Yield potential of oil palm Tenera hybrids in the Cauvery Delta Region of Tamil Nadu

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a major oil-bearing crop cultivated worldwide, remowed for its highest oil yield per unit area among all oil seeds crops. This study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Pattukkottai, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, over a period from 2007 to 2024. The objective was to evaluate the yield potential of ten oil palm tenera hybrids, namely NRCOP-1 to NRCOP-10. Key growth and yield parameters included the number of fruit bunches per year, oil content, palm girth, palm height, yearly leaf output, and annual production of female and male inflorescences. Among the evaluated hybrids, NRCOP-7 recorded the maximum palm girth (3.91 m), while NRCOP-4 had the tallest palms (5.32 m). NRCOP-2 produced the highest number of fronds (25-60 inches). NRCOP-9 had the highest sex ratio (0.78), fresh fruit bunch yield (206.94 kg per plam), and per hectare yield (29.59 t/ha). Although, NRCOP-1 recorded the highest number of fresh fruit bunches (10.62) per palm, NRCOP-9 surprassed all hybrids in mesocarp oil yield (7.96 t/ha),oil recovery (21.90%). kernel yield (2.83 t/ha) and kernel oil output (1161.83 kg/ha). Among the ten hybrids, NRCOP-9 exhibited the highest fresh fruit bunch yield per palm, followed by NRCOP-10 and NRCOP-8.