Capillary Wick (WCK) System
REASONS EXPLANATION
WATER EFFICIENCY This system shows had the lowest amount of
leachate and nutrient losses compared to
overhead sprinkler and dripping system.
CROP WATER REQUIREMENTS This system shows had the lowest amount of
leachate and nutrient losses compared to
overhead sprinkler and dripping system.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS This system shows had the lowest amount of
leachate and nutrient losses compared to
overhead sprinkler and dripping system.
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INSPECTION OF NURSERY
INSPECTION EXPLANATION
MULCHING Ater transplanting the seedling mulching must be done using empty fruit
bunch (EFB). This practice is recommended.
WEEDING There are two methods that can be used for weeding. The first method
is hand weeding. The second method is by using herbicides. These two
methods have their own pros and cons. The first method pros are, it is
cheap, and it does not need any capital, but the cons are, labor cost
needs to be increased to make sure labor comes and make the job
faithful. Next is the second method pros, it is more effective than hand
weeding because it is faster and easy to be done by the labor, but the
cons are it is expensive and at the same time it is not sustainable for the
environment.
CULLING In nursery culling is the most important procedure that must be done to
ensure the quality of the seedlings. Culling should be done when the
seedlings are in the age of 2-to-3-month, 6-month,9 months and before
transplanting to the field.
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QUESTION 2
RECOMMENDED TECHNOLOGY
RECOMMENDED EXPLAINATION VISUAL
TECHNOLOGY
AUTOMATED 1. Description of the technology
IRRIGATQION SYSTEM • This commercial product uses sensors, wireless
communication and controllers to monitor the
nursery in terms of soil moisture and providing
enough and optimal amount of water for the oil
palms. Figure 19 Automated Irrigation
2. Advantages System
• Reduced labor cost. This technology is monitored
wirelessly. At the same time, the number of labors
will decrease.
• Improved nutrient management. This technology is
capable of precise monitoring and deliver of nutrient.
• Improved irrigation efficiency. This technology Figure 20 Application Is
manages to save 20% to 83% compared to manual Automated Irrigation System
irrigation
ROBOTIC SYSTEMS FOR 1. Description of the technology
PLANT HANDLING AND • This robot can perform tasks like transplanting,
TREATMENT pruning, fertilization with high precision.
2. Advantages
• Increased productivity. Robots can perform task Figure 21 Robot Lifting Heavy FFB
faster than human workers.
• Improved precision and consistent. This will ensure
consistent, high-quality plants compared to manual
labor.
• Enhanced safety. For example, lifting heavy items in
the nursery without putting the workers into it. This Figure 22 Sensor In The Robot
increased and improved safety and led to a better
working environment.
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Integrated 1. Description of the technology
environmental control • This will automatically monitor factors such as
system humidity and temperature. This operating system
includes a smart greenhouse that uses sensor data
and computer to optimize the growing conditions.
2. Advantages Figure 23 How Smart Fertilization
Works
• Optimized growing conditions. Using sensor data and
computed, these smart greenhouses can lead to
increase crop yields and quality compared to manual
control.
• Resource consumption for sustainability. Allows the
oil palm nursery to use full energy and resource while
maintaining ideal growing for the seedling.
• Enhance efficiency. Nu collecting and analyzing real
time data on oil palm seedling. This technology can
Figure 24 Integrated
fine tune parameters and make autonomous
Environmental Control System
adjustment.
10
REFFERENCES
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Nursery Management, Training and Research Institute. (n.d.). Chapter 2: Nursery Site Selection.
` Retrieved from https://rngr.net/publications/nursery-manuals/fnm/Chapter%202
Nursery Management, Training and Research Institute. (n.d.). Chapter 2: Nursery Site Selection.
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Sawit. http://mpob.gov.my/images/stories/pdf/2020/KodAmalanBaikNurseriKelapaSawit.pdf
Nursery Management, Training and Research Institute. (n.d.). Chapter 2: Nursery Site Selection.
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