.

lnLernaLlonal !ournal of AgrlculLure and Crop Sclences.

Avallable onllne aL www.l[agcs.com
l!ACS/2012/4-2/34-63.
lSSn 2227-670x 2012 l!ACS !ournal





A kev|ew on Crop |ant roduct|on and k|peness Iorecast|ng

Mohd. nudzar| kaza||, Abdu| Ssomad M.A. na||m and Syaz||| kos|an

laculLy of AgrlculLure and 8loLechnology, unlverslLl SulLan Zalnal Abldln,
1erengganu, 21300, Malaysla

A8S1kAC1: 1here are many crlLerla Lo deflne rlpeness sLandard of lresh lrulL 8unches (ll8). Cll palm
and all lLs relaLed lndusLrles, whlch have exlsLed for Lhe lasL flve decades, conLlnue Lo Lhrlve. Cood
bunches have been harvesLed, and supplled Lo Lhe mllls. 1he lald-down sysLem musL be enforceable
and economlcal. Cbvlously, Lrue rlpeness ls Lhe sLage aL whlch LoLal producL conLenL (prlmarlly oll) ls
maxlmlzed, and aL presenL varlous harvesLlng crlLerla are belng used Lo declde on Lhls, e.g. four loose
frulL per kllogram of bunch welghL on 7 Lo 10 days harvesLlng lnLervals. 1hls paper revlew Lhe agronomy
LemperamenL of Lhe crop namely oll palm frulL for Lhe research analysls on maLurlLy predlcLlon wlLh
exLend Lo forecasL of Lhe day for frulL harvesLlng.

: Crop roducLlon, lanL Agronomy, Cll alm, MaLurlLy redlcLlon, uay for ParvesLlng

IN1kCDUC1ICN

1he flrsL Lask Lo ensure quallLy ln oll mllllng ls Lo selecL a good quallLy ll8 for processlng whlch
means Lhe only rlghL maLure ll8 should be harvesLed. PerewlLh Lhe brlef research carrled on varlous
Lechnlques Lo gauge Lhe rlpeness of oll palm frulLs. 1he Lechnlques have been developed such as
percenLage or number of harvesLed frulLs per bunch (ng and SouLhworLh, 1973), floaLaLlon Lechnlque
(Azls, 1990), percenLage deLached frulLs from Lhe bunch (1urner and Cllllbanks, 1974), correlaLlon of
mlcrowave frequency wlLh frulLs molsLure conLenL (kalda and Zulklfly, 1992) and all meLhods were as
desLrucLlve and noL posslble Lo be applled for palm Lrees age 7 years or above due Lo helghL concern.
uslng non-desLrucLlve Lechnlque such as vlslon Lo deLermlne Lhe oll palm rlpeness, Wan lshak eL al.,
(2000) used camera vlslon Lo caLegorlze rlpeness of oll palm ll8. Abdullah eL al., (2001) used compuLer
vlslon model ln order Lo lnspecL and grade Lhe oll palm fresh frulL bunches. 8alasundram eL al., (2006)
used camera vlslon Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween oll conLenL ln oll palm frulL and lLs surface
color dlsLrlbuLlon. ldrls eL al., (2003) use colorlmeLer and found a sLrong correlaLlon beLween mesocarp
oll conLenL and color values of lnLernal mesocarp surface. AdvanLages of uslng lmaglng Lechnology
for senslng are LhaL lL can be falrly accuraLe, nondesLrucLlve, and ylelds conslsLenL resulLs.
AppllcaLlons of machlne vlslon Lechnology lmprove lndusLry's producLlvlLy, Lhereby reduclng cosLs
and maklng agrlculLural operaLlons and processlng safer for farmers and processlng-llne workers. lL
holds greaL poLenLlal and beneflLs for Lhe agrlculLural lndusLry because of lLs slmpllclLy, low
cosL, rapld lnspecLlon raLe, and broad range of appllcaLlons.

CIL ALM LCCNCMIC

Malaysla used 4.3 mllllon hecLares of land area for planLaLlon Lhe oll palm and found less compared
wlLh lndonesla and currenLly accounLs for abouL 33 of world palm oll producLlon and abouL 62 of
world exporLs, lL was occupled 8 and 22 of Lhe world's LoLal producLlon and exporLs of olls and faLs,
respecLlvely (MCl, 2008). llgure 1 shows Lhe performance of Lhe Malayslan oll palm secLor ln relaLlon
Lo world palm oll producLlon whlch measured Lo MeLrlc 1on (M1) and lnLernaLlonal lncome (lnL $) .
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

33

1he raclal rloL ln year of 1969 had prompLed Lhe Malayslan governmenL Lo formulaLe Lhe new
Lconomlc ollcy, nL (1970-1990) wlLh Lhe overrldlng ob[ecLlve of achlevlng naLlonal lnLegraLlon and
unlLy. AgrlculLure secLor mosLly Lhe oll palm planLaLlon has help Lhe economy of Malayslan people ln
Lhe counLry. Lven ln Lhe holy Al-Curan, elghLy Lhree verses were menLloned abouL agrlculLure and lL
could be a klnd of our worshlp Lo Lhe creaLor of all creaLors, Allah

