Future Climate Effects on Basal Stem Rot of Conventional and Modified Oil Palm in Indonesia and Thailand

Abstract

Oil palms (OP) produce palm oil, a unique commodity without commercial alternatives. A serious disease of OP is basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense Pat. Climate change will likely increase BSR, thereby causing mortality of OP and reduced yields of palm oil. Work is being undertaken to produce modified OP (mOP) to resist BSR, although this will take decades for full development, if successfully produced at all. mOP will not be 100% effective, and it would be useful to know the effect of mOP on the key parameters of BSR incidence, OP mortality, and yield loss. The current paper employed CLIMEX modeling of suitable climates for OP and modeling narratives for Indonesia and Thailand. Indonesia is the largest producer of OP and Thailand is a much smaller manufacturer, and it was informative to compare these two countries. The gains from using mOP were substantial compared to the current production of some other continents and countries. The current paper, for the first time, assessed how climate change will affect BSR parameters for conventional and mOP. Greater consideration of the potential benefits of mOP is required to justify investing in the technology.

Improving Edible Oilseed (Oil Palm) Health and Productivity: Integration of Sustainable Pest Management, Precision Farming, and Stakeholder Collaboration

“…Climate change has emerged as a significant driver of environmental shifts, affecting various ecosystems and altering the distribution and abundance of pests worldwide [12,15,55]. The complex interplay between climate factors and pest dynamics presents novel challenges for agricultural systems, including E. guineensis plantations.…”

“…E. guineensis plantations, predominantly found in tropical regions, face a myriad of pest pressures ranging from insects and pathogens to vertebrate pests [3,11,12]. Among the key pests, the African E. guineensis weevil (Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust) stands prominent as a major threat to E. guineensis pollination, causing substantial yield losses [13,14].…”

“…Bud rot causes the premature death of young palms, thereby impacting the overall productivity and sustainability of the plantation. Also, the escalating impacts of climate change, including altered pest distribution patterns and increased pest prevalence, further exacerbate the vulnerability of E. guineensis crops to pest damage [12,15].…”

The suppression of Ganoderma boninense on oil palm under mixed planting with taro plants

“…Basal stem rot (BSR), caused by polypore fungi Ganoderma boninense Pat. and other Ganoderma spp., is the most significant disease affecting oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia (Pilotti 2005;Midot et al 2019;Paterson 2023). The fungi infect and cause the decay of roots, bole, and trunk tissue, preventing water and nutrient translocation toward the upper portion of oil palm trees.…”