Achieving sustainable cultivation of oil palm Vol. 2 : diseases, pests, quality and sustainability

Oil palm is widely cultivated in tropical countries for use in food processing, personal care products and other applications such as biodiesel. Cultivation faces a range of challenges such as its environmental impact (e.g. in deforestation and biodiversity loss) as well threats from pests and diseases. There is an urgent need to make oil palm cultivation more efficient and environmentally sustainable. This collection reviews the key research addressing this challenge. Volume 2 reviews advances in understanding and managing fungal and other diseases affecting oil palm such as basal stem rot, vascular wilt and bud rot as well as insect pests. It also discusses the latest research on palm oil and health as well as the key issue of sustainability, including monitoring the environmental impact of cultivation, sustainability certification, conservation and supporting smallholders.