SubhanahuwaLaala and refer Lo lmam
nawawl on kltob 5oblb, Lhe besL work or efforL for Lhe human belng ls agrlculLure

(Muhammad lauzl,
2008).


llgure 1. 1he LoLal producLlon of palm oll of produclng counLrles ln Lhe world
(Source: lAC, 2008)

1nL CIL ALM MCknCLCG

1he oll palm Lree ls a Lroplcal planL, whlch commonly grows ln LemperaLe cllmaLes aL alLlLude below
490 meLers feeL above sea level. Cll palm ls normally monoceous, wlLh boLh male and female flowers
on Lhe same Lree. Cll palm ls cross-polllnaLed and Lhe key polllnaLlng agenL ls Lhe weevll, loelJoblos
kometoolcos (Mohd. Panlf and Mohd 8oslan, 2002). ln Lhe pasL, oll palm was LhoughL Lo be wlnd
polllnaLlon and owlng Lo Lhe low level of naLural polllnaLlon, asslsLed polllnaLlon ls a sLandard
managemenL pracLlce ln planLaLlons. Powever, Lhls pracLlce was dlsconLlnued followlng Lhe dlscovery
LhaL oll palm was lnsecL polllnaLed and Lhe lnLroducLlon of . kometoolcos from Lhe Cameroons, WesL
Afrlca ln 1982 (Syed eL al., 1982). ParvesLlng commences abouL 24 Lo 30 monLhs afLer planLlng and each
palm can produce beLween elghL Lo 13 fresh frulL bunches (ll8) per year welghlng abouL 13 Lo 23 kg
each, dependlng on Lhe planLlng maLerlal and age of Lhe palm. Lach ll8 conLalns abouL 1000 Lo 1300
frulL leLs. llgure 2 show Lhe lmage of ll8.


lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

36

llgure 2. 1he lresh lrulLs 8unches (ll8)

CulLlvars varleLy of loels Coloeeosls can be dlfferenLlaLed by Lhelr frulL plgmenLaLlon and
characLerlsLlcs, Lhe mosL common culLlvars belng Lhe uoto, 1eoeto ooJ llslfeta whlch are classlfled
accordlng Lo endocarp or shell Lhlckness and mesocarp conLenL (1eoh, 2002). See llgure 3 for deLall.
uoto palms have 2-8mm Lhlck endocarp and medlum mesocarp conLenL (33-33 of frulL welghL), Lhe
Lenera varleLy has 0.3-3mm Lhlck endocarp and hlgh mesocarp conLenL of 60-93 and Lhe llslfeto
palms have no endocarp and abouL 93 mesocarp. 1he four palms LhaL were planLed ln Lhe 8oLanlc
Cardens ln 8ogor ln 1848 were Joto, Lhelr seeds were Lhe orlgln of Lhe famous uell Joto palms LhaL
were esLabllshed ln uell dlsLrlcL ln SumaLra ln 1881 (ParLley, 1977). 1he uell Joto provlded Lhe
foundaLlon for developmenL of planLlng maLerlals used by Lhe lndusLry ln Malaysla and oLher oll palm
growlng counLrles. As plslfeto palms are predomlnanLly female sLerlle, Lhey cannoL be explolLed for
commerclal planLlng. 1hey are lnsLead used for crosslng wlLh Lhe Joto palm Lo produce Lhe teoeto (u x
) hybrld (llgure 3) afLer M. 8elrnaerL dlscovered Lhe slngle gene lnherlLance of shell Lhlckness ln 1939
ln Lhe Lhen 8elglan Congo (Zalre) (ParLley, 1977). 1hls dlscovery was Lhe cornersLone for Lhe lndusLry
and lL paved Lhe way for breedlng and selecLlon and producLlon of hlgh yleldlng u x planLlng
maLerlals.

llgure 3. roducLlon of 1eoeto (uoto \ loslfeto) planLlng maLerlal and lLs physlcal characLerlsLlcs (AdopLed from
1eoh, 2002)
1nL kILNING AND CCMCSI1ICN CI 1nL IkUI1S
A frulL bunch normally Lakes arounds 20 Lo 22 weeks Lo rlpe (ng and SouLhworLh, 1973, Azls eL al.,
1990). 1he rlpeness ls normally lndlcaLed by Lhe color changes ln Lhe frulL from black Lo reddlsh orange.
1he raLe of rlpenlng of frulLs on a bunch ls noL unlform, wlLh rlpenlng usually beglns from Lhe aplcal Lo
Lhe basal of Lhe bunch and from Lhe ouLer spreadlng gradually Lowards lnner frulLs of Lhe splkeleL as
shown ln llgures 4 and 3 (kalda and Zulklfly, 1992). llgure 4 shows Lhe dlvlslon of Lhe frulL bunch lnLo
aplcal, equaLorlal and basal zones and llgure 3 shows Lhe ouLer and lnner halves of a splkeleL. 1he
maxlmum oll yleld ls found only when Lhe frulL ls abouL Lo be deLached from Lhe bunch (1urner and
Cllllbanks, 1974). 8unches LhaL are usually affecLed by envlronmenLal changes as shown by Lhelr frulLs
absclslng are Lhe 17 - 20 week old from anLhesls (full bloom) (lllngoh and Zukarlnah, 1989). 1herefore,
Lhese bunches can be consldered as maLure bunches. 1hose less Lhan 17 weeks old could be classlfled
as unrlpe or black bunches. 1he maLurlLy of oll palm ll8 are noL slgnlflcanLly affecLed by envlronmenL
or chemlcal changes unless really exLreme (Azls eL al., 1984). Lach frulL conLalns a kernel surrounded by
a sofL olly pulp. Cll ls exLracLed from boLh Lhe pulp of Lhe frulL whlch produces an edlble oll whlle Lhe
kernel produces palm kernel oll. lor every 100 kllograms of frulL bunches, Lyplcally 22 kllograms of palm
oll and 1.6 kllograms of palm kernel oll can be exLracLed.
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

