Resumen
- Oil palm is the major source of vegetable oil in the world. Traditionally, African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has been used for industrial production, however, in the last few years the interspecific hybrid OxG, a cross between the E. guineensis and the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera Cortes has emerged as a new alternative for oil palm production, mainly due to the high quality of the oil and the apparent resistance of the hybrid to some of the most problematic diseases. The last is especially true in Latin America where cultivation of oil palm is under pressure from various pests and diseases, particularly the bud rot and lethal wilt, which are a constraint to the sustainability of the crop. However, these interspecific hybrids have problems with fruit filling and ripening due to poor natural pollination and because the flower bud opening is asynchronous. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the optimal harvest time so as to ensure obtaining fruits with the greatest possible amount of oil and with the highest standards of quality. This research identified various physiological, physicochemical and quality parameters to establish the optimal harvest time for fruit bunches. To standardize the optimal harvest time, regardless of the region of cultivation or hybrid used, the different stages of oil palm fruit development were analyzed in accordance with the BBCH phenological scale. The results showed that the optimal harvest time for fruit bunches of OxG interspecific hybrid material (Coari × La Mé) corresponds to the phenological stage 807. The highest values of oil content (21.6%), the lowest free fatty acid values (<1%) and better concentration of phytonutrients were obtained at this stage.