Complementing assisted pollination with artificial pollination in oil palm crops planted with interspecific hybrids O × G (Elaeis guineensis × Elaeis oleifera): Is it profitable?

A total of 70 000 hectares have been dedicated to the cultivation of the interspecific hybrid O × G in Colombia as of 2020. There was a need to introduce what is known as “assisted pollination” for these O × G crops. In 2018, the Colombian Oil Palm Research Center (Cenipalma) released artificial pollination, which consists of applying naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) as a complement to assisted pollination, with the goal of promoting the formation of oil in parthenocarpic fruits. Given the recent introduction of artificial pollination, a research study was proposed with the objective of analyzing the cost-benefit relationship from introducing artificial pollination, both during the cultivation and oil extraction stages. From a methodological point of view, the costs per unit were estimated based on the outcome from plantations in the Colombian Urabá region using two different treatments: the first consists of carrying out assisted pollination during anthesis (applying E. guineensis pollen when the flowers are receptive); the second consists of complementing assisted pollination with NAA application at 7 and 14 days after anthesis. The results indicate that the use of NAA increases net income by 7.7% per hectare of crop. Furthermore, the production costs of a metric ton of palm oil decreases by −9% mainly due to the increase in the oil extraction rate.