37








llgure 4. 1he dlvlslon of Lhe frulL bunch lnLo aplcal, equaLorlal and basal zones


llgure 3. 1he dlvlslon of ouLer and lnner splkeleL

8lpeness ln oll palm frulL may be deflned as Lhe accumulaLlon of maxlmum amounL of oll ln a slngle
frulL, and hence oll Lo whole bunch. As a frulL develops, new compounds are synLheslzed whllsL Lhe
exlsLlng ones are elLher degraded or sLored. Cne of Lhese componenLs ls chlorophyll, whlch plays an
lmporLanL role ln Lhe synLhesls of carbohydraLes. 1here ls a bulldup ln Lhe amounL of chlorophyll ln Lhe
mesocarp, from an- Lhesls Lo Lhe sevenLh week. As Lhe frulL maLures, from Lhe sevenLh Lo Lhe 14-week,
Lhe chlorophyll peak lncreases and maxlmlzes when Lhe mesocarp ls 14 or 13-weeks phoLosynLhesls
(8a[analdu eL al., 1987). llgure 6 shows Lhe rlpenlng of oll palm frulLs growLh. ln Lhe rlpenlng frulL, Lhe
chlorophylls afLer havlng compleLed Lhelr funcLlon of synLheslzlng carbohydraLes are slowly degraded.
1he funcLlon of chlorophyll ln Lhe rlpe frulL may Lhen be consldered obsoleLe. A slmllar sequence of
changes also Lakes place ln frulL locaLed deep wlLhln Lhe bunch, buL Lhe absoluLe conLenL of chlorophyll
ls very much lower compared Lo LhaL ln Lhe exposed frulLs. ln Lhe case of caroLenes, Lhey conLlnue Lo be
synLheslzed, and Lhey maxlmlze when Lhe frulL ls fully rlpe.

lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

38







k|pen|ng of C|| a|m Iru|ts
0
10
20
30
40
30
60
0 3 10 13 20 23 30
No of Weeks After o||nated

e
r
c
e
n
t
a
g
e

o
f

C
|
|
]

W
e
t

M
e
s
o
c
a
r
p
AdapLed from Arlffln
(1990)
AdapLed from kalda,
(1992)

llgure 6. 8lpenlng of Cll alm lrulLs
1ermlnaLlon of oll synLhesls occurs when Lhe frulLs sLarL Lo separaLe or absclse from Lhe bunch
sLalk. 1hus, absclsslon of Lhe 18Lh week old bunch would resulL ln Lhe bunch havlng 40 oll ln mesocarp
(17 ln Lhe bunch), whlle a rlpe 19 week old bunch, ls deflned by frulL absclsslon, may conLaln only 43
oll ln mesocarp (18 ln bunch). A fully rlpe bunch ls one LhaL has one frulL absclsed or separaLed from
Lhe bunch, lrrespecLlve of Lhe amounL of oll ln Lhe frulL. 1hus from deLalled blochemlcal lnvesLlgaLlon,
sLaLlsLlcal sLudles and fleld monlLorlng of rlpenlng bunches, Lhe concepL of any slgn of loose frulL ls
Laken Lo refer as Lhe rlpeness sLandard. Powever, one loose frulL per bunch ls consldered Lhe
mlnlmum rlpeness sLandard (Azls eL al., 1990). 1he separaLlon of a frulL from Lhe sLalk wlLhouL ln[ury Lo
Lhe sLalk ls called frulL absclsslon. lrulL may absclse ln dlfferenL sLages of developmenL. Absclsslon of
Lhe frulLs can be broughL abouL, aL leasL ln many planLs, by any one of several envlronmenLal facLors,
lncludlng waLer deflclL, low LemperaLure, reduced llghL lnLenslLy and decreased day lengLh (Llm, 1996).
1he orlenLaLlon of bunches ln Lurn affecLs Lhe lnlLlaLlon of frulL absclsslon or frulL separaLlon, LhaL
ls, whlch frulL on Lhe bunch ls deLached flrsL. ln Lhe naLural or blologlcal slLuaLlon, efflclency of a sysLem
ls governed by avallablllLy of energy. 1he sun ls Lhe maln energy source for all llvlng sysLems. 1hus Lhe
frulLs LhaL are nearesL Lo Lhe Lo Lhe energy source, Lhese frulLs absclse or separaLe flrsL, perhaps one aL
a Llme (Azls eL al., 1984). Cnly Lhen do oLher frulLs follow sulL, perhaps aL random, as a resulL of blo-
chemlcal slgnals by Lhe flrsL absclsed frulL. lL can be concluded from Lhe flndlngs as descrlbed above
LhaL once a frulL wlLhln a bunch ls rlpe, all oLher frulLs on Lhe bunch are physlologlcally rlpe as well. lL
has Lo be noLed LhaL abouL 83 of Lhe frulLs are of slmllar physlologlcal age, Lhe remalnlng percenLage
consLlLuLes Lhe developlng and parLhenocarplc frulLs (Mohd Panlf and Mohd. 8oslan, 2002).
1ermlnaLlon of blosynLhesls of sLable producLs, ln Lhe case of oll palm bunch, ls lndlcaLed by absclsslon
of perlpheral frulLs.
1he flowers are produced ln dense clusLers, each lndlvldual flower ls small wlLh sepals and peLals.
llgure 7 shows Lhe male flower and llgure 8 shows Lhe polllnaLed female flower of Lhe oll palm. 1he
frulL Lakes slx monLhs Lo maLure from polllnaLlon Lo maLurlLy, lL comprlses an olly, fleshy ouLer layer
(Lhe perlcarp), wlLh a slngle seed (kernel), also rlch ln oll. unllke lLs relaLlve, Lhe coconuL palm, Lhe oll
palm does noL produce offshooLs, propagaLlon ls by sowlng Lhe seeds.

