Peach palm - World Agroforestry Centre

Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 20. 49
pruning and pruning (Villachica 1996). Offshoots usually appear about 6 months after
planting in the field, but this varies among and within landraces (J. Mora-Urpí,
unpublished data). In both approaches, all offshoots are left to develop until the first harvest
at 12-18 months, when the main stem attains commercial dimensions and is cut (see Section
9.6). In the first approach, there is no management of the offshoot cluster. In the second
approach, which is more prevalent, offshoots that are high in the cluster are pruned at least
twice a year. If they are left to develop then production of the entire cluster decreases because
the offshoots are above ground level and the root system is weakened. The superficial cluster
body tends to rise out of the soil and the root system deteriorates owing to lack of new tissue
that allows its renewal (J. Mora-Urpí, pers. observ.). The second approach also controls the
number of offshoots for successive harvests. This involves a selective thinning of offshoots
greater than 30 cm tall, leaving four vigorous offshoots of different sizes. Vigorous offshoots
less than 30 cm tall are allowed to develop. At the next harvest, the dominant offshoot in
the group of four is harvested, and replaced by a smaller offshoot. The idea is to maintain
one dominant offshoot and three others of different sizes for four successive harvests.
Ideally the four offshoots should be separated as much as possible (e.g. every 90° around
the stem), and have their basal part in contact with the soil.
9.5 Heart-of-palm: mineral nutrition
Successive harvests of heart-of-palm will deplete soil nutrients, but this is reduced
by recycling most of the harvested biomass and applying fertilizers. Herrera (1989)
calculated that 21.25 t ha-1 year-1 of dry biomass were harvested in a heart-of-palm
plantation (Guápiles, Costa Rica) that produced 9600 harvestable offshoots ha-1 year-
1, but only 8.24% of this biomass was removed from the plantation for processing
(Table 9). The removed biomass includes the commercial heart-of-palm and by-
Table 9.Biomass removed, recycled or wasted in a heart-of-palm plantation with 3200
plants/ha and 9600 harvested offshoots ha-1 year-1
Fresh weight Dry weight
Plant part (t ha-1 year-1) (t ha-1 year-1) Use of biomass
Leaves 39.80 15.10 Recycled in plantation
Leaf sheaths 21.70 4.40 Recycled in plantation
Heart-of-palm† 12.50 1.75 Removed for processing
Heart-of-palm 1.70 0.20 Consumed
By-products 2.90 0.30 Part consumed, part recycled
or wasted
Leaf sheaths 7.90 1.25 Recycled in plantation or wasted
Total 74.00 21.25
Adapted from Herrera 1989.
† Includes commercial heart-of-palm, by-products and non-commercial leaf sheaths.