MONTH
Oct 07
TOPIC
Competitive Testing of SPLATRB (Oryctes rhinoceros) Male
Aggregation Pheromone – Mass
Trapping in Oil Palm and
Coconut Estates
Zero Waste Discharge from Palm
Oil Mills
AUTHOR
ABSTRACT
LORING, D A
Phero Asia LLC, 1845
Cathedral Glen, Escondido, CA
92029 USA
The male aggregation pheromone of Oryctes rhinoceros has
been used for more than ten years for monitoring and mass
trapping this serious pest of oil and coconut palms. This study
compared the efficacy of the Oryctalure membrane dispenser
with a newly developed lure based on SPLAT (Specialised
Pheromone and Lure Application Technology). The SPLAT-RB
lure was found to be similar in attractiveness to the membrane
lure in two separate studies. Test results for an oil palm estate in
southern Thailand and two coconut palm estates in Vietnam are
presented. Pheromone trapping as a cost effective best
management practice for oil palm production is discussed.
OOI HO SENG, KUMAR
SUBRAMANIAM AND S
THIAGARAJAN
SGT Konsult Sdn Bhd, Block A,
Level 8, Kelana Square, 17,
Jalan SS7/26, 47301 Kelana
Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Keywords: Oryctes rhinoceros, trapping, SPLAT pheromone
lure, oil palm, coconut.
Good agricultural practices, as outlined in MS 1784:2006;
Good Agricultural Practice-Part 2: Oil Palm, are being adopted
by the Malaysian palm oil industry. The sustainable development
of both the palm oil industry and the environment can be
enhanced by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
composting projects. The CDM composting plant in Lahad Datu
is registered with the national CDM Board and it utilises the coproducts from the palm oil mill, namely empty fruit bunches
(EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME), boiler ash and decanter
solids, to produce bio-organic fertiliser for use in its own
plantation or for sale. At the same time the composting plant is
earning revenue by selling the carbon credits to a European
Union (EU) country to mitigate its commitment under the Kyoto
Protocol. By using the new two phase (solid/water phase and oil
phase) decanter system, the palm oil mill that is located in
Sandakan will reduce the amount of slurry produced to less than
0.2 tonne per tonne FFB. This enables the entire palm oil mill
wastes to be used for the composting process.
Owners of palm oil mills in Malaysia may want to consider
doing something positive about conserving the environment and
reducing global warming. They could invest in the new twophase decanter system to upgrade the performance of the mill as
well as to embark on a similar CDM composting project. The
ultimate goal for every mill should be to work towards
sustainable palm oil production in which the entire wastes
produced by the mill are being utilised in the composting plant
and zero waste is being discharged.
Keywords: Zero waste discharge, composting plant, palm oil
mill