PALMOILMAGAZINE, PENAJAM PASER – Ganoderma, which causes rot in palm oil stalks, has attacked palm oil plantations in Babulu Laut and the area around the mill of PT Sumber Bunga Sawit Lestari (SBSL) in Babulu Darat, Babulu Subdistrict, Penajam Paser Utara (PPU) Regency.
Tono Sutrisno, Chairman of the Jaringan Pegiat Sawit Nasional (JPSN) in PPU, reported receiving information from villagers about the disease’s spread. “Ganoderma is a serious threat that can cause palm oil trees to wither, the leaves to turn yellow, and eventually die,” he said.
“What we got showed that Ganoderma attacks palm oil trees in Babulu Laut and around the mill of SBSL in Babulu Darat,” Tono Sutrisno, as Palmoilmagazine.com quoted from Kaltimpost, Monday (1/7/2024).
Also Read: Preparing for a Potential Ganoderma Attack
He thought, Ganoderma would be dangerous and it needs to immediately be anticipated not to spread more. This kind of mildew would be spreading to the roots of palm oil trees and would be productive to make the trees dead. This would also make palm oil productivity end to nothing.
Tono also reported the issue to Agriculture Agency PPU. “They checked it and prepared fungicide to stop the spread of Ganoderma,” he said.
JPSN PPU is one new established organization within the members consisting of smallholders that own less than five hectares palm oil plantations. The members now cover 400 smallholders that cultivate about 800 hectares. The organization is established to deliver education about smallholders replanting program to maximally get the harvest.
“For all these years, their harvests were not maximal because of many factors, for instance, they harvested bad, the fertilization was not standard, and the smallholders that cultivated palm oil plantations in acid soil, applied much chemical fertilizers,” Tono said. (T2)