C1IMUM 1IML ICk nAkVLS1ING 1nL CIL ALM IkUI1

1here are many crlLerla Lo deflne rlpeness sLandard of ll8. Cll palm and all lLs relaLed lndusLrles,
whlch have exlsLed for Lhe lasL flve decades, conLlnue Lo Lhrlve. Cood bunches have been harvesLed,
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

39

and supplled Lo Lhe mllls. 1he lald-down sysLem musL be enforceable and economlcal. Cbvlously, Lrue
rlpeness ls Lhe sLage aL whlch LoLal producL conLenL (prlmarlly oll) ls maxlmlzed, and aL presenL varlous
harvesLlng crlLerla are belng used Lo declde on Lhls, e.g. four loose frulL per kg of bunch welghL on 7 Lo
10 days harvesLlng lnLervals. Cn Lhls basls, for an average bunch of 13kg Lo 20kg, abouL 60 Lo 80 loose
frulLs would have Lo be on Lhe ground before lL would be ready Lo be harvesLed.


llgure 7. 1he male flower of oll palm


llgure 8. 1he polllnaLed female flower of Lhe oll palm

8ecenL blochemlcal bunch analysls and large-scale mlll sLudles lndlcaLe LhaL maxlmum oll ln facL
has bullL up as soon as frulLleLs sLarL Lo deLach from a bunch (Azls eL al., 1984). 1he evldence ls LhaL, ln
facL for Lhe sLandard of harvesLed as soon as Lhey had aL leasL one loose frulL on a 7 Lo 10 days round,
opLlmum oll exLracLlon raLlos are obLalned. 1he problem ls malnly on enforclng Lhe walLlng perlod so
LhaL all bunches can reach Lhls sLage before cuLLlng Lhem down. Lvldence from oll palm mllls and
planLaLlons lndlcaLes LhaL lL ls posslble Lo lmprove Lhe facLory exLracLlon raLe by one Lo Lwo polnLs
(3-l0) lf Lhe harvesLers sLrlcLly adhere Lo a lald-down maxlmum harvesLlng crlLerlon of one loose
frulL per bunch (8a[alnadu eL al., 1987). 1he onus ls Lhen on Lhe facLory Lo efflclenLly exLracL Lhe oll
LhaL ls Lhere. ll8 supplled Lo mllls from esLaLes noL of shared proprleLorshlp causes furLher problems,
as lL ls boughL and sold prlmarlly by welghL, rlpeness assessmenL aL LhaL sLage becomes very dlfflculL.
1he common pracLlce ln oll palm planLaLlon ls Lo use percenLage or number of deLached frulLs per
bunch Lo access Lhe bunch rlpeness. ng and SouLhworLh, (1973) proposed LhaL Lhe rlpen bunch
lndlcaLed 20 Lo 23 deLached frulLs Lo frulLs whlle 1urner and Cllllbanks, (1974) menLloned Lhe
maxlmum oll yleld ls found only when Lhe frulL ls abouL Lo be deLached from Lhe bunch. Azls eL al.,
(1990) use a floaLaLlon Lechnlque Lo gauge Lhe rlpeness of oll palm frulLs ln facL LhaL Lhe speclflc gravlLy
of Lhe mesocarp of Lhe rlpe frulL ls much lower Lhan waLer. All Lhe Lechnlques were noL relaLed Lo oll
conLenL ln Lhe frulL Lhus maklng drawbacks and ob[ecLlons due Lo fallure Lo make dlsLlncLlon beLween
measuremenLs. khalld eL al., (1996) developed Lhe appllcaLlon of mlcrowave Lechnlques on mlcrosLrlp
sensor and open-ended coaxlal llne probe Lo deLermlne Lhe molsLure conLenL whlch had close
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

