Benchmarking Yield for Sustainable Intensification of Oil Palm Production in Indonesia using PALMSIMM PHoffmannauthorCDonoughauthorTOberthürauthorA CVeraauthorM T VWijkauthorC HLimauthorDAsmonoauthorYSamosirauthorA PLubisauthorD SMosesauthorA MWhitbreadauthorThe physiological oil palm growth model PALMSIM can be used to estimate yield ceilings that provide
benchmarks for sustainable intensification of oil palm production, either by expansion of cultivation to
degraded sites or by increasing production from areas under cultivation. This is demonstrated using two
case studies. In the first case study, PALMSIM estimates of water-limited yield for Kalimantan was overlaid
onto a recently published map showing degraded sites potentially suitable for oil palm cultivation. A
large proportion (35.6%; or 115,300 km2) of the identified areas fell into the potential productivity range
of 35 to 40 tonnes FFB per hectare. In the second case study, PALMSIM was used to estimate potential yield
for six plantation sites in Indonesia where best management practices (BMP) were assessed for yield
intensification by the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) and
its collaborating plantation partners. Potential yields are generally higher in Sumatra than in Kalimantan
due to higher solar radiation. Water deficit was a problem at two sites. The gap between water-limited
yield and actual yield differs from location to location, and therefore requires a site-specific analysis. In
these two case studies, the scope for sustainable intensification at regional and at plantation level was
explored in a quantitative manner - a novel approach to oil palm production.Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics2015Incorporated Society of PlantersArticle