JAKARTA – PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk (Astra Agro) released three new varieties of superior oil palm seedlings that are resistant to Ganoderma disease. This increases the number of seedlings owned by the issuer-coded AALI to six types.
In 2020, Astra Agro succeeded in creating three flagship varieties to support the competitiveness and productivity of oil palm plantations: AAL Lestari, AAL Sejahtera, and AAL Nirmala. Five years later, Astra Agro again released superior seeds with various updates and advantages: DxP AAL Nirmala MRG, DxP AAL Lestari MRG, and DxP AAL Sejahtera MRG.
The three new varieties were released after passing the Plantation Plantation Variety Release Session by the Directorate General of Plantations in Bogor on Thursday, May 16, 2025. The main advantage of these three new varieties is that they are moderately resistant to stem base rot caused by the Ganoderma fungus. This disease is an enemy for palm oil industry players, including farmers, because it is difficult to handle once infected.
Ganoderma causes corrosion on the inside of the tree, causing the plant to die slowly. This can be an obstacle to the productivity of oil palm plantations nationwide. Director of Plantation Seeds at the Ministry of Agriculture Ebi Rulianti said the three new seeds were a breakthrough and a very good innovation.
“Oil palm varieties DxP AAL Nirmala MRG, DxP AAL Lestari MRG, and DxP AAL Sejahtera MRG deserve to be released or passed because we consider them to be a solution in handling stem base rot disease caused by Ganoderma boninense,” said Ebi Rulianti, Director of Plantation Seeds.
According to her, Astra Agro has a qualified development and research team because it managed to release new seeds in a shorter time. Usually, the release of new varieties of oil palm with moderate Ganoderma resistance takes about 15 to 20 years.
Astra Agro, which is included in the Indonesian Palm Oil Genome Consortium (KGSI), has contributed to the fight against plant disease. Ebi added that besides being resistant to Ganoderma, the three released varieties have the advantage of high production and do not produce flat fruit.
“In Indonesia, it is certain that no land or soil is free from Ganoderma, so with the new varieties released by Astra Agro, we hope that companies and farmers will be able to obtain optimal production; congratulations and success for Astra Agro,” Ebi explained.
Meanwhile, Astra Agro Lestari, Senior Vice President of Research and Development Cahyo Wibowo, said that stem-base rot disease has developed quite rapidly in Indonesia, such as in West Sulawesi and Sumatra.
“One of our efforts in dealing with this disease is by researching and developing Ganoderma-resistant moderate superior seeds and good technical culture that can produce high production,” he said.
As a doctoral degree holder, Cahyo revealed that this disease can kill oil palm plants relatively quickly so that the total plant population per hectare (SPH) will drop dramatically and result in a significant decline in FFB production. This is what underlies Astra Agro’s Research and Development (R&D) team considering the need to update the previous superior varieties by adding the advantage of being resistant to Ganoderma.
Another advantage that is no less important is preventing parthenocarpy problems or often referred to as stuck fruit. Cahyo said that the three latest varieties will not produce flat fruit, thus positively affecting the productivity produced.
Similarly, the sex ratio or the ratio of female flowers to the total flowers available. The sex ratio in this latest variety is quite balanced, which is around 75% – 88%, which is able to support natural pollination in the field without manual assistance.
Despite having new advantages, these three varieties still have the advantages of previous varieties, such as the production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and more oil content.
Cahyo revealed that with the release of these three new varieties, Astra Agro hopes to immediately apply these seeds in Astra Agro’s operational plantations, especially in stem base rot endemic areas so that potential production losses due to this disease attack can be minimized.