60

relaLlonshlp wlLh Lhe oll conLenL of fresh mesocarp oll palm. 1hese desLrucLlve meLhods are lmposslble
Lo be applled on old Lrees due Lo Lhe helghL facLor. resenLly ln Lhe palm oll planLaLlon, Lhe rlpe ll8 ls
harvesLed by workers based on color [udgmenLs whlch normally lndlcaLed by Lhe color changes ln Lhe
frulL from black Lo orange or reddlsh - orange. ln deLermlnlng Lhe color of oll palm rlpeness, Wan lshak
eL al., (2000) used camera vlslon Lo caLegorlze slx oll palm frulL bunches. 1hls pro[ecL was conducLed Lo
deLermlne and dlfferenLlaLe Lhe colors properLles of oll palm frulL bunch. 1he camera vlslon sysLem
was able Lo deLecL and dlfferenLlaLe Lhe rlpe oll palm ll8 from Lhe oLher caLegorles of oll palm ll8.
Abdullah eL al., (2001) used compuLer vlslon model ln order Lo lnspecL and grade Lhe oll palm fresh
frulL bunches. 1he relaLlonshlp beLween oll conLenLs and color was explored ln PSl (Pue, SaLuraLlon
and lnLenslLy) domaln for rlpeness deLermlnaLlon of oll palm by four ma[or classes: Lhe unrlpe, Lhe
underrlpe, Lhe rlpe and Lhe overrlpe. 8alasundram eL al., (2006) used camera vlslon Lo lnvesLlgaLe Lhe
relaLlonshlp beLween oll conLenL ln oll palm frulL and lLs surface color dlsLrlbuLlon. A LoLal of 80 frulL
samples were randomly collecLed from Lhe fleld and dlglLally phoLographed under room LemperaLure
and conLrolled llghLlng and Lhen sub[ecLed Lo LoLal oll analysls uslng soxhleL exLracLlon Lechnlques.
1hey found LhaL Lhe surface color of oll palm frulLs was found Lo correlaLe slgnlflcanLly wlLh LoLal oll
conLenL and rlpeness. 1he research dlscovered LhaL Lhe surface color of oll palm frulLs was found Lo
correlaLe slgnlflcanLly wlLh LoLal oll conLenL and rlpens buL all experlmenLs were LesLed under lndoor
envlronmenL condlLlon whlch would noL counL Lhe effecL of envlronmenL lnLenslLy for real Llme oll
analysls. ldrls eL al., (2003) use colorlmeLer and sLudled LhaL a sLrong correlaLlon was found beLween
mesocarp oll conLenL and color values wlLh 82 = 0.82 uslng second order polynomlal regresslon model.
1hls meLhod ls desLrucLlve and noL real Llme for deLermlnlng Lhe harvesLlng Llme. 1he surface of
mesocarp was needed Lo sllce wlLh a pen knlfe Lo expose a flaL surface for runnlng Lhls
experlmenL. 8ased on Lhe facL LhaL Lhe raLlo of mesocarp oll conLenL per dry mesocarp ls wlLhln 73
for rlpe frulL. llgure 9 shows Lhe relaLlonshlp of oll conLenL for maLured frulL ln mesocarp wlLh Lhe
raLlo of normal Lo abnormal frulLs called frulL seL. 1he frulL wlLh no kernels were consldered abnormal
and was namely parLhenocarplc whlch lnfluenced by several facLors, such as nuLrlenLs, waLer,
carbohydraLe supply and polllnaLlon (Mohd. Panlff and Mohd. 8oslan, 2002).
Fruit set (%)
100 80 60 40 20 0
O
i
l
-
t
o
-
d
r
y

m
e
s
o
c
a
r
p

(
%
)
90
80
70
60
50
Inner region
Rsq = 0.0059
Outer region
Rsq = 0.0036

llgure 9. 1he Cll Lo ury Mesocarp () for rlpe frulL (AdapLed from Mohd. Panlf and Mohd 8oslan, 2002)

CIL CCN1LN1 CN DIIILkLN1 IkUI1 MA1UkI1

lrulL developmenL and oll deposlLlon ln Lhe oll palm were descrlbed by ParLley (1977). 1he oll palm
frulL ls a drupe whlch grows ln a LlghL bunch. Lach maLure frulL conLalns a nuL conslsLlng of a hard
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

