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Oil palm scouting is not the same as rice scouting. You are looking at a stand of long-lived individuals, not a uniform seasonal canopy. Use this protocol as the checklist for a routine census, a follow-up on a satellite alert, or a monthly inspection round.

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When to run this protocol

  • Monthly on immature and yield build-up blocks (1 to 8 years)
  • Every 2 to 3 months on peak-yield blocks (8 to 18 years)
  • Immediately on any block flagged by a satellite alert or when harvest crews report anomalies
  • Quarterly Ganoderma census on all blocks over 8 years old

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What to bring

  • Block map with palm rows numbered
  • Palm-level record sheet or mobile app tied to the field data model
  • Machete or trunk-tapping tool (Ganoderma sound test)
  • Sample bags for frond and soil samples
  • Camera or phone (photograph any anomaly)
  • GPS for palm-level records

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The 4-step inspection sequence

Run each step on every suspect palm, in this order. Skipping a step is the most common cause of missed diagnoses.
1

Crown shape and spear condition

Look up first. The crown tells you about growing-point health and recent (weeks to months) stress.
  • Symmetry - is one side collapsing? (Ganoderma early sign)
  • Spear - upright, healthy green, and firm? Or brown, drooping, or pulling out easily? (Bud Rot, rhino beetle)
  • Young fronds - hooked, fish-tail, or little-leaf? (Boron deficiency, Crown Disease)
  • Youngest frond color - pale or chlorotic? (Iron, Crown Disease)
  • Feeding damage - V-notches, defoliation, or webbing? (Rhino beetle, bagworms, nettle caterpillars)
2

Frond color pattern (which fronds, which position)

This is the nutrient decision. Note which fronds are affected and where on the palm.
  • Whole canopy pale - Nitrogen
  • Older fronds only, orange spots - Potassium (on mineral soils)
  • Older fronds only, whole-frond orange - Magnesium (on light soils)
  • Mid-crown yellow-green - Copper (on peat and sandy soils)
  • Older fronds bronze or purple - Phosphorus
  • Young fronds pale or chlorotic - Iron (on high-pH soils)
Record the affected frond number (fronds are numbered from the newest, spear = frond 1). Frond position tells the age of the stress.
3

Trunk base and mid-trunk

Walk around the palm and inspect the trunk. This is where the biggest killer diseases show.
  • Basal brackets - shelf-shaped fungus at the base? (Ganoderma / Basal Stem Rot)
  • Mid-trunk brackets - same shelf-shape higher up? (Upper Stem Rot)
  • Bore holes with frass or oozing sap - Palm weevil, termites
  • Tapping test - a hollow-sounding lower trunk on an older palm is a Ganoderma indicator even without visible brackets
  • Leaning - is the palm leaning more than neighbors? (Peat subsidence, root disease)
4

Bunch and inflorescence

Look at bunch load and any damage.
  • Bunch presence - fewer bunches than neighbors of the same age? (Drought lag, disease decline)
  • Aborted inflorescences - dried brown spikelets? (Drought stress 12 to 24 months ago)
  • Rat damage - chewed loose fruit at base?
  • Bunch rot - discolored, soft, or moldy bunches?
  • Sex ratio - persistently male inflorescences? (Stress signal, not a disease)

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What to record per palm

Minimum record for a palm flagged as abnormal:

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Block-level summary to record

After walking a block, record:
  • Number of palms inspected
  • Number and location of abnormal palms
  • Pattern (scattered, spreading focus, gradient, block-wide)
  • Recent weather or management events
  • Recommendation (treat, resample, escalate, or continue monitoring)

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Linking to satellite alerts

If you were sent to this block by a satellite alert:
  1. Confirm the alerted zone on the ground.
  2. Record whether the pattern matches (block-wide, gradient, cluster, single palm).
  3. Use the Oil Palm Diagnosis tables to move from the field pattern to a cause.
  4. Set a follow-up alert on the same block or zone via the Alerts page.