A., Zakaria

Mambang, M. A.

Universiti Putra Malaysia Institutional Repository

A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF FROND REMOVALON THE SURVIVAL OF TRANSPLANTED PALMSFOR Category Fl 0900: Agricu~ural SciencesM.A. Mambang and A. ZakariaFaculty of ForestryUniversiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor,MalaysiaKeywords: palms, Roystonea regia, Roystonea olera-cea, transplanting practices, fronds removal, frondscondition, palm behaviour.IntroductionPalms are a popular choice in urban landscaping especially inpublic places. In Malaysia alone, there are 34 genera and 220species of palms (Whitmore, 1985). Palms, however, do nothave branches as opposed to trees, which can regeneratewhen pruned. Blomberry and Rodd (1982) noted that the partof growth is only at the apex that produce one frond at atime. Bad transplanting practices such as improper plantingtechnique, excessive fronds removal, and lack of under-standing of palm trees behavior always result in poor plantgrowth or even mortality. This study evaluated the differentdegree of frond removal to field performance of newly trans-planted palms, and also to find the minimum number offronds to be retained prior to transplanting without adverselycausing growth problem.Materials and MethodsThis study was conducted on 512 palms of Roystonea regiaand Roystonea oleracea that were transplanted along theroadsides of Konsortium Expressway Shah Alam Selangor(KESAS). Visual observations were made on morphologicalcharacteristics of the palms such as the number of fronds leftprior to transplanting (categories of 1-3 fronds, 4-6 fronds, 7-9 fronds, and 100abovefronds), fronds condition (normal andundersize), and frond leaflets conditions (normal, stunted,twisted, and brownish). The data obtained were analysed formean, frequency distribution, and percentage calculation.Results and DiscussionAbout 52% of the 512 transplanted palms were with 4-6fronds attached to the trunk, 36% with 1-3 fronds, 11% with7-9 fronds, and 1% with more or equal to 10 fronds left. Thisstudy indicates that the highest mortality (42%) was found inpalms with 1-3 fronds, followed by 4% of palms with 4-6fronds left. As expected earlier, palms with more than 7fronds had survived the harsh growing condition. Both spe-cies also have showed about the same level of mortality dueto excessive frond removals and water stress. Roystonea re-gia palms recorded an 18% mortality, whereas Roystonea 01-eracea palms with 17%mortality.ConclusionsThe result indicates that palms with less than 7 fronds tend togrow poorly with undersize fronds, while palms with morethan 7 fronds were found to have a normal growth. Excessiveremoval of fronds will reduce cost of handling and transpor-tation, but may result in the palms losing its beauty and slowrecovery.ReferencesBlomberry, A. and Rodd, T. 1982. An Informative, Practical Guideto Palms of the World: their cultivation, care, and landscape use.Angus and Robert, London. 162 p.Whitmore, T. C. 1985. Palms of Malaya. Oxford University Press.Singapore. p. 101.Supponed by IRPA Gram Ul-U~-v"'-U10v133

A study on the effects of frond removal on the survival of transplanted palms

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A study on the effects of frond removal on the survival of transplanted palms

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