61

woody endocarp (shell) encloslng Lhe endosperm (kernel). Surroundlng Lhe nuL ls Lhe flbrous olly
mesocarp (pulp) covered by a Lhln smooLh skln (exocarp). lrulL developmenL sLarLs aL Lwo weeks afLer
anLhesls and aL week 8 Lhe endosperm conLenL of Lhe seed ls sLlll a llquld, buL lL Lurns seml-gelaLlnous
aL week 10. Cll deposlLlon ln Lhe endosperm sLarLs aL week 12 and ls almosL compleLe by week 16
(ParLley, 1977 and Cromble, 1936). uurlng Lhls perlod Lhe endosperm and Lhe endocarp slowly harden.
AL week 16-17, whlle Lhere ls sLlll llLLle off ln Lhe mesocarp, Lhe endosperm ls a whlLlsh hard Llssue
enclosed by a hard woody shell. Cll deposlLlon ln Lhe mesocarp sLarLs aL week 13 and conLlnues unLll
frulL maLurlLy aL week 20-21. AlmosL all Lhe mesocarp oll ls deposlLed beLween week 19-20.
Absclsslon of Lhe normal rlpe (21 or 22 week) bunch should Lherefore have more oll (> 30 ln
mesocarp) or 20-22 on bunch. noneLheless, and because of Lhe redeflned sLaLemenL based on
absclsslon, all Lhe 18, 19, 20 and 21 week frulLs are rlpe, buL conLaln dlfferenL amounLs of oll. Cll palm
frulL absclsslon ls aLLrlbuLed Lo several facLors, namely normal rlpenlng, sudden changes ln physlologlcal
condlLlons assoclaLed wlLh envlronmenLal changes, chemlcal changes eLc., arLlflclal LermlnaLlon of
bunch developmenL l.e. harvesLlng of underrlpe bunches and Lhe geneLlc make-up of Lhe planL whlch
resulLs ln bunches LhaL deLach frulLs before maLurlLy, Lhus, wlLh lncompleLe oll developmenL for
synLhesls (khalk eL al., 1983).
SynLhesls and dlsLrlbuLlon of oll ln Lhe mesocarp oll ls accompllshed ln boLh Lhe mesocarp and
kernel cells (Azls, 1983). 8y Lhe 13Lh or 14Lh week, Lhe kernel cells wlll aLLaln compleLe synLhesls of oll.
Cll ls only synLheslzed ln Lhe mesocarp cells afLer Lhe 13Lh week or so afLer anLhesls. 1he synLheslzed oll
ls sLored as a large oll sac ln Lhe cell. 1he synLhesls and sLorage sLarL ln cells locaLed aL Lhe base of Lhe
frulLs. CompleLe synLhesls of oll should see a slLuaLlon where by all cells conLaln an olls on each frulL.
1here ls a gradual upward dlsLrlbuLlon" of sLorage of Lhe synLhesls oll. 1he oll sac occuples a
subsLanLlal lnLernal cavlLy of Lhe cell. AL Lhe 16Lh week afLer anLhesls, Lhe synLheslzed oll ls sLored ln Lhe
lower half of Lhe frulL mesocarp. 1he conLlnuous synLhesls of oll sees Lhe upper porLlon of Lhe mesocarp
sLorlng oll. As menLloned earller, under normal clrcumsLances ln Lhe rlpe frulL, all Lhe cells would have
sLorage oll. Powever, sudden physlologlcal changes could cause frulL absclsslon and Lhus sudden
rlpenlng of Lhe frulL and Lhe bunch (lllngoh and Zukarlnah, 1989). 1he oll LhaL ls belng synLheslzed ls
only dlsLrlbuLed aL or up Lo LhaL level ln Lhe Mesocarp aL Lhe polnL of frulL absclsslon. 1he amounL of oll
aL Lhls parLlcular lnsLance ls consldered as maxlmum. All oLher frulLs LhaL are sLlll aLLached Lo Lhe bunch
would also LermlnaLe Lhelr synLheslzlng acLlvlLy. 1hese frulLs evenLually absclse. Cll and faLLy acld
composlLlon ln Lhls conLenL referred as mesocarp oll. 1he amounL of oll ln Lhe early sLages of
developmenL ls negllglble (llgure 10). Powever, a sudden lncrease ls observed afLer Lhe 13Lh week or so
of anLhesls. 1he oll conLenL remalns consLanL afLer Lhe frulL has rlpened. Morphologlcally, Lhe frulL
Mesocarp ls made up of many cells, vascular bundles and flbers. Lach cell conslsLs of Lhe cyLoplasm
whlch conLalns numerous organelles. Lach organelle has lLs own speclflc funcLlon, and ls promlnenL
under Lhe requlred clrcumsLances. lor example, chloroplasLs whlch help ln phoLosynLhesls and Lhe
formaLlon of faLLy aclds are lmporLanL durlng Lhe developmenL sLages. CLher organelles are Lhe
rlbosomes, lysosomes, mlLochondrla eLc. 1he membrane of organelles ls a llpld based compound. lL has
been shown (SLumpf, 1982) LhaL Lhe faLLy acld composlLlon of Lhese llplds ls malnly Lhe polyunsaLuraLed
Lype.
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

62


llgure 10. Crowlng of Cll ConLenL for Cll alm lrulL (AdapLed from lllngoh and Zukarlnah, 1989)

MLSCCAk CIL CCN1LN1 ANALSIS

ueLermlnaLlon of meocarp oll conLenL was based on oll Lo dry mesocarp raLlo (Sald eL al., 1983).
AfLer Lhe processlng of SoxhleL exLracLor ls flnlshed, Lhe remnanL flbre and Lhlmble were drled under
70
0
C for Lhree days Lo remove Lhe remalnlng hexane LhaL may exlsL ln Lhlmble. 1he samples were
welghed. All Lhe welghL of measuremenLs were recorded ln form for mesocarp oll conLenL calculaLlon.
Mohd. Panlf and Mohd 8oslan, (2002) menLloned Lhe rlpe ll8 normally had 73 raLlo of oll Lo dry
mesocarp. Avallable evldence lndlcaLes LhaL oll does noL conLlnue Lo synLheslze ln Lhe frulL afLer Lhey
are absclsed, or afLer Lhe bunch ls cuL, unllke ln edlble frulLs where converslon of sLarch Lo sugars
(whlch ln LhaL case consLlLuLes rlpeness) does conLlnue (Azls, 1983).
As Lhe frulL maLures, from Lhe sevenLh Lo Lhe 14 week, Lhe chlorophyll peak lncreases and
maxlmlzes when Lhe mesocarp ls 14 or 13 week old. ln Lhe rlpenlng frulL, Lhe chlorophylls afLer havlng
compleLed Lhelr funcLlon of synLheslzlng carbohydraLes are slowly degraded. 1he funcLlon of
chlorophyll ln Lhe rlpe frulL may Lhen be consldered obsoleLe. A slmllar sequence of changes also Lakes
place ln frulL locaLed deep wlLhln Lhe bunch, buL Lhe absoluLe conLenL of chlorophyll ls very much lower
compared Lo LhaL ln Lhe exposed frulLs (8a[analdu and 1an 1983). ln Lhe case of caroLenes, Lhey
conLlnue Lo be synLheslzed, and Lhey are maxlmlzed when Lhe frulL ls fully rlpe. 1he accumulaLlon of oll
ln a bunch beglns ln Lhe 13 or 16 week unLll Lhe 20 week or so, afLer whlch Lhere ls no more oll
accumulaLlon. 1he Mesocarp of lmmaLure frulLs conLalns a small quanLlLy of oll whlch conLalns a hlgh
proporLlon of polyunsaLuraLed aclds especlally llnolelc (C 18:2) and llnolenlc (C18:3). Cnce Lhere ls a
maxlmum bulld-up of oll, Lhe percenLage of llnolelc (C18:2) drops afLer whlch Lhe quallLy remalns
consLanL (llgure 10). 1he faLLy acld composlLlon LhroughouL Lhe bunch seems Lo be consLanL. 1he
achlevemenL of a consLanL raLlo of C18:2 appears Lo lndlcaLe LhaL maxlmum oll conLenL has been reach-
ed, whlch lends supporL Lo Lhe concluslon LhaL Lhls maxlmlzes aL abouL Lhe Llme Lhe absclsslon of
frulLleLs from Lhe bunches ls sLarLlng (8a[analdu eL al., 1987).

CCNCLUSICN

1he vlsual characLer of Lhe ll8 should be monlLored sLarLlng from polllnaLlon of Lhe flower unLll
overrlpe sLage. 1he oll or chemlcal presenLs durlng maLurlLy growLh should be LesLed for posslble new
chemlcal appllcaLlon. 1he lmage recognlLlon sysLem can be made more mechanlsLlc by lncorporaLlng
oLher Lools of lmage processlng, such as shape, LexLure and slze eLc. Alhamdullllah - pralsed Lo Allah, Lhe
currenL sysLem LhaL was developed can be applled for maLurlLy deLecLlon on oLhers frulL ln Malaysla. lL
ls a known facL LhaL Lhe dlfferenL frulLs wlll have dlfferenL characLerlsLlcs for lLs properLles. 1he propose
sysLem can make early predlcLlon of Lhe ll8 rlpeness and Lhe coordlnaLe of ll8 sLore ln Ceographlcal
lnformaLlon SysLem (ClS) sysLem. 1he sysLem wlll lnform Lhe harvesLer abouL Lhe esLlmaLlon day for
lnLl ! Agrl Crop Scl. vol., 4 (2), 34-63, 2012

63

harvesLlng Lhe ll8 and lLs rough poslLlon from sLored coordlnaLe ln Lhe planLaLlon wlll be supplled for
harvesLer poslLlonlng.

kLILkLNCLS

ng k1, SouLhworLh A. 1973. CpLlmum Llme of harvesLlng oll palm frulLs. locotpototeJ 5oclety of llootets, kuala Lumpur, Malaysla,
pp. 439-461.
Azls AA. 1990. A Slmple lloaLaLlon 1echnlque Lo Cauge 8lpeness of Cll alm lrulLs and 1helr Maxlmum Cll ConLenL. ltoceeJloq of
lotetootloool lolm Oll uevelopmeot coofeteoce, C8lM, kuala Lumpur, Malaysla, pp.87 - 91.
1urner u, Cllllbanks 8A. 1974. Cll alm CulLlvaLlon and ManagemenL. unlLed Selangor ress, kuala kumpur, Malaysla, pp.478 -
483.
kalda k, Zulklfly A. 1992. A MlcrosLrlp Sensor for ueLermlnaLlon of
ParvesLlng 1lme for Cll alm lrulLs, Iootool of Mlctowove lowet ooJ lecttomoqoetlc oetqy, vol.27, (1), pp.1-9
Wan lshak Wl, Mohd Zohadle 8, Mallk AP. 2000. CpLlcal roperLles for Mechanlcal ParvesLlng of Cll alm. Iootool of Oll lolm
keseotcb, vol. 11(2), pp. 38-43.
Abdullah MZ, Llm CC. Mohd Azeml 8Mn. 2001. SLepwlse ulscrlmlnanL Analysls lor Colour Cradlng Cf Cll alm uslng Machlne
vlslon SysLem , lostltotloo of cbemlcol oqloeets 1toos lcbeme , vol. 79 (C), pp.223-231.
8alasundram Sk, 8oberL C, Mulla u!. 2006. 8elaLlonshlp 8eLween Cll ConLenL and lrulL Surface Color ln Cll alm loels
Coloeeosls Iocp. Iootool of lloot 5cleoces, vol.1(3), pp. 217-227.
ldrls C, Ashhar kM, Panlff P, 8asrl W. 2003. Colour MeLer for Measurlng lrulL 8lpeness, MlO8 lofotmotloo 5etles (pp. 193).
Muhammad l!. 2008. Iotool oyosoo uokwob lslomlob Moloyslo, vol.10(1), pp. 1-13.
Mohd Panlff Parun and Mohd 8oslan Md noor (2002). lrulL SeL And Cll alm 8unch ComponenLs. Iootool Of Oll lolm
keseotcb, vol. 14(2), pp. 24-33
Syed 8A, Law lP, Corley 8Pv. 1982. lnsecL olllnaLlon Cf Cll alm: lnLroducLlon, LsLabllshmenL And olllnaLlng Lfflclency Cf
Llaeldoblus kamerunlcus ln Malaysla. 1be llootet, kuala Lumpur. 38:347.
1eoh CP. 2002. 1be lolm Oll loJostty lo Moloyslo. ltom 5eeJ 1o ltyloq loo.repared lor WWl SwlLzerland Pon. Advlsor,
lanLaLlon AgrlculLure, WWl Malaysla.
ParLley CWS. 1977. 1he Cll alm, 2
nd
edlLlon, Longman Croup LlmlLed, London, pp.222-223
Azls AA. 1983. 1be 8locbemlcol Aspects of klpeoess 5tooJotJ". roceedlng of 1he Symposlum on lmpacL of Lhe olllnaLlng Weevll
on Lhe Malayslan Cll alm lndusLry. kuala Lumpur. alm Cll 8esearch lnsLlLuLe of Malaysla, pp. 163-176.
Cromble WM. 1936. laL MeLabollsm ln Lhe WesL Afrlcan Cll alm (Llaels Culneensls), !ournal of LxperlmenLal 8oLany, vol.7 (2),
pp.181-193.
khalk CC, Sau k1, Pun 1k, AugusLlne SPC. 1983. laLLy Acld SynLhesls ln 1he Cll alm (Llaels Culneensls): lncorporaLlon Cf AceLaLe
8y 1lssue Sllces Cf 1he ueveloplng lrulL, Llplds, vol. 20 (4) .
lllngoh CC, Zukarlnah k. 1989. MeasuremenL alm Mesokarp Cll ConLenL by nuclear MagneLlc 8esonance SpecLroscopy, orlm,
lnLernaLlonal alm Cll uevelopmenL Conference, (p. 238-241) kuala Lumpur, Malaysla.
Azls AA, Mohamadlah 8, Zallan 8osnah MaL Soom W, Cmar W, Chen kln W. 1984. klpeoess 5tooJotJ. Aoy slqo of loose ltolt ooJ
wltb Ooe loose ltolt pet 8oocb os tbe Mlolmom 5tooJotJ. roceedlng of Lhe Symposlum on lmpacL of 1he olllnaLlng Weevll on
1he Malayslan Cll alm lndusLry. alm Cll 8esearch lnsLlLuLe of Malaysla, kuala Lumpur, pp. 163-176.
8a[analdu n, Abdul Azls A, Wood 8!, Sar[lL S. 1987. klpeoess 5tooJotJs AoJ notvestloq ctltetlo lot Oll lolm 8oocbes, roceedlng
of lnLernaLlonal Cll alm Conference AgrlculLure, kuala Lumpur, Malaysla
Llm kC. 1996. 8unch ComponenL SLudles Cver 1he asL 1wo uecades. roc. of Lhe Cll and kernel roducLlon ln Cll alm - A Clobal
erspecLlve. - SepLember , C8lM, kL. pp. 133-130.
kalda k, Zaharlah Z, Wan uW?. 1996. varlaLlon Cf
ulelecLrlc roperLles Cf Cll alm Mesocarp WlLh MolsLure ConLenL And lrulL MaLurlLy aL Mlcrowave lrequencles,
loels vol. 8( 2), pp. 83-91.
SLumpf k. 1982. 8losynLhesls of laLLy Aclds ln Plgher lanLs. lolm Oll keseotcb lostltote Moloyslo, 8ulleLln 3: pp. 47-30.
Sald l, Wood 8!, 1an Swee 1. 1983. An lnvesLlgaLlon Cf 1he Cll alm 8unch Analysls 1echnlque As A Culde 1o AcLual Cll ConLenL.
roceedlng of Symposlum on lmpacL of olllnaLlng Weevll on 1he Malayslan Cll alm lndusLrles. kuala Lumpur,
Malaysla.
8a[analdu n, 1an 8k. 1983. varlablllLy of faLLy acld composlLlon (fac) wlLhln bunches ln Lhe oll palm elaels gulneensls. Oleoqloeox,
vol. 38(1),pp. 381-384.