In Africa, oil palm is grown in 25 countries supported by corporate investors. In Uganda, commercial oil palm cultivation began in 2005 in Bugala Islands. Seedlings were imported from countries with established breeding programs. These seedlings were grown in areas with different environmental conditions which have resulted in a number of physiological disorders. The aim of this research was to determine the major physiological disorders in oil palm fruit bunches in Uganda. The study was carried out in the adaptive trials in Kagadi, Bugiri, Buvuma and Masaka Districts and in the different smallholder farmer blocks in Kalangala District. Data was collected on bunch rot, bunch failure and uneven ripening. Sampling was carried out in oil palm plantations above five years of age. Three fields were selected from each unit and three units from each block by the help of the Agricultural Extension Officers (AEOs). Palms were randomly sampled and assessed for presence of bunch rot, bunch failure and uneven ripening symptoms. The incidence was expressed as a percentage of the total number of palms sampled while the severity of bunch rot disease was scored on a scale of 0-4. From the results, the differences in bunch rot and bunch failure in adaptive trials were statistically significant as well as across seasons (P < 0.05). Uneven ripening was not statistically significant and severity of bunch rot in the different farmer blocks in Kalangala was statistically significant (P = 0.03). Uneven ripening was high across smallholder farmer blocks in Kalangala and was statistically significant (P = 0.05) even across seasons (P < 0.05). These results are important for sensitization of farmers on management of oil palm disorders and essential for guiding policy makers and investors as the oil palm industrial sector is being developed in Uganda. This study calls for determination of water deficit at the various ecological zones and its relationship to physiological disorders as a guide for further oil palm estate development.
Oil palm is commercially grown on Bugala Island within Lake Victoria. But with increasing demand for vegetable oils in Uganda more areas for oil palm production are required. A study was conducted to identify new areas suitable for oil palm production. The experiment was super-imposed on 45 × 45 m plots in 3-year old oil palm plantations in Bugiri, Buvuma, Kibaale and Masaka. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. From 2011 to 2013 results indicated significant (P < 0.05) mean increments from 98.9 to 141 cm in height, 166 to 377 cm in stem girth, 24.3 to 30.1 in number of open leaves and 40.3 to 81.2 in number of flowered palm trees. On the monthly basis the highest fresh fruit bunch (FFB) number and yield were realized in May and October, respectively which corresponded with the peak rain months. Furthermore, significant (P < 0.05) increments of 40.9% in number of FFB, 55.4% in bunch weight and 16.9% in yield were observed from 2014 to 2016. Across sites, Kibaale had the highest (601.5 FFB ha-1) number of FFB while Masaka registered the lowest number (452.2 FFB ha-1). Oil palm yield in Kibaale and Buvuma was twice higher than in Masaka. But, yield in Bugiri was not significantly different from that of Buvuma and Kibaale but significantly (P < 0.05) higher than in Masaka. The findings on growth and yield of introduced oil palm crop revealed that Kibale, Buvuma and Bugiri are potential areas for oil palm production in Uganda.
Oil palm, a lucrative vegetable oil crop in the world, showed promising adaptability to some agroecologies in Uganda from studies carried out in the 1970s resulting in first commercial establishment in 2005 in Bugala Island, Kalangala district. Further, adaptability studies continue to reveal suitable areas for commercial oil palm production in the country. The infant industry faces an array of challenges, both biotic and abiotic especially in regard to smallholder farmer field management and build-up of pests and disease in the face of climate change both in the nuclear estate and smallholder farmers’ fields. The rapid build-up of devastating diseases such as Fusarium wilt of oil palm and Ganoderma trunk rot in Uganda is an interesting scenario since they are often expected from second-phase plantings in other areas in the world. However, it may be attributed to the all-year-round weather suitability to pests and disease build-up on native or alternative hosts in most agroecologies in Uganda. This difference from other oil palm producing regions in the world has resulted in recently initiated oil palm Research in Uganda to focus on developing local solutions to challenges facing oil palm farmers in the country.
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