Invasive Weeds in Your Oil Palm?

Weed control in oil palm plantations is especially critical in the initial stages of growth. Weeds such as crotonhirtus (above left) and papsalum (right) rob water and nutrients that should be going to the oil palm crop.

We Can Solve That With Pledge®, Sumyzin® and Sumimax®

Successful weed control is essential for economical oil palm production. Weeds compete by depriving your planted crop of water, nutrients, and sunlight during the growing season, resulting to substantial yield loss. Some weed species also serve as hosts for diseases and insect pests. Weeding the young oil palm plants by hand can be time-consuming, expensive and highly impractical.

Sumitomo Plantation Solutions offers several products to control weeds in oil palm, including Pledge®, Sumyzin® and Sumimax®.

Oil palm plantations can be particularly susceptible to weed invasion because growth is very slow in the initial stages and the ground is open to weeds and sun. Also, the crop is grown under abundant water and nutrient supply conditions that enable the weeds as well as the crop. Weed control is most critical early in the growing years prior to palm canopy closure over the row middles. Heavy weed infestations can also interfere with oil palm harvest by adding unnecessary harvesting expenses. A weed left alive to produce more seed will multiply weed issues in years to come.

Pledge®, Sumyzin® and Sumimax® are herbicides with powerful residual effects if applied to the soil and a fast and “burning” effect if applied to foliage. Each blocks protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) in chloroplast. With effect from solar power the herbicide causes active oxygen to oxidise lipids in the cell membrane, thus destroying it. The final result is the destruction of chloroplast in the plant, which prevents photosynthesis and brings about its death.

Pledge®, Sumyzin® and Sumimax® are all effective on species missed by glyphosate and have a very good non-selective effect in several plantation crops. Rain matters little to the effect of these products, even shortly after application to foliage. Soil application creates a zone that prevents germination of weeds and a higher dosage results in a long-term effect. Always read and follow label directions.