| Abstrakt: |
Oil palm plantation is one of the rapidly expanding plantations in Indonesia, both on mineral and peat soil, during the last three decades. The expansion of plantations on peat soil was not only driven by industrial but also by smallholder plantations. However, field information on yield comparison between industrial and smallholder plantations established on peat soil is rare. Therefore, the study objective was to compare the yield of industrial and smallholder plantations on peat and analyze the factors underlying the existing yield gaps. The study was conducted in mature plantations, an industrial in Siak, Riau, and a smallholder in Tanjung Jabung Timur, Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia, beginning from January to December 2018. The yield data were collected every two weeks, both in industrial and smallholder plantations. Also, some data related to oil palm management practices were collected during the study. The yield in the industrial plantation was significantly higher than that of smallholder plantations. The significant determinant causing the yield gaps is oil palm management practices such as fertilizer dosage, tree age, type of cultivar, tree densities, and water management. The smallholder needs to be supported to improve the oil palm management practices. The study showed that even though the yield gaps between industrial and smallholder plantations were significant, but there is a large potential to increase the production of smallholder oil palm plantations established on peat soil. Further study is needed to understand all production factors limiting the oil palm yield in smallholder plantations to increase the yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
