Oil Palm Replanting Soil in Palawan and Agusan
Sow your cover crop in the same season you fell the old stand. On a replant block in Palawan or Agusan, the window that matters is the first three to six months after clearing, while the interrow soil is still bare and the young palms are short. Get a legume cover established then and you protect the soil, fix nitrogen, and hold weeds before lalang (Imperata cylindrica) takes the ground.
This article covers when to sow on a replant, which species to use on Palawan and Agusan soils, and how to keep the cover off your young palms.
When should I sow cover crops on an oil palm replant?
Sow as soon as the block is cleared and the soil surface is workable, ideally at the start of a reliable wet spell. The replant year is when the interrow gets the most light it will ever get, so a legume cover establishes fastest and fixes the most nitrogen in that first year. Waiting until the palms are two or three years old means sowing into shade and into ground weeds have already claimed.
On a felled-and-replanted block, the old palm biomass is often windrowed or chipped. Broadcast the legume seed across the clean interrow strips between the windrows. Aim to have a closed cover before the second monsoon, when bare slopes in Palawan and Agusan start shedding soil under heavy rain.
Which cover crops suit Palawan and Agusan replant soils?
Use a legume mix built around Pueraria javanica (Neustanthus phaseoloides), with Calopogonium caeruleum and Centrosema pubescens for shade as the canopy closes. Pueraria javanica establishes quickly, climbs and covers open interrows, and fixes around 150 kg N per hectare per year on a typical site. Sow it at 4 to 6 kg per hectare pure, or 2 to 4 kg per hectare in a mix.
Note: Pueraria javanica is a managed tropical legume, not the invasive kudzu (Pueraria montana).
As the young palms begin to shade the interrow over years two and three, Calopogonium caeruleum carries the cover. It tolerates heavy shade and stays productive down to roughly 40% light, holding 1 to 1.5 t per hectare of dry matter under a closing canopy. Centrosema pubescens adds a second shade-tolerant fixer to the blend.
Agusan lowland blocks often sit on acid, sometimes waterlogged soils, so check drainage on the felled block and pick the planting strips that drain. Palawan blocks run from rolling uplands to flatter coastal ground; on the slopes, a closed legume cover is your first line against erosion in the replant year.
What about Mucuna bracteata on a replant?
Mucuna bracteata fixes nitrogen strongly, with 67 to 84% of its nitrogen drawn from the air (Ndfa, MPOB OPB 60), but on a replant it needs active management. MPOB OPB 70 warns that uncontrolled Mucuna bracteata can smother and entangle young immature palms. On a replant block with short palms, keep Mucuna pruned back from the palm circles and the frond bases, or hold it to the interrow centre and use Pueraria or Calopogonium nearer the palms. If you cannot commit to that management, leave Mucuna out of the replant mix.
How do I keep the cover crop off young palms?
Maintain a weeded, cover-free circle around each young palm and prune any climbing legume away from the trunk and fronds. Pueraria and Mucuna both climb, and a young palm under three metres can be overrun. Ring-weed the palm circle through establishment, train the legume across the interrow rather than up the palm, and walk the block monthly in the first two years to cut back any runners reaching the frond bases.
FAQ
How much Pueraria javanica seed per hectare on a replant? Sow 4 to 6 kg per hectare for a pure stand, or 2 to 4 kg per hectare in a legume mix. A common oil palm blend is Pueraria javanica 5 to 7.5 kg with Calopogonium caeruleum 1 to 1.5 kg per hectare.
Can I sow a cover crop straight onto a freshly cleared replant block? Yes. The cleared interrow, before weeds and lalang take hold, is the best time to establish a legume cover. Broadcast onto a workable surface at the start of a wet spell and keep the palm circles clear.
Is the cover crop safe around two-year-old palms? Yes, with management. Keep a weeded circle around each palm and prune climbing legumes off the trunk and fronds. Use Pueraria, Calopogonium, or Centrosema near the palms and keep Mucuna bracteata, which can smother short palms, in the interrow centre or out of the mix.
Ready to plan your replant cover?
Tell us your block area, soil, and clearing date, and we will send seeding rates and a species mix for your Palawan or Agusan replant. Request a quote on WhatsApp at +60 17-237 4058 or through info@kudzuseeds.com.
Sources
- MPOB OPB 60 (Mucuna bracteata 67-84% Ndfa); MPOB OPB 70 (uncontrolled Mucuna can smother immature palms)
- Tropical Forages, Neustanthus phaseoloides (Pueraria javanica): https://www.tropicalforages.info/text/entities/neustanthus_phaseoloides.